Venture underground and step into the minimalist domain of Franciscan monks. Gråbrødre Kloster (Franciscan Friary) is a historic site situated below Algade, one of Aalborg’s most important commercial streets. Opened in 2001, the small interactive museum provides the opportunity to see the ruins of the monastery from up close and to see ancient tools and unearthed skeletons.
Entry to the museum is by slotting some kroner into machine to activate a glass elevator at street level. You’ll descend about 10 feet (3 meters) underground, as if in a time capsule teleporting you back to the Middle Ages. Yet, you can still hear the footsteps of people in the 21st-century shops above.
Look down from the platforms into the well-preserved cellar. You can see bones of skeletons, protruding from the excavation wall of a former burial site. Check out the scale model of the abbey of the order of St. Francis during its operating years, between 1240 and 1530. It was leveled and turned into dwellings during the Reformation. In the late 19th century parts of the monastery were restored and buildings were added. Since then the complex has continuously been upgraded.
Look for a burial tomb, which contains the skeleton of a 35-year-old woman who lived around the year 1300. Check out the displays about the site’s pre-monastery times and find out how archeologists know this was a marketplace between A.D. 900 and 1050. Go and see the animal and fish bones, tools and combs found during the excavations and find artifacts from the city’s Viking past.
Combine a visit to Gråbrødre Kloster with a visit to the adjacent Aalborg Historical Museum to learn more about the city’s history.
Located beneath Algade in Aalborg’s city center, the Gråbrødre Kloster is easy to reach on foot. Public buses stop on nearby Nytorv. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Don’t come too late in the day, especially from November to March when it closes earlier. Guided tours are available through prior arrangement. Check the museum’s official website opening hours during holidays and tour information.
