Karen Blixen Museum
Karen Blixen Museum : Set in the Serene suburb of Nairobi City approximately 10 kilometers from the city center, the Karen Blixen Museum presents a glimpse of the life of the talented author and farmer through photographs, paintings and displays of furniture and a Library of books.
Karen Blixen Museum also offers a fantastic space for personal reflection in its nature trail, against a back drop of Karen’s beloved Ngong Hills.
The Karen Blixen Museum was once the centre piece of a farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills owned by Danish Author Karen and her Swedish Husband, Baron Bror Blixen – Finecke. The museum is located 10 km from the city center, the museum belongs to a different time period in the history of Kenya and later gained international acclaim with these release of the move “Out of Africa” – an Oscar winning film based on Karen’s autobiography by the same title.
The house currently the Karen Blixen Museum was built in 1912 by Swedish Engineer Ake Sjogren, Karen and her husband bought the house in 1917 and it became the farm house for their 6,000 – ace farm of which 600 acres was used for coffee farming. Their marriage failed after eight years and in 1921 the Baron moved on and left the running of the farm to Karen.
Karen lived at the house until her return to Denmark in 1931, the farm was bought by Remy Martin, who broke the land into 20 acres parcels for sale. Subsequent development created the present suburb of Karen, records indicate that a Lt. Col. G Lloyd, an officer of the British Army bought the house in 1935 and lived there until his death in 1954. The house was sporadically occupied until purchased in 1964 by the Danish government and given to the Kenyan government as an independence gift.
The government then set up a college of nutrition and the house was used as the principal’s house, in 1985 the shooting of the movie based on Karen’s autobiography began and the National Museums of Kenya expressed interest to acquire the house for the purpose of establishing a museum. The Museum was opened in 1986.
Also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, Karen was born at Rungstedlund in Denmark on 17th of April 1885 as the second child of Wilhelm and Ingeborg Dinesen’s five children. She came to Africa in 1914 to marry her half cousin and practice diary farming in the then British Colony of Kenya, her husband had however changed his mind and wanted to farm coffee. Her uncle Aage Westenholz financed the farm and member of both families were shareholders. The coffee farm did not do well, suffering various tragedies including factory fire and continuous bad harvest. After her divorce, Karen was left to run the financially troubled farm on her own, a daunting task for a woman of that generation.
She fell in love with an English man, Denic Finch Hatton and his death in Tsavo in 1930 coupled with the failed farming left Karen little choice but to return to Denmark. She return to writing as a career following her departure from Africa and published works such as Seven Gothic Tales (1934), Out of Africa (1937) and Babette Feat (1950). Karen died on her family estate, Rungsted, in 1962 at the age of 77. Karen Blixen called the house “Bogani” or “Mbogani” meaning a house in the woods, and occupied it until 1931.
By 1985, with renewed interest in Karen Blixen occasioned by the film production of Out of Africa, an agreement was reached with the collage for the house to become part of the National Museums of Kenya. Many pieces of furniture that Karen Blixen sold to Lady McMillan on her departure were acquired back and constitute part of the exhibition in the museum.
The museum house remains as a serene environment that seems to belong to the past, surrounded by a tranquil garden and indigenous forest with a splendid view of Karen’s beloved Ngong Hills. She honors the hills with the phrase “I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills”. Farm tools including a tractor from that period, wagons, ploughs and an original coffee processing factory equipment from part of this rich collection as outdoor exhibits.
The well maintained luscious green gardens offer the best setting for all outdoor events include weddings and wedding receptions, corporate galas and team building. In line with Karen’s passion for art, the museum supports local and upcoming artists at the Karen’s Art Corner, guided tours are offered continuously throughout the day by our well-trailed multilingual guides.
A museum’s shop offers a wide selection of souvenirs including handcrafts, posters and postcards, the movie “Out of Africa”, books and other mementos. Children and school groups are not left out as the Museum offers curriculum centered education programs and tailored art activities.
The museum nature trails offer sneak peaks at tree hyraxes and is a haven for bird watchers with plenty of birds living there. The trees are labeled to help in identification and learning.