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OVERVIEW

A RUN-DOWN TOWN

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DEMOLITION-THREATENED TOWN CENTRE

Today, it can be difficult to imagine how run-down and dilapidated Elsinore’s old town centre was just 50 years ago. 900 out of the town’s 1,400 homes were declared unfit for habitation, which gave rise to discussions about demolishing a large number of the historical buildings.

SOUND DUES AND PROSPERITY

The introduction of the Sound Dues in 1429 was the beginning of a period of increased prosperity in Elsinore. The dues themselves went to the king and the state, but the town attracted many foreigners and trade flourished, which resulted in a number of positive developments for the town, its residents and not least for the quality of the town’s houses at that time.

A sound toll register from approx. 1734

A NEW ERA FOR THE TOWN

After the abolition of the Sound Dues in 1857, fewer ships docked in Elsinore, and the town’s economy and population growth declined. However, in 1882, the new Elsinore iron shipyard and other industries were established, which reinvigorated the town.

The forge at the shipyard, 1928

A RUN-DOWN INDUSTRIAL TOWN

As a result of its decline in the 19th century and its transition into an industrial town, Elsinore did not undergo any major physical changes, as there was no money to demolish and build new houses, which meant that many of the historical buildings were preserved for posterity.

Subsequently, Elsinore was a working-class industrial town for almost 100 years and its housing stock became more and more dilapidated over time.

A view of the town towards the harbour, the shipyard and Kronborg

IN DESPERATE NEED OF RENOVATION

At the end of the 1960s, the town consisted of a mix of residential housing and businesses. Many of the houses did not have proper toilet and bathroom facilities or sufficient heating and insulation. Doors and windows leaked, electrical installations were substandard, kitchens had external drains that froze during the winter and there were a lot of fire hazards.

THE REMEDIATION ACT

At the end of the 1960s, the first traffic analysis of the town centre and a number of development plans for Elsinore municipality were drawn up. Elsinore was not the only town in Denmark that had housing problems, which is why a revised Remediation Act was adapted in 1969. It resulted in many old and dilapidated buildings across the country being demolished and replaced by modern structures made from concrete, steel and glass.

QUALITY ASSESSMENT

After the revised Remediation Act was passed, the municipality was required to carry out a quality assessment of the housing in the town centre. It showed that, in many places in Elsinore, conditions were just as bad as they were in the run-down areas of Nørrebro and Vesterbro in Copenhagen.

An excerpt from the renovation plan, 1970-71

MUNICIPAL MERGER

In the wake of the merger of Elsinore and Tikøb municipalities in 1970, it became clear that something had to be done about the run-down and traffic-plagued town centre in Elsinore. The buildings were squashed together, and, in many places, there were only communal toilets in the courtyard, no bathing facilities, problems with damp and leaky dwellings, and in general, poor sewage and sanitation conditions.

A meeting at the town hall with Mayor Ove Thelin, 1974

THE CHALLENGE

So, what do you do with a tired, run-down, centuries-old town centre? Several historical properties had already been demolished in Elsinore in connection with the construction of two banks and a modern supermarket – but was this the way forward? The challenge was as follows: Should the houses be demolished to make way for a new modern town, or should the structure of the town centre be preserved and numerous old and historical buildings painstakingly renovated?

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