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Copenhagen with Kids: Exploring Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Located at the center of Copenhagen, Denmark is an international acclaimed art museum that credits its founding from beer. The Ny (New) Carlsberg Glyptotek boasts the largest collection of ancient art and antiquities in Northern Europe. The Glyptotek is mainly a sculpture museum but also houses over 10,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years. The imposing and beautiful architecture outside was a great preview of the art treasures it housed inside.Glyptotek Copenhagen building

The Glyptotek was founded by Carl Jacobsen of Ny Carlsberg Brewery fame and opened in 1897. The legacy and influence of the Carlsbergs are visible all over Copenhagen. He also commissioned the famous Little Mermaid statue in the city.

Mr. Jacobsen was an avid art collector and many of the pieces here was from his personal collection which he donated to the public in 1899. He greatly admired King Ludwig of Bavaria who created the Glyptotek in Munich with ancient sculptures and named his collection storehouse the Glyptotek which also means collection of sculptures.

Glyptotek building

This was located across the street from the city’s famous amusement park, Tivoli Gardens. The museum’s centerpiece is the Winter Garden filled with palms, a goldfish pond and a variety of other plants. It was like an oasis in the middle of the museum. There were plenty of seats to relax and enjoy this beautiful and tranquil area topped with a large cast iron and glass dome.

Glyptotek glass cupola dome

I can imagine how much this haven injects some relief and joy during those cold winter months in Copenhagen. I loved how they set up this rotunda alongside the café and how there was so much light coming in here.

Glyptotek Winter garden

We were greeted by this striking white sculpture called Water Mother by Danish sculptor, Kai Nielsen.  It was a depiction of a woman with 14 naked babies crawling on her. The baby propped up on her arm is supposed to be Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility. I found it interesting but beautiful and I guess it was supposed to signify a woman’s fertility. My kids thought the babies were adorable.

Glyptotek water mother statue

The museum collections include Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities as well as  Danish and French art from the 19th and 20th centuries. As we started exploring, it wasn’t just the impressive collection of marble statues that were amazing but the floors, walls and ceiling art that surrounded them.

Glyptotek ceiling

It almost felt like we were visiting a palace or one of those very ornate European churches instead of a museum. Clearly, Mr. Jacobsen spared no expense with these buildings to house his beloved collection and treasures.

Glyptotek sculptures

The number of white marble sculptures here was astounding. They ranged in many different subjects from romance to hints of violence. Yes, some were a bit disturbing for young kids but mine came out mentally unscathed. There were so many wonderful sculptures here but these were a few of our favorites.

Glyptotek sculptures

One of my kids’ favorite area was the Egyptian collection. The museum had more than 1,900 pieces dating back to as early as 3,000 BC. It was amazing to see how well-preserved some of these sculptures were. There’s also a mummy collection in its own chambers. Glyptotek Egyptian antiquities

We found this room full of Roman busts very interesting. The details on these pieces were stunning. After awhile, it got a little creepy with all those rows of eyes looking at you though.

Glyptotek busts heads

We loved the hall of columns filled with sculptures and sarcophagi. It felt like we were transported back in time to one of the ancient emperor’s gallery.

Glyprotek statues

We liked that many of the sculptures were well marked with wordings in both Danish and English. I just wish some of them had a little bit more descriptions. These buildings were constructed well to allow a lot of light to come into the rooms to clearly see the details of the sculptures.

Glyptotek sculptures

Most areas of the museum were laid out well. But, there were quite a few stairs and some sculpture rooms were laid out like a maze. So, it may get complicated navigating some of the rooms with wheelchairs and prams/strollers. Kids do find these sculptures looking at them fascinating.

Glyptotek roman statues

I probably would have been a little nervous visiting this place a few years ago with an active toddler. Some of those sculptures looked very attractive to touch for curious kids. My son managed to do a fist bump with this impish creature.

Glyptotek statue fist bump

We were happy to see a collection of 35 sculptures from Rodin since we missed visiting the Rodin Museum during our visit to Paris. My husband tolerates my affinity for art museums but he is a big fan of sculptures and Rodin so he was excited to see a roomful of some of his famous bronze casts like The Thinker. The Rodin collection here is supposed to be the largest outside of Paris.

Glyptotek Rodin thinker

My daughter’s favorite sculpture here was Degas’ famous ballerina sculpture called The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer. The bronze ballerina is in a pose with her tulle skirt and silk ribbon on her hair. My daughter gravitates towards anything with young girls or babies whenever we visit art museums so this was no surprise.

Glyptotek Degas dancer

While it’s primarily a sculpture museum, there is also a vast collection of French impressionists (Monet, Cezanne, Renoir) and Danish paintings. Paul Gauguin’s paintings which focus on Tahitian women represent most of the paintings in the French collection with over 40 of his works.

Glyptotek Gauguin art

The Glyptotek was a wonderful place to spend a few hours and stroll through its rich collection of sculptures and galleries. We didn’t make it to the outside garden which also had plenty of statues. We came here late on a Sunday but it wasn’t as crowded as we expected. It was a change from Copenhagen’s other attractions or other museums but definitely a worthwhile visit even with the kids who only had amusement parks and castles on their minds.

Glyptotek with kids

Visiting the Glyptotek Copenhagen with Kids Tips and Basics

  • Free admission to the public on Sundays.
  • Admission: Adults – DKK 75 (EUR 11/$14 US); Children under 18 years old are Free.
  • Free Admission along with other museums and attractions with the Copenhagen Card.
  • Closed on Mondays; Tuesday – Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM
  • Located near the Copenhagen Central Station (Københavns Hovedbanegård)
  • There are lockers at basement to store all bags. Cost is 20 DKK but machine returns coin after use.
  • There is also a lunch area in the basement to enjoy packed lunches or for snack breaks.
  • Check the calendar or information desk if treasure hunt for the kids is going on.
  • Give the kids a camera and see what interesting images they capture.
  • From May to August, they offer free guided tours in English every Sunday at 1:00 PM. No advance reservation so granb the limited tickets (2 per person) at the ticket desk.

