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|
 The trebuchet at the Middle Ages Center | |
 | |
| Established | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Location | Middelaldercentret, Ved Hamborgskoven 2, Sundby. 4800 Nykøbing Falster |
| Coordinates | 54°46′37″N 11°50′24″E / 54.777°N 11.84°E |
| Type | Open-air museum |
| Visitors | 44.968 (2016)[1] |
| Founder | Peter Vemming |
| Director | Poul Schreiner Hansen (interim director) |
| Curator | Thit Birk Petersen[2] |
| Website | middelaldercentret |
Middelaldercentret (English: The Medieval Centre) is an experimental living history archaeological open-air museum in Denmark, which depicts the Middle Ages in the Denmark of the late 14th and early 15th centuries. It is located in Sundby Lolland, some 4 km northwest of the centre of Nykøbing Falster on the waterfront of Guldborgsund.
It features a town built as part of a typical Danish market town with craftsmen, a harbour with ships and boats, and a market place. The employees are dressed in period costumes and live and work in the houses and do everyday activities such as craftmanship, cooking and weapon training. Furthermore, the museum has a variety of siege weapons of the period, such as trebuchets, a ballista and a cannon and smaller weapons such as handguns, longbows and crossbows. All of the items are built on site using period tools. Activities include live firing of the weapons daily, archery, knightly tournaments, and demonstrations of crafts and tasks from the late 14th century and early 15th centuries.
The employees are both permanent staff and unemployed people sent in job training from the municipality. In addition, a support association exists, from which a large group of volunteers participates in the daily work. All the involved people "live in the medieval period", which means that they do not know of modern things like television, cellphones and so on. The former curator of the centre was the historian, writer and lecturer Kåre Johannessen. By 2016, the curator was Thit Birk Petersen.[3] In 2021 Roeland Paardekooper took over as director[4][5] He left the position in December 2023[6][7] allegedly because he was dismissed.[8] Poul Schreiner Hansen was installed as interim director after this.
Besides normal museum activities, the Middle Ages Centre does extensive research within the middle ages and different medieval technologies, and the museum has reconstructed weapons, ships, clothing and diving equipment among others. The museum has a reputation of being the most authentic place in Europe within the medieval period.[9] Due to the authenticity the medieval town has been used as a setting for many movies, documentaries and TV series.
- ^ "VisitDenmarks Attraktionsliste 2017 - Top 300" (PDF). VisitDenmark. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
- ^ "Medarbejdere". Middelaldercentret. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
- ^ "About Us". Middelaldercentret. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- ^ Mogensen, Niki Treumer (2021-01-30). "Middelaldercentret får ny direktør". Lolland-Falsters Folketidende. Folketidende Gruppen. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ EXARC Director moves to Denmark. EXARC. Accessed 26/1-2021
- ^ ØNSKEDE SOM DIREKTØR AT VÆRE EN I FLOKKEN. Lolland-Falsters Folketidende. Accessed 23/1-2023
- ^ Direktør stopper. Lolland-Falsters Folketidende. Accessed 23/1-2023
- ^ Middelaldercentret i "kritisk" situation. Lolland-Falsters Folketidende. Accessed 10/10-2023
- ^ "Living History". King Edwards School. Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-17.