Museum Silkeborg(museumsilkeborg.dk; adult/child 85kr/free), is housed in Silkeborg Manor, one of the original buildings in the area that predates the town. It's across the river from the boat launch area, and houses an interesting town museum that is, incredibly, home to the 2400-year-old Tollund Man. Preserved by the unique, oxygen-free chemical balance of the bog, he is so well preserved that the peat cutters who found him in 1950 thought they had stumbled upon a recent murder. You can even see the bristles on his chin.
He had been buried with a leather rope around his neck – he had been hanged. It's not known why figures such as these ended up deposited in a bog rather than buried: theories include punishment or sacrifice. Fascinating displays show how the head was preserved, and how advances in technology have allowed more discoveries: his death has been radiocarbon-dated to 405 to 380 BCE. A figure has been created to show how Tollund Man might have looked when alive – he certainly looks slightly bemused.
