Special exhibition
25. mar. 2026—25. mar. 2029
Land Unknown
2nd floor -
People have always travelled beyond what was known. Driven by curiosity, courage, and the desire to understand the world – and their own place within it.
Land Unknown takes you on expeditions to distant parts of the globe, and into outer space. Join an adventurous journey about survival, knowledge, and the will to carry on – from Niebuhr to Mogensen.
Image gallery
1 / 5
On Expedition to The Happy Arabia
On a bitterly cold winter’s day in 1761, six young men set sail from Copenhagen, bound for the Arabian Peninsula. They carried the King’s support, the questions of Europe’s scholars – and a dream of understanding a land known to few. Only one of them returned home.
2 / 5
East Greenland – where travel becomes a struggle
In small skin boats, Danish expedition members fought their way along the coast of East Greenland. Between pack ice and open sea, they mapped a land few outsiders had ever seen. The journey demanded endurance and left traces reaching far beyond the expedition itself.
3 / 5
A life lived out of sight
In 1957, the ethnographer Henny Harald Hansen lived in a Kurdish village. As a Western woman, she gained access to everyday lives no one before her had documented. Here, it was not maps and instruments, but trust, that opened the doors to the unknown.
4 / 5
From West Africa to Vesterbro
When Carl and Amalie Kjersmeier travelled to West Africa to acquire art, they played a key role in shaping how African artistic traditions came to be seen in Europe. Masks and sculptures made their way to Vesterbro, Copenhagen – and onward into the wider world – influencing new ideas of what art could be.
5 / 5
The first Dane in space
In 2015, Andreas Mogensen was sent into space. From the International Space Station, he viewed Earth from a distance. The journey looks ahead and reminds us that there is still unknown land yet to be explored.
On a journey toward understanding
1.
When science set sail
Carsten Niebuhr set out for The Happy Arabia as part of a scientific expedition intended to shed light on a land unknown to Europeans. Europe’s scholars had compiled more than 100 questions, ranging from natural phenomena and disease to religion, language, and everyday life.
Along the way, the expedition members measured, sketched, and described the world around them, keeping diaries of matters great and small – often under extreme conditions. The journey ended in tragedy. Five of the participants died, and only the surveyor Carsten Niebuhr returned home in 1767, carrying knowledge and insights that continue to shape our understanding of the world today.
2.
What would you have done?
In Land Unknown, you follow Carsten Niebuhr’s journey from his departure from Copenhagen to the long road home. Along the way, you are faced with the choices that shaped the expedition: What do you do when disease spreads, supplies run low, and the unknown becomes dangerous? When do you hold fast to the mission – and when is it time to turn back?
3.
Five expeditions – one shared drive
From the ice of East Greenland to a Kurdish village, from the art of West Africa to the space above us – in A Land Unknown, you also encounter other expeditions and stories from places unknown to those who travelled there. Stories of people who risked their lives to understand the world. The expeditions differ, but the driving force is the same: curiosity and the will to venture beyond what was known.
Image gallery
Open today
10:00 - 17:00
Admission ticket
- Adult150 DKK
- Adult (buy online)135 DKK (10% discount when you buy your ticket online)
- Under 18 years oldFree
- Group (10+ persons)135 DKK
The ticket is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase. Tickets can be purchased at the museum ticket desk or online. Online purchases receive a 10% discount on admission.
