Inspiration

We dive into our collections and share our knowledge.

The Danes in motion – gymnastics on radio and TV

En mand og en kvinde der dyrker morgengymnastik i naturen ved nogle telte, fotograferet bagfra

For almost 100 years, gymnastics broadcasts on radio and TV have kept Danes moving. In DR-arkivet you can now find thousands of these broadcasts. Here we delve into the history of interval gymnastics.

Jacob Gade and “Tango Jalousie”

In 1894, a boy left his childhood home in Vejle. With a violin under his arm and a dream of something bigger, he headed for Copenhagen. Years later, he composed one of the world's first radio hits.

When women were allowed to enter the university

Students gathered for a lecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Surgery. Professor in the middle with a table.

150 years ago, a royal ordinance gave women the opportunity to enter the university as students, a major step towards equality.

A touch of Verona – the library building in Fiolstræde

The library building in Fiolstræde from the inside

The old library building in Fiolstræde from 1861 has reopened. We have dug into the building's special history to mark that the building is once again a living part of the library.

New in the collections

Here we showcase some of the works that Royal Danish Library has received during 2024.

Ten thousand theatre images

The Widow in the Mirror ballet and scenography by Kjeld Abell (1909-1961). Music by Bernhard Christensen (1906-2004). Choreography and staging by Børge Ralov (1908-1981). Premiere November 20, 1934, at Royal Danish Theatre. In repertoire until 1952.

Through Holger Damgaard's ten thousand unique images from Danish theatre stages, we delve into the history of theatre in Denmark in the period from 1909 to 1940.

God save Denmark – The history of New Year's speeches

Queen Margrethe's first New Year's speech in 1972.

Tonight, King Frederik X will give his first New Year's speech. We have been in the collections to examine the New Year's speeches of previous monarchs.

Christmas

Christmas is upon us. It is a time rich in traditions, good food and cosiness. Dive into our Christmas theme and read about our many Danish Christmas traditions and Christmas stories.

American presidential election

On 5 November 2024, Americans will go to the polls for the 60th time. We have taken a dive into the collections and looked at how the election has been covered in Denmark over time.

Poetry readings in the Library Garden

Every summer, we invite Danish poets to write new poems and read them aloud in the Library Garden in August.

Bent Petersen, the camera and art

Bent Petersen's enormous interest in art resulted in a collection of approximately 63,000 slides. Dive into the portrayal of vernissages, happenings and exhibitions in the 70s and 80s.

Halloween and other traditions

The jack-o-lanterns are alight this time of year, but where do our traditions really come from? And what does it take for us to take them to heart?

Laurberg & Gad

Dive into the archive of the photography company Laurberg & Gad. The two companions ran a recognized portrait studio in Copenhagen. At the same time, they were pioneers and shot films and some of the…

C.E.F. Weyse 250 years

Weyse plays the piano for a young lady who sits in a chair next to the musician.

We have looked in the collections on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Danish composer C.E.F. Weyse.

The songwriter Grundtvig

NFS Grundtvig considered himself unmusical. Yet his name is on hundreds of songs. Dive into his songwriting process with us.

EC 2024: South Slavic ghosts

Photographers take pictures of the Danish men's national football team in the old sports park

A historical look at the upcoming European Championship finals in soccer. Once Yugoslavia was one country, today it is seven. The Danish men's national team will meet two of them in the group stage.

New in collections 2023

Ritt Bjerregaard in her confirmation dress in a living room.

We are showing some of the works which Royal Danish Library has received during 2023.

A Nordic treasure chest

Get the historical details of five of the most important manuscripts in our collection and experience how centuries of interweaving Nordic history is reflected in the cultural heritage.

25th anniversary of The Black Diamond in 2024

View of The Black Diamond from the harbour

Royal Danish Library celebrates the 25th anniversary of cultural centre The Black Diamond in 2024.

JP Jacobsen between science and fiction

JP Jacobsen was torn between science and fiction, but throughout his career he managed to combine the two passions and became both a recognised scientist and author.

