About us

Heritage Agency of Denmark is a body under the Danish Ministry of Culture. The Heritage Agency has the regulatory responsibility for sites and monuments, listed buildings and state-subsidised museums.

The Heritage Agency has approximately 95 employees and an annual budget of DKK 600 million.

The Heritage Agency helps to secure important evidence from all ages and make it relevant to the people of Denmark. The Heritage Agency primarily works within the following areas:

Sites and monuments

The Heritage Agency holds the overall responsibility for the protection of ancient sites and monuments, and for the archaeological excavations undertaken by Danish museums. The Heritage Agency does not conduct archaeological investigations itself, but in collaboration with the National Museum of Denmark it is responsible for the restoration of megalithic tombs and Medieval ruins.

Historic buildings

The Heritage Agency is responsible for listing buildings of national significance and may also delist such buildings. The Heritage Agency must grant permission for any construction work on listed buildings, and offers advice and information on maintenance of buildings. It also contributes to funding the restoration of listed properties. The Heritage Agency itself owns a small number of listed buildings. Church buildings belonging to the Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Church are the responsibility of the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs.

Museums

The Heritage Agency administers state subsidies for approximately 120 Danish museums. The Heritage Agency offers advice on museum activities and coordinates and assesses the quality of the museums' work. The Heritage Agency does not run any museums itself.

Municipality and planning

In collaboration with the Danish Ministry of the Environment, the Heritage Agency lays down overall guidelines for securing valuable cultural environments. The Heritage Agency also manages a number of projects aimed at encouraging the municipalities to safeguard heritage assets and regard cultural heritage as a resource that can be used proactively to promote settlement, commercial development and tourism.

System development

The Heritage Agency operates a number of databases of sites and monuments, archaeological finds, listed buildings and buildings worthy of preservation, as well as the museums' collections of art and cultural history.