The Sun Chariot is Denmark’s finest Bronze Age artifact and one of our greatest national treasures. It is unique in the world and renowned far beyond the country’s borders.

Sun Worship in the Bronze Age

Made of bronze, the Sun Chariot consists of a gold-plated sun disc mounted on a small six-wheeled chariot drawn by a horse and likely represents a miniature version of a larger cult chariot.

The Sun Chariot tells the story of Bronze Age religion more than 3,000 years ago. People believed that a divine horse pulled the sun across the sky during the day and guided it through the darkness of the underworld at night.

In Bronze Age rituals, the Sun Chariot was used so that the priests of the time could demonstrate the sun’s movement across the sky by rolling the Sun Chariot forward.

Found in Odsherred

The Sun Chariot dates from the middle of the Early Bronze Age, around 1400 BC, and was discovered during initial plowing at Trundholm Mose south of Højby in September 1902.

Visit the Sun Chariot Finding Place

See a faithful replica

The original Sun Chariot is on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, and a beautiful replica can be seen at the Odsherred Museum in the center of Nykøbing Sjælland.

Find your way to the Odsherred Museum