Aarhus Festival at Royal Danish Library
Experience Royal Danish Library during Aarhus Festival with guided tours, author talks and activities bringing our cultural heritage to life in new ways.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during Aarhus Festival, Royal Danish Libraryinvites you to discover the library in new ways. During the festival week, you can explore everything from hidden collections and the Cold War stories to architecture, television history and relevant literary conversations – all in the library's unique setting for reflection and community.
Three guided tours offer new perspectives on the library. One tour uncovers surprising stories and objeckts from the library's cultural heritage collections. Another explores the library's architecture and the spaces that shape the visitor experience. The third focuses on the Cold War, a period marked by surveillance, tension and global conflict whose legacy is still felt today.
In the library's entrance hall you can also explore the DR-arkiv booth which houses a pop-up display of television clips and snapshots from the 1930s, 1970s and 1990s.
You can also do more than just experience our cultural heritage – you can help make it accessible. During the festival, Royal Danish Library invites the visitors to contribute to the digitisation project “Almanacs 1769 to 1840”. In the past, almanacs helped people navigate the world, bringing together the church calendar, zodiac signs, natural phenomena and everyday life on the same pages. Now you can help make these historical almanacs searchable by registering information about stars, animals and signs in nature.
The library will also be visited by Thomas Dambo's sculpture Lomme Ulrik, a Pocket Lint Troll. He travels around Denmark to collect pocket lint for Thomas Dambo's new sweater, which you can contribute with your own pocket lint.
Each day ends with an author talk, where literature provides a starting point for exploring this year's festival themes. Meet Alen Mešković (Tuesday), Josefine Klougart (Wednesday) and Nauja Lynge (Thursday) for conversations about technology, nature, identity and community in a changing world.
We look forward to welcoming you to three inspiring days at Royal Danish Library!
Tours
The Cold War at Royal Danish Library
Did you know that the history of Royal Danish Library's Book Tower is closely linked to the Cold War?
Join a guided tour that not only takes you through the library's 45-metre-high book repository, but also back to Aarhus in the 1950s and 1960s, when the threat of nuclear war influenced the construction of the Book Tower.
The tour explores how, during the 1950s, the Danish Civil Defence and the State Library formed an unusual partnership that led to the creation of air-raid shelters on the lower floors of the Book Tower. These shelters were designed to protect both cultural heritage and members of the public in the event of a crisis. You'll also travel to the very top of the Book Tower, where the Air Observation Corps monitored the skies above Aarhus and Aarhus Bay from an observation post on the top floor.
Architecture Tour at Royal Danish Library
Discover a library that is about much more than books!
A library that celebrates community, diversity and the social connections that bring us together.
With great respect for the building's architecture and its surroundings, the refurbishment of C.F. Møller's building has transformed Royal Danish Library into a bright learning environment and cultural meeting place, filled with warmth and atmosphere.
Every effort has been made to ensure that everyone feels welcome. The library offers a wide variety of spaces, with room for quiet study, group work, active breaks and screen-free creative activities.
On this guided tour, you'll discover how the University Park has been integrated into the library's architecture and experience first-hand how the library's hidden treasures are revealed through a striking architectural intervention.
Cultural Heritage Tour at Royal Danish Library
The Book Tower is Denmark's bookshelf.
Located in the iconic University Park and designed by the architect C.F. Møller, the Book Tower is visible across Aarhus. Together, the Book Tower and the library form part of Aarhus University's campus, serving as Denmark's national library while also providing a place to study for the city's residents and many students.
Did you know that the Book Tower houses extensive collections of literature, academic publications, sound recordings, films, television broadcasts, music, sheet music, journals, maps and photographs – and that many of these materials are available to borrow?
These collections exist because Royal Danish Library collects, preserves and provides access to Denmark's cultural heritage for present and future generations.
Join us for a journey through the library's underground and above-ground repositories as we explore a selection of treasures from Royal Danish Library's cultural heritage collections.
Author talks
Author Talk with Alen Mešković (1 September 2026, 4.00–5.00 pm)
Myth × Machine: How Do We Live with the Technology That Shapes Us?
Meet Alen Mešković for a conversation about his latest novel, Den smukkeste afsked, set in a future Denmark where everyone knows the date of their own death. The discussion explores love, control, grief and resistance, asking what happens to our humanity as technology and systems gain ever greater influence over our lives.
The event takes place in Insigten, Royal Danish Library's screen-free space, where audiences are invited into a calm and welcoming environment for reflection and contemplation. The conversation is moderated by literary consultant and adviser to Aarhus Arts Council, Lise Vandborg.
Author Talk with Josefine Klougart (2 September 2026, 3.00–4.00 pm)
Down-to-earth Future: How Do We Connect More To Nature?
Josefine Klougart is one of Denmark's leading literary voices exploring our relationship with nature and with one another. Drawing on her latest books, this conversation invites audiences to reflect on hope, landscape, community, and our relationship with the world we are part of – and depend upon.
The event takes place in Insigten, Royal Danish Library's screen-free space, where audiences are invited into a calm and welcoming environment for reflection and contemplation. The conversation is moderated by literary consultant and adviser to Aarhus Arts Council, Lise Vandborg.
Author Talk with Nauja Lynge (3 September 2026, 4.00–5.00 pm)
Borders and Neighbourhoods: How Do We Live Side by Side Across Borders?
Meet Nauja Lynge for a timely conversation about Greenland, identity and great-power politics, inspired by the thriller Splittelse. The discussion explores what happens to a small society when global interests and political power struggles draw ever closer, and how we live together across cultures, histories and borders.
The event takes place in Insigten, Royal Danish Library's screen-free space, where audiences are invited into a calm and welcoming environment for reflection and contemplation. The conversation is moderated by literary consultant and adviser to Aarhus Arts Council, Lise Vandborg.
Price for guided tour and author talks
- DKK 40 for adults
- DKK 25 for students
