ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum

Lonely Planet review

The towering, cubist, red-brick walls of this art museum look rather uninspiring from the outside, but inside it's nine floors of sweeping curves, soaring spaces and white walls. Intriguingly, the museum's main theme is Dante's The Divine Comedy ; the entrance is on level 4, and from there you either descend into Hell (on the bottom floor) or climb towards Heaven, which finishes at the rooftop terrace with views of the red rooftops of Århus.

Opened in 2004, ARoS has a wonderful selection of Golden Age works, as well as examples of Danish modernism, and an abundance of arresting and vivid contemporary art. There are pieces here by Warhol and Lichtenstein and, in colourfully lit pickling jars, a work by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard consisting of parts of a horse he sacrificed in 1970 in protest at the Vietnam War (long before British artist Damien Hirst started chopping up animals in the name of art). Perhaps the most compelling piece is Ron Mueck's Boy , an astoundingly lifelike, oversized (5m high) sculpture of a crouching boy.

The museum stages some fabulously varied special exhibitions - check what's on when you're in town. ARoS also houses a great gift shop and large, light-filled cafe on level 4 (free entry), and a restaurant on level 8.