Wellings Village Museum is a piece of culture is unique, it is Denmark´s most unusual museum where you can explore an entire village from around 1900.
Soren Welling, who single handedly built the museum, has been a collector all his life, and under construction of the museum only used recycled material he has collected. Construction began in 1973 and continued until Welling´s death in 1996.
Soren Welling has not mase use of an architect, nor applied for planning permission. His filosofi was “It is easier to get forgiveness than permission” This is however been aproved.
The village is built like small houses, and found school room, grocery, hairdresser, post office, servant room, bedroom, livingrooms from the victorian and much mre. Very special is the church that in recent times has been used in connection with marriages.
In total there are 36 rooms, each with its own history, even an inn where you can enjoy your picnic.
There is a large connection of old farm machinery, tools used by shoemakers, fishermen, roofers, beekeepers, yes, virtually everything that has been of crafts anno 1900 are represented.
Soren Welling started his life´s work to collect stones and flint axes. Today is a big beautiful Neolithic collection, along with clothing, toys, books etc. makes it an experience to walk through the rooms where you almost feel the client before, and can easily imagine all the chores he had once in.
The experience of walking through the museum, feel how our grandparents and great grandparens daily life was compounded by the fact that here you can touch the things. If you wanna feel the bright cloth on the table or touch a painting, then do it. There are no signs that says “Do not touch”
The building clearly shows that Welling has not consulted an architect, but that is exactly what makes it so exiting, and definitely worth a visit. If you go through the many small rooms, you can not help but think that every stone and every little thing, yes, everything, is collected and build by one man – Soren Welling.