The Royal Danish Naval Museum – known as Orlogsmuseet in Danish – is closing down as an independent museum. Its exhibits will be moved to the nearby Royal Danish Arsenal Museum (Tøjhusmuseet).
The move is a result of the National Museum of Denmark having to save 2 percent annually on its budget over the next four years. But the move makes sense, according to Per Kristian Madsen, the head of the National Museum.
“War at sea and war on land have always been closely connected and at a joint war museum we can integrate both aspects in one collection,” explained Madsen.
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Ready next summer
The move is expected to save the National Museum 3.2 million kroner a year in rent and other operational expenses. A further 1.6 million kroner will also be saved by cancelling the planned exhibitions about Carsten Niebuhr’s Arab journeys and the West Indies.
About 34,000 guests visited the Royal Danish Naval Museum last year, while the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum saw about twice that.
The merging of the Royal Danish Naval Museum into the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum is expected to be completed sometime during the summer of 2016.