Changing of the guard

Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Prince Joachim and Crown Prince Frederik pose with a dachshund.

There is a changing of the guard at Amalienborg, and we take a closer look at the royal parts of our collections.

Happy New Year

A number of people celebrate the New Year in a living room.

We wish everyone a very happy New Year as we look back on the year that passed.

Knud Rasmussen's great sledge journey

Photograph of Knud Rasmussen and the members of the expedition, sitting closely in a tent with warm fur clothing on.

In 1923, Knud Rasmussen set off on the last big leg of the 5th Thule Expedition from Canada to Siberia. We have been in the collections to follow in Knud Rasmussen's sledge tracks.

The Camera and Us - Humans in Photography

The camera has changed how we look not only at ourselves but also at others. Discover almost 200 years of photographic and cultural history through Royal Danish Library's pictures.

New works in the collections in 2022

Person with white gloves holding out old letters

We are showing off some of the works which Royal Danish Library has received during 2022.

#DKgame – an exhibition is created

Image of the entrance to the #DKgame game exhibition at the Royal Danish Library.

#DKgame, the new exhibition in The Black Diamond, presents the unusual range of Danish computer games. And it takes up space.

Peter Elfelt

Elfelt stands with a large camera and cloth over his head.

Delve into Royal Danish Library's digitised collection of Elfelt's thousands of photographs, ranging from the development of the welfare society in Denmark to man's best furry friend.

Liberation of Denmark 1945

We have found material in the collections from the five cursed years and the early May days of 1945, when freedom returned.

Audubon's great life's work

James Audubon's life's work Birds of America, with its 435 hand-painted pictures in the birds' natural size, is one of the great treasures of our collections.

Easter

For most people, Easter means, first and foremost, a series of bank holidays. Many of the traditions associated with Easter have changed over time. Dive into the symbols and customs of Easter.

Do you get fooled by Slooflirpa?

Subway car halfway through the ground. In front stands a small child.

April fools is a fixed tradition in many Danish media outlets. We trace the banter back through the Danish newspapers in our collections.

Valentine's Day

Carl Nielsen looks in love at his wife Anne Marie Nielsen

Valentine's Day is a very new tradition in Denmark. But we have lots of older, romantic traditions in Denmark, such as love letters and binding letters. We take a loving look at the celebration of love.

Halli Halli Hallo – we'll win in Mexico

A football World Cup needs a good rallying cry. In a production folder donated to Royal Danish Library hides the story of how a genuine World Cup hit came to be.

17,000 photos come out of the "Transcriptorium"

Behind an office door at the library, its employees are teaching computers to read Danish handwriting, which is why you can now search through 17,000 calling cards.

To the polling stations!

Men and women queuing at the polling booths

Election day is approaching. Take a trip back to previous election periods as we go through our archive of election photographs.

The 1926 election - The first live broadcast election meeting

Town Hall converted into a voting room for the 1926 general election

The 1926 election was the first election to be broadcast by radio. We delve into the election campaign of the time and the first live broadcast voter meeting.

Party programmes

On 1 November 2022, we have to vote in the general election. We have done so many times before. Go back in time with the old digitised party programmes.

Arctic Imagination - conversations about a world in climate change

Expedition participant takes a rest in an ice cave

If you imagine the Arctic, you probably see snow, ice and frost. But the mythical region is melting. We focus on the high north in the company of writers, scientists and artists.

Danish drama for everyone

On the occasion of Danish drama becoming available to all Danish users, we have conducted a series of interviews with Danish dramatists and researchers providing inspiration and recommendations.

Queen Elizabeth II's first state visit to Denmark

Elizabeth II at Amalienborg with King Frederik and their spouses

On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of England died. Here you can see pictures from her first state visit to Denmark in 1957.

The chicken farmer from Høsterkøb

From the winter track to the first Danish tour hero. We follow in the wheels of Hans Edmund Andresen. The first Danish cyclist to complete the Tour de France.

