Discover Horsens: Art, History and Nature

Horsens combines impressive cultural attractions, a fascinating history and diverse landscapes. Anyone looking for a mix of city exploration, hikes and special experiences for their holiday can enjoy very different kinds of days here. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, the type of trip you want is therefore particularly important: If culture is to be the focus, historical sites and museums await; for active days, there are paths along the water, through wooded areas and around the fjord.

Art and History in Horsens

The Horsens Art Museum collects experimental contemporary art, with a focus on Danish art. It has been located in Caroline Amalielund Park since 1984, where art is displayed both outdoors and inside the building. This allows a museum visit to be combined with time spent in a park setting, without restricting the art to a single exhibition space. For travellers interested in contemporary Danish art, the museum is a distinctive part of the cultural programme.

The Prison Museum offers a completely different perspective on the past. Housed in the historic buildings of the former state prison, it presents 153 years of prison history from the perspective of prisoners and prison staff. One of the extraordinary details is a reconstructed escape tunnel: the 18-metre-long tunnel was dug beneath the prison yard by Carl August Lorentzen in 1949. The city itself also tells a story. In the centre of Horsens, the late medieval settlement structure has been preserved in narrow, deep plots. In parts of Søndergade and Nørregade, you can also discover the half-timbered gable houses in the courtyards.

At the Industrimuseet, history is conveyed in a particularly vivid way. Visitors can experience it directly through touch, sound, smell and taste, and work on an assembly line. This makes a museum visit an active experience and creates an interesting contrast to the art collections and historic buildings in the city centre.

Lakes, Fjord and Trails for Active Days

Bygholm Lake, near the city centre, offers walks along its wooded shores and is suitable for hiking, running and mountain biking. A 7.5-kilometre route also runs by the lake and is suitable for walking and running. Anyone planning a longer tour will find a complete 13-kilometre circular route at Nørrestrand. Nørrestrand is a nature reserve with a large freshwater lake and a river delta that connects the area with Horsens Fjord.

For an extended hiking trip, the signposted Fjordmino is available. The 59-kilometre circular trail leads around Horsens Fjord and includes several islands as well as ferry crossings. The main route is marked with red arrows and dots, while shorter circular routes are signposted with yellow arrows. This allows you to plan your excursions according to the time available and the type of route you prefer, without having to commit to a single route length.

Water and beaches are also part of the picture in Horsens: Langelinie City Beach is one kilometre from the centre and has a sandy beach with a 100-metre-long bathing jetty. Another distinctive landscape and historical site is Grønhøj, a well-preserved passage grave that is more than 5,000 years old and lies in the Bygholm Lake and Rugballegård Forest nature area in Horsens. On Slangebjerg, the foundations and ditches of King Erik Menved’s castle are also publicly visible.

Which Accommodation Suits Your Trip?

For a trip involving longer tours, the desired route length and your daily rhythm are important criteria. The Fjordmino, the paths around Bygholm Lake and the route at Nørrestrand offer different formats for hikers and runners. A holiday apartment in Horsens can provide a flexible base for planning your own holiday days, while a holiday home may appeal to travellers who want to bring more peace and quiet to their daily routine. What matters is which of Horsens’s many facets you want to explore in greater depth during your holiday.

More Places on This Destination Level

You can discover more listings in Hovedgård, Assendrup, Østbirk, Slagballe and Brædstrup.

To the higher-level travel overview: Horsens.