The World of the Egtved Girl

This summer (June 6), a new explorational universe in Egtved will open, which VejleMuseerne has been working on for more than 10 years. Here, the story of the Bronze Age and the Egtved Girl will be told – right where she lived 3,500 years ago. The plan is for the interactive museum to present history in a completely new way, following more sustainable principles.

Please note that the area around the Egtved Girl’s burial mound and the former exhibition building is closed to visitors until the opening of the new museum.

The Grave of the Egtved Girl

The Egtved Girl was discovered on Thursday, February 24, 1921. Farmer Peter Platz was removing the last remnants of a burial mound on his field when he came across a heavily carved oak trunk.

The excavation was conducted by the National Museum, and thus the oak coffin was subsequently transported to Copenhagen. When opened, it revealed a cowhide bag at the top. Beneath it lay a woven blanket of brown wool, and beneath the blanket lay the deceased herself—a 160 cm tall young girl, her semi-long hair almost concealing her face, and a small bronze earring.

The girl later became known as the Egtved Girl.

Belt plate of bronze and cord skirt

She lay on her back, her skin well-preserved, but no bones remained. She wore a brown wool blouse, and on each wrist was a bronze ring. Under the blouse, the iconic bronze belt plate could be discerned. A skirt made of twisted brown woolen cords was wrapped twice around her waist.

At her left shin, there was a bundle of clothes containing the burnt bones of a 5-6-year-old child. At her feet stood a birch bark container with remnants of a kind of sweet honeyed beer.

A flowering yarrow in the coffin indicated that the burial took place in the summer months. The girl died at the age of approximately 16-18 years.

The entire original Egtved find is exhibited at the National Museum in Copenhagen. So, you'll need to visit the capital to see Egtved Girl herself.