Lundbye Art Festival – Kalundborg

Kalundborg is the birthplace of one of the most beloved painters of the Danish Golden Age, Johan Thomas Lundbye. Every three years the town honours its famous son with the Lundbye Art Festival – a festival that, over an extended period, fills streets, churches, museums and landscapes with art, music, stories and experiences for all ages.

The painter from Kalundborg

J.Th. Lundbye was born in Kalundborg in 1818 and spent part of his childhood in the town. He lived to be only 29, yet created a body of work now regarded as among the finest of Danish Golden Age art. His paintings and drawings of the Danish landscape – cattle in the fields, burial mounds, coasts and forests – helped shape the image of what is distinctly Danish. Many of his motifs were found right around Kalundborg: on Røsnæs, Refsnæs and Asnæs, by the fjord and in the hills around the town. Walking through the area today, you can still recognise the light, the horizon and the soft lines he put on canvas.

A festival of many expressions

The Lundbye Art Festival takes the painter's life and work as its starting point, but reaches much further. The programme typically includes exhibitions of both older and contemporary art, concerts, theatre, talks and guided tours in Lundbye's footsteps. There are competitions for artists and photographers, events for children and families, and plenty of opportunities to experience the town in a new way. The festival is run by the volunteer Lundbye Committee in collaboration with Kalundborg Municipality and a wide range of local associations, cultural institutions and businesses, resulting in a programme with strong local roots and great variety.

Lundbye Landmarks – art out in the landscape

One of the festival's lasting legacies is Lundbye Landmarks: a series of places in Kalundborg and on Røsnæs and Asnæs where Lundbye found his motifs. At each spot, QR codes let you see the works created right there, read quotes from his diaries and letters, and listen to stories along the way. The route can be explored on your own and naturally divides into a town walk, a Røsnæs tour and an Asnæs tour. Some spots are right in town, while others call for a longer walk along the coast. Suddenly you are standing where the painter himself stood, comparing his landscape with the one in front of you today.

Kalundborg as the setting

The festival takes place in a town with a long history. In the old upper town, Højbyen, with its cobbled streets stands the Church of Our Lady with its five distinctive towers, and around town you will find Lundbye's childhood home, a bust of the painter and a modern Lundbye sculpture. Around Kalundborg lie the fjord, the long peninsulas and a coastline with wide views across the sea – the same landscape that inspired Lundbye. Find more experiences, nature areas and sights in the area at destinationsjaelland.dk.

Who is it for?

The Lundbye Art Festival is for everyone who loves art, cultural history and nature – and for those who simply want to experience a lively town in a festive mood. Art lovers can immerse themselves in the imagery of the Golden Age, families will find activities for children, and walkers and cyclists can combine festival events with trips into Lundbye's landscapes. The programme and practical information are published on the festival website as the next festival approaches.