From the first water-driven factory to modern mass manufacture à la LEGO, the Brede Værk makes 150 years of Danish industrial history so palpably clear, that you might almost think that you had been part of it yourself. The central venue is the Brede Klædefabrik, one of the largest 19^th-century cloth factories in the Denmark, and now home to an industrial museum whose multimedia effects and hands-on exhibits are a huge attraction for young and old alike. There is something going on here at every minute of the day, thanks to a so-called Active Ticket that sets exhibits in motion and even conjures up a female weaver amongst the spinning engines to act as a personal guide through a part of the factory. Children and adults can also try their hand at producing ball bearings at a conveyor belt before attempting to market them. The steam engine rewards the best teams with an aural show of stomping and gasping. There is also a lot to discover outside the museum. For Brede Værk provides an outstanding example of a complete factory settlement, including the factory buildings, workers dwellings and a director’s mansion.

Mothers were the pillars of the workforce. In the 19th century the Brede Værk, with its huge textile machines, dyeing mill and administrative department employed more women than almost any other factory. As early as the Middle Ages watermills were rattling busily at the Mølleåen (mill stream) in the Danish town of Kongens Lyngby. They produced cereals, copper, gunpowder, and also cloth. The Brede Klædefabrik was set up in 1832 and was the leading textile factory in Denmark until it ceased operations in 1956. The unique industrial monument provides visitors with a lively impression of a historic factory site, covering almost every aspect of its workers’ lives. Dwellings, a dining room, a kindergarten, a school and shops offered families security and a certain level of comfort, as well as tying them to the firm.

The museum makes clear in many different ways the degree to which industrialisation changed people’s living conditions. One of the exhibition sections, for example, uses objects, films, sounds and lighting effects to portray people’s everyday lives and the way in which they were influenced by technical achievements such as electricity. Another department of the museum is devoted to explaining the historical textile machines. Here visitors can choose any one of six historic figures – from a female weaver to the factory director – to act as their interactive guide. The tales they relate mostly deal with the women who laboured here day in day out. Finally the so-called engine room provides visitors with the opportunity to experience the pressures of work at a conveyor belt, where they can compete with others. The many hands-on activities are particularly attractive for families. A personalised Active Ticket records all the interactions and allows visitors to retrace them on their own computers at home, and to call up additional information. Brede Værk is the largest industrial monument in Denmark. It’s attractive green site makes it a favourite venue for day trippers.