Big postcard project
Now everyone can help locate postcards in a new collaboration between Royal Danish Library and National Museum of Denmark. Tell us where the postcards are from – and help chart Danish history.
Photo: Det Kgl. Bibliotek
Published 05 September 2026 | Revision 07 September 2026
Postcards were once an everyday medium. They were so widespread, that even the smallest towns and city backyards were captured and sent out into the world. Today, they constitute a visual archive of the Denmark of the past, giving a rare insight into what the country once looked like.
In a new collaboration between Royal Danish Library and the National Museum of Denmark, the public can now contribute to locating thousands of historical postcards. The first 23,500 digitised postcards from Royal Danish Library's collections will now be available on the museum's crowdsourcing platform “Hvor er det fra?” (trans: Where is it from?), where everyone can contribute knowledge about what is on the the postcards and when they are from - and in this way, help to make us all wiser about our common history.
“The Danes are now allowed to unleash their inner detective and help map Denmark’s streets and alleys, which in many places have been renovated, redeveloped and changed over time. I hope that Danes will find their magnifying glass and take a closer look at their home region, so that we can map even more of our history and show the many different regions of our country over time,”
Many of the postcards initially only have an overall title – often just the name of the city – which makes it difficult to search for specific places, such as streets or buildings. Once the postcards are located, they become much easier to find and use – for researchers, local historians and ordinary citizens.
“Cultural heritage must be brought to life and help us understand where we come from and who we are as a people. I am incredibly happy about the collaboration with National Museum of Denmark, which gives Danes the opportunity to help put Denmark's history on the map, one postcard at a time. The postcards reflect Denmark in its entire geographical and cultural breadth, so everyone can participate,”
The collaboration between Royal Danish Library and National Museum of Denmark is part of activating and passing on Denmark's cultural heritage. By combining digitisation with citizen involvement, it opens up new opportunities for both research, dissemination and public participation.
"I absolutely love how we, in this way, can involve and get help from Danes in the matter of our common cultural history and heritage. That is why I'm also very happy about the collaboration with Royal Danish Library, because, with the postcard collection, we can get even more exciting content on the platform and more good forces helping the initiative."
Facts
- The collaboration with National Museum of Denmark is an offshoot from a Royal Danish Library project, where an unique collection of approximately 312,500 postcards will be digitised by 2027. The postcards date from the period 1888 to around the year 2000. It is the copyright-free subset of these postcards, that will be placed on the museum's platform called hvorerdetfra.dk.
- Currently, 23,500 postcards – which are free of copyright – can be placed on hvorerdetfra.dk, the rest can be found on Royal Danish Library's website as they are being digitised.
- Anyone interested can help identify precise locations, buildings, and details, which will significantly improve the searchability and value of the collection.
- The 'Where is it from?' platform is run by the museum and currently contains content from Royal Danish Library, National Museum of Denmark, Museum Lolland-Falster and Den Gamle By. All Danish archives, libraries and museums are welcome to participate.
Where is it from?
Help us place the postcards correctly.