Mindeparken

Mindeparken with Marselisborg Palace in the background.

Mindeparken (English: The Memorial Park) is a memorial park and recreational area in the south of Aarhus City, next to Marselisborg Palace. The Park itself, was inaugurated in 1925 by king Christian X and originally designed to accommodate larger gatherings of visiting Danish citizens living abroad. That role soon diminished and disappeared, as the annual gatherings in Rebild gained momentum.

In 1934 a large monument in limestone, engraved with the names of and commemorating the 4,140 Danes killed in World War I, was erected. Designed by the Danish architect Axel Ekberg and Danish sculptor Axel Poulsen, they choose limestone from Euville in the Meuse department in France; a major battlefield in World War I. The memorial site is still in active use today and on the 11th of November, an annual ceremony is held here in memory of the dead.

In 2012, a stone for Danish soldiers stationed abroad, was erected in the park.

Surrounding the memorial monument is a large park and lawn area, used for all kinds of gatherings, events and recreational activities by the citizens of Aarhus. The park offers a panoramic view across the Bay of Aarhus. Mindeparken was extended in 1939 and again in 1944, and now includes different sections with their own peculiarities. In a corner of the park is Træsamlingen (the tree collection), a botanical selection of different tree species and nearby is the section of Rømerhaven (The Rømer Garden), a sculpture garden with a botanical bend.

In the south of Mindeparken lies the Donbæk Houses, built in 1828 and 1850. They formerly served as residentials of the servants to the baron of Marselisborg Manor, and also housing for forest workers in the Marselisborg Forests at some point. The old Marselisborg Manor was located where Marselisborg Gymnasium has residence now, but caught fire several times in the early 1900s and does not exist anymore. The Donbæk Houses are thus not related to the Marselisborg Palace.

Gallery

• Forår i Mindeparken.JPG

  Spring scene from the Japanese cherry grove.

• Mindeparken.JPG

  The lawn in May.

• Autumn in Mindeparken.jpg

  Autumn scene

• Donbækhusene mindeparken.jpg

  Winter scene from the Donbæk houses.

• Spejlbassinet.JPG

  Rømerhaven. The bronze sculpture Danaiden and a mirror-pond.

• Solhesten 01.JPG

  Rømerhaven. The bronze- and water-sculpture Solhesten.

• Træsamlingen 03.JPG

  The path through Træsamlingen.

• Stynede træer.jpg

  An avenue in the park.

World War I monument

• Mindeparken (Monumentet).JPG

  Entry path to the monument.

• Monumentet 2.jpg

  Inside the WWI Memorial.

• 3 freden.jpg

  From the inside walls

Sources

• Mindeparken Aarhus Municipality (Danish)
• Mindeparken Arrangør i Aarhus, Aarhus Municipality (Danish)

External links

• Excursions to the Marselisborg Mindepark (pdf) Aarhus Municipality (Nature and Environment) 2010