Behind the Bricks

A visit to the private museum — The LEGO® Idea House, where it all began

Kristiansen’s old family home and factory is now the museum – LEGO® Idea House. (Photo by the author)

At the recent ‘Global Community Meet’ of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitators at Billund, I got a chance to visit the private museum — The LEGO® Idea House, only meant for the LEGO® group employees.

The LEGO® Idea House is diagonally opposite the LEGO® HOUSE. The founder, Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s family home, the old factory, and the company’s first administration building, ‘System House,’ are combined to create the museum dedicated to LEGO® and its history.

Display of the tools and machinery used to craft many of the wooden toys, and first few LEGO® products. Extreme right is one of the early moulding machines. (Photo by the author)

It was a unique opportunity, and as a LEGO® fan, it felt surreal as I set foot inside the museum. After years of reading about the brand’s history, I was finally standing where it all began!

Photo by the author

The museum narrates the story of LEGO®, from its humble beginnings in 1932 to the supreme toymaker it is today. The corporate historians walked us through the museum, furnished with old photos, machinery, and a plethora of LEGO® sets through the…