Visit exhibition on the Danish Parliament during the Occupation

Eighty years after Denmark’s liberation, the Parliament, in collaboration with The Danish National Archives, has opened an outdoor exhibition that tells the story of democracy under pressure and political and moral dilemmas during the Occupation.

Through historical highlights and key documents from The Danish National Archives’ collections, the exhibition illustrates how democracy gradually backslid in the years 1940 to 1945.

You can visit the exhibition in Rigsdagsgården in Copenhagen from May 28th to August 31st, 2025.

During the Occupation, Danish democracy faced its greatest challenge yet, mainly due to the policy of cooperation with the German occupying power. At the same time, there was an internal threat from anti-democratic movements and parties seeking power, followed by pressure from the resistance movement, whose aim was to put an end to the collaboration policy.

The history of Danish democracy during the Occupation is also one of the compromise that was reached between the collaborating political parties in Parliament and the resistance movement. When they formed a liberation government in May 1945, Denmark experienced a peaceful transition from war to peace.

An event that is now commemorated 80 years later with the exhibition in Rigsdagsgården, which invites reflection through historical documents and photographs.

A key aim when creating the exhibition was to embrace both the larger political narrative and the personal stories. To show how politicians and political decisions affected the everyday lives of Danes.

“We have chosen to let the documents from The Danish National Archives, Denmark’s shared memory, speak for themselves. Our focus has been on the decisions and dilemmas faced by those in Parliament, while also showing the consequences for people outside Christiansborg,” say the historians behind the exhibition, Steen Andersen and Silvia Goldbaum Tarabini.

The exhibition “Democracy Under Pressure – the Danish Parliament from Occupation to Liberation 1940–1945” is open to everyone and can be visited in Rigsdagsgården from May 28th to August 31st, 2025.

The exhibition is presented in both Danish and English and is accessible around the clock.