Exhibition page 3

OVERVIEW

A WAVE OF RENOVATION

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STARTING THE RENOVATION

Elsinore was in a unique situation because the town centre was so run-down that many buildings were considered ripe for remediation, but the residents and politicians also wanted to preserve the unique, historical and architectural qualities of the buildings. The municipality, therefore, insisted that the Ministry of Housing award state subsidies to house owners under the Remediation Act so they could renovate and preserve their houses. This was not the case in a lot of other Danish towns.

Renovating 52 Strandgade

PRESERVING AND RENOVATING THE TOWN

The term remediation is often associated with demolition, but to remediate just means “to improve a bad situation”. In Elsinore, the concept of “preservation and renovation” was introduced in connection with the redevelopment of the historical town centre, where they chose to preserve, renovate and restore the houses on a large scale.

Renovating a rear building at 4 Sudergade

RENOVATING THE BLOCKS

Preparations for renovating an entire housing block typically underwent three stages. First, the municipality sent a renovation proposal to the house owners. Secondly, after a series of meetings with the house owners, an internal plan was drawn up. Lastly, the final renovation plan together with a financial plan for the individual house owner was approved by the ministry and forwarded to the house owners, who then undertook the renovations themselves.

Renovation plans for block 62

KEEPING UP WITH THE NEIGHBOURS

Not all of the houses in the town centre had to be renovated and were therefore not eligible for remediation support. Nevertheless, a wave of renovation quickly spread through the town. The phenomenon of “keeping up with the neighbours” became evident, because when one house had been lovingly renovated, the owners of the surrounding houses often took the initiative to start renovating their own houses.

Renovating 4 Sudergade

RENOVATING INDIVIDUAL HOUSES

The wave of renovation spread much faster than expected, which resulted in the municipality proposing to the ministry that they deviate from the extensive and time-consuming block renovations and simply renovate individual buildings one by one. The renovation process of the town centre was completed a lot faster than first estimated because of this. A 30-year plan for the renovation of the town centre had originally been drawn up, but after just 10 years, the project was more or less finished, not least thanks to the fruitful cooperation between the municipality and the house owners.

Renovating the corner of Sct. Anna Gade and Kongensgade

NEW COURTYARDS IN TOWN

As stated in the Remediation Act, it was a requirement that communal areas be established in the town centre. Where there had previously been dark, gloomy and filthy backyards, new quiet oases were created in newly-reclaimed courtyards thanks to the renovation process. A completely different outdoor life now unfurled, hidden behind the busy shops and residential facades of the town.

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