Historic buildings in danger of being demolished

Conservationists facing uphill struggle

A number of historic buildings in south Jutland are faced with being demolished because they remain empty and dilapidated.

Recently an old police and justice building in Gråsten was torn down after it remained unoccupied for years without being sold. The same fate could await the Gendarmerigården in Rens and the old Stampemølle mill in Oksbøllejren military camp.

“If they are just standing there and falling apart and no-one can use them for anything, then it’s my opinion that they should be torn down,” Karsten Gram, a spokesperson for Aabenraa Municipality, told DR Nyheder.

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A painful reality
That sentiment is echoed by the village of Rens and the conservation association of Varde, despite their efforts to keep their historic buildings standing.

“It would be very sad, but we must be realistic,” said Olaf Schmidt Meyer, a local councillor at Rens. “If we can’t manage it, it is better to have a nice green area than a large building that isn’t being maintained.”