In July 2019, a new Bible museum opened at the Scandinavia branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses, located in the town of Holbæk, Denmark, which is approximately 65 kilometers (40 mi) from Copenhagen. The museum theme is “The Bible and the Divine Name in Scandinavia.”

The museum brings together a unique collection of rare and significant Bibles in the Danish, Faeroese, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Saami, and Swedish languages. More than 50 Bibles make up this display.

One of the most significant items is an original 1541 Gustav Vasa Bible. It was the first complete Bible produced in any Scandinavian language. The Gustav Vasa Bible became the standard for the Swedish language, establishing grammar and vocabulary. It also became the model text for the Swedish Bible for the next 300 years.

The 1550 Christian III Bible is another rare original on display. This was the first complete Bible in Danish. The Christian III Bible helped to standardize the Danish language, and it had a significant impact on a large part of Northern Europe.

Erik Jørgensen from the Scandinavia branch office comments: “This new Bible museum demonstrates the deep respect that has existed for centuries in Scandinavia for both God’s Word and his majestic name, Jehovah.”