New UNESCO World Heritage Centre

New UNESCO World Heritage Centre: A fairy tale in one of the world’s oldest monarchies
A major attraction presenting dramatic stories in a stunning architectural setting about the life, deaths and burials of the Danish royal family will soon open as a World Heritage Centre for impressive Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark.
Dating back a thousand years, the Danish royal family represents one of history’s most enduring dynasties and can be traced to the mighty Viking kings of yore. Legendary Harald Bluetooth, for example played an important role in the history of Roskilde Cathedral. A Gothic-style basilica, the 800-year-old cathedral was built with no less than 2.5 million handmade bricks. Its striking twin spires are visible from afar, including breathtaking Roskilde Fjord.
Forty kings and queens have been laid to rest over the centuries in Roskilde Cathedral, which quite remarkably continues to serve as the royal mausoleum. Roskilde Cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its royal tombs and magnificent architecture representing the epitome of the history of European architecture.
The future Word Heritage Centre will be located in a royal Baroque mansion next to Roskilde Cathedral. It will explore in-depth the Viking kings, medieval Queen Margrete I and the rulers of the absolute monarchy but also the fathers of democracy and the influential women of the past on the periphery of power in the Kingdom of Denmark, a small nation steeped in tradition.
“Roskilde Cathedral is a beautiful and unique starting point for 1,000 years of traditions, royal stories, and national memory culture. It is Denmark’s family tree and an important part of Europe’s shared history. The cathedral is an invaluable cultural heritage for all of humanity, and the new World Heritage Center aims to contribute to meaning and understanding by communicating our shared heritage,” says the Chairman of the Board of the Cultural Heritage Roskilde Cathedral Foundation, Morten Langager.
Roskilde is located just 30 minutes from Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen. The fully funded new centre will cost around 17 million euro. Curation of the exhibitions on the riveting art, architecture, history and Danish royal family will take three to four years to complete.
The World Heritage Centre is funded by The A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation (EUR 8 million), The Augustinus Foundation (EUR 3.35 million), Roskilde Municipality (EUR 3.35 million), The Danish Ministry of Culture (Construction and operating support, EUR 2.68 million). The project is also supported by Queen Margrethe's and Prince Henrik’s Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Roskilde Cathedral Foundation.
Roskilde Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. With its many unique royal chapels, the Cathedral reflects the changing European architectural history across 800 years and is an early Scandinavian Gothic cathedral built in bricks. Forty Danish kings and queens are buried in the cathedral. The new World Heritage Centre is expected to open by 2028.