How to digitise 200,000 photographs?

Get behind the digitisation of royal court photographer Peter Elfelt's photographs and learn more about our work processes when almost 100-year-old images go digital.

Women's struggle for citizenship

The suffrage procession in the streets of Copenhagen.

The women's cause and the fight for women's rights officially came on the political agenda in 1871 when the Danish Women's Society was founded.

The creative library - at home

Get inspired by the library's treasures to make creative works of art at home. You only have to use things and materials that you likely already have in the house or you can buy in grocery stores.

Behind the scenes at The Black Diamond

Anders Toftgaard flips through books in Det Kgl. Bibliotek's Danish Hall. Still from the movie A Word for Human

In 2017, film director Mauricio González-Aranda followed the day-to-day work at The Black Diamond in his movie "A Word for Human". Watch it here.

Podcast - Margrete I

Have you seen the new movie about Margaret I? Listen to our podcast about the movie, Margaret's life and how to portray historical figures in fiction.

Friday the 13th

Illustration of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. At his feet sits the Virgin Mary.

One to three times a year the 13th falls on a Friday. But why do many not dare to challenge fate that day? We uncover the origin of the fateful day.

Karen Blixen - Behind the Scenes

Karen Blixen is sitting on a step with a large bouquet of lilies

Karen Blixen is one of the most important Danish authors of the 20th century. We take a little look behind the façade of both the private person and the artist.

Copenhagen Pride

During Copenhagen Pride Week, we take a look at our cultural heritage, where a number of LGBTI+ people have left their mark.

The roots of racism

May 2021 marks a year since the murder of the 46-year-old black American George Floyd. On that occasion, we have taken a look at our collections to examine the roots of racism.

Rødstrømper – sisterhood and revolution

A group of half-naked people with their arms around each other

In 1970, something new happened in Denmark. A group of women associated with the youth uprising had had enough of doing other people's laundry and meeting society's gender-based expectations.

Book Festival at Royal Danish Library

DR2 broadcasted Book Festival live from The Black Diamond in Copenhagen on Sunday, 8 November 2020. We showed off some of the library's treasures during the broadcast. Get to know the fine items.

Thus the world changes

Thomas Pikety in conversation with Rune Lykkeberg

With the monumental work Capital and Ideology, comparable to the masterpieces of Adam Smith and Karl Marx, the French star economist Thomas Piketty pays homage to human imagination and freedom.

Freedom of the Press Writings

The title page of MG Birckner's "On Freedom of the Press and its Laws." 1797

Come! Let us lead you into 18th century Facebook, where feuds, scams and deportations are the order of the day. We have digitised the texts published when the censorship laws were abolished.

A troublemaker crosses his tracks

Join us behind the scenes of the "Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition", meet the exhibition architect Christina Bach, and read about her collaboration with the world-famous musician.

Reunification

100 years ago Southern Jutland and Denmark were reunited. Learn more about what happened and take a look at our collections.

HM Queen Margrethe II - 52 years on the throne

After 52 years on the Danish throne, her majesty, Margrethe II, will step down as Denmark's regent on 14 January 2024. We celebrate the Queen's long life and career with a look at our collections.

While you wait

Mom and her children looking out the window

If you can not come to us, we will come to you! Maybe you are in quarantine at home or you are one of the particularly vulnerable. This is content that can be enjoyed from the comforts of your home.

Find more in our collections

Map collection

Our collection of maps is one of Northern Europe's largest. The oldest maps in the collection date from the 16th century, and the newest may have just come from the printing house.

Collection of prints and photographs

Women in demonstration march for suffrage 1915

We have both physical and digital images in the collection. They all come from Denmark or have some kind of connection with the country.

Newspaper collection

Employee in the Statens Avissamling between shelves

The national newspaper collection consists of daily newspapers and local newspapers that have been published in Denmark or have direct relations to Denmark.