*Have you visited the Glyptotek or other sculpture museums?

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Carlsberg Glyptotek Copenhagen

44 thoughts on “Copenhagen with Kids: Exploring Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek”

  1. the architecture in Europe is magnificent. I adored it, and the art galleries when we went to Paris in 2005. I long to go back one day. So thank you for taking us on this tour. What a beautiful indoor garden – such a wonderful place to sit I am sure.
    Have a wonderful week.

  2. Hi Mary, thanks to the beer money there’s this incredible museum! What an incredible collection. Give me Rodin and Degas and I’ll be there. Great to see the kids enjoying the mueum. Love the last photo of them. They look like little rock stars!

    1. Thanks Marisol! I love that last photo too which is why it’s my encore pix :) They really enjoyed this museum much to my surprise. I think it was the variety of sculptures in here. Yes, thank goodness for beer money. It almost felt fitting to have a Carlsberg beer after visiting the museum.

  3. I would like to walk the Hall of Columns. My fav photos are the last one of your
    kids :) and the mother child book central photo. I love the quirkiness of the mother
    and babies statue. But then as you say there are so many beautiful statues.

    1. Thanks Jan! The mother child sculpture was one of my favorite sculptures which is why I had to share it. The Glytotek had so much variety it was hard to choose some favorite pieces.

  4. Copenhagen. Ahh, I’ve heard often what an interesting city it is, and your post has made it seem even more beguiling. I’d love to visit the sculpture museum – what an amazing collection of art – Gauguin, Renoir, Monet, Degas – ahh, would love to see it all. Thanks for giving us a glimpse :)

    1. Glad you enjoyed the virtual museum visit, Jo. Copenhagen is a beautiful city filled with so many wonderful attractions. it was an amazing collection of art from some of the masters.

    1. It was a surprise to see some of the famous pieces here. My daughter has always been interested in Degas’ dancers and we were glad to see it as a sculpture instead of the paintings.

    1. Thanks Jackie! We loved the architecture and all the building designs as much as all the sculptures. It was amazing how much detail was put in every part of each room.

    1. That is such a great description of beer, Marcia! I’m not much of a beer drinker so to me yeah..it is funny tasting. Amazing how much it has contributed to the world.

  5. I truly am impressed with you taking your kids to so many rich cultural attractions. Hopefully it provides them a lifelong interest in the arts.Looks like your daughter could be a ballerina! I know I would enjoy a visit here and would love to see more of Rodin’s work and anything Impressionist is great in my books.

  6. Definitely my kind of place. Fabulous collection! Interesting history about Mr. Jacobsen, too, including his admiration of King Ludwig. The Winter Garden reminds me of The Domes in Milwaukee, a conservatory with tropical and desert domes — very popular to visit during those cold Wisconsin winters.

    1. I would like to visit the Domes now if it has a conservatory. I liked that story with King Ludwig too. We’re hoping to visit the Glyptotek inspiration in Munich this summer.

  7. This is a museum that I would love to go back to again and again. I was lucky enough to
    to see “The Thinker” in Seoul a couple of years ago. That was a great Rodin exhibit. I kept
    going back again and again to each sculpture. There were just so gorgeous.

  8. I have to add this to my great museum’s of the world list. Just when I thought I had visited most everything on my list, too. I could not believe that place was purpose built. It is every bit as beautiful and ornate as the Renaissance palaces turned into museums in Italy. I don’t blame you for spending time looking at the ceiling and floor.

    1. It was a gorgeous building. It’s amazing what money can buy. I guess if he spent a lifetime collecting all these treasures he might as well build something worthy to house them. I hope you get to visit this museum soon, Vera!

  9. eileen at FamiliesGo!

    I am all for taking kids to museums. They are another public space kids need to learn how to behave in. And it’s always interesting to see what art they gravitate to. It’s not always what you expect.

  10. The museum looks amazing – now I wish that we would have visited when we were in Copenhagen but we ran out of time. It’s incredible that one man with a passion for art could found such a great art museum. I love Degas’ ballerina sculptures too – beautiful!!

  11. The collection is fantastic and I can picture my daughter loving it! Thanks for sharing, this is definitely on my wish list!

  12. I never made it to Denmark yet but I would love to visit one day. Copenhagen looks absolutely beautiful. haha I agree those Roman busts do look a bit creepy. A very interesting museum, it is also great that you can enjoy your packed lunch there.

  13. What beautiful, beautiful sculptures. Would love to visit myself although I suspect my toddler would be difficult to hand. Love the scsculpture of the mother with all the babies. Even with two kids it sometimes feels like I have 14!

  14. It looks grand! The building is very beautiful both from the outside and from the inside. I have never been to any sculpture museum but many temples in India have beautiful sculptures on their walls. They are so old and are exquisitely done!!

  15. I love how much natural light there is inside this museum, especially in the Winter Garden. I think I’d go insane if 14 babies were crawling on me. Carlsburg beer is heavily advertised in Malaysia. I think they must have some deal with cheap restaurants because the green Carlsburge logo is often on the sign with the restaurant name.

  16. Hey there outstanding blog! Does running a blog similar to this take a great deal of work? I have very little expertise in programmig however I was hoping to start my own blog in the near future. Anyways, if you have any recommendations or techniques for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off topic however I just had to ask. Thank you!

  17. What a fantastic museum. I would have agreed with your kids on the Egyptian pieces as being the most interesting to me. Btw…you did an amazing job of framing that pic of the Water Mother!

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