Dishonourable Nightmen of Denmark

Presented by Ringkøbing-Skjern Museum

Not all are equal in Denmark! This fact resulted in many tragic fates, but also in a very special minority culture, which we explore in this ground-breaking and historically confrontational
exhibition. To be excluded from society has been part of human culture for centuries.

In Denmark it was reflected in the division between honourable and dishonourable people. Among the latter were the ‘Nightmen’, who carried out important tasks for the community, but got a raw deal in return; tasks that society found disgusting and unworthy became the profession of this group. No decent citizen would have any contact with them, they were kept outside mainstream society. Marginalization of certain groups most often resulted in problems and prejudices. From the 1500s to the early 1900s there were considerable social tensions between the refined and the lower orders.

DATE
1st April – 20th October

VENUE
Bundsbæk Mølle, Skjern

AUDIENCE
Everyone