The Hague / Brussels, 07 November
STATEMENT
EUROPA NOSTRA EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT THE SERIOUS THREATS
TO THE INTEGRITY OF THE NYBORG CASTLE IN DENMARK
Europa Nostra,
the leading European heritage civil society network, covering over 40
countries, and working closely with the European Union, the Council of Europe and
UNESCO, expresses its concern over the intention by the Danish authorities to build a new
information centre at Nyborg Castle at a listed archaeological courtyard and hence
undertake an invasive construction project which will irreversibly alter the integrity of the
Nyborg Castle.
For the above-mentioned
reason, the Danish heritage association “Kultur
&
Arv”
nominated the Nyborg Castle for the
7 Most Endangered Programme
2025, a civil society
initiative run by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Investment Bank
Institute. The shortlist of the selected 14 sites will be made public in January 2025.
According to our information, the Danish Parliament is currently discussing a special law
(which is normally used to allow works on vital infrastructure) to push through the
proposed construction of a new information centre at Nyborg Castle in spite of the fact
that this project has earlier been rejected by the official “Board of Complaints”. This
would, in our view, constitute a serious breach of the rule of law since this particular case
does not justify the need for overriding the Danish law on heritage protection and for
giving larger powers to executive authorities.
Europa Nostra does not object to the construction of an information centre, provided that
it is located in an alternative more suitable place. Several NGOs and experts have already
made very sensible proposals with this aim which deserve to be taken into account and
further studied by the authorities concerned. Such an information centre will indeed be
very useful to provide a better understanding of the rich history and importance of the
Nyborg Castle and to increase the tourist attractiveness of the site.
In the light of the above, Europa Nostra remains ready to provide its expertise to help find
a win-win solution that respects
Denmark’s laws and heritage, aligns with European and
international standards and ensures a viable and sustainable future of this outstanding
site, for the benefit of Denmark’s and Europe’s citizens.