An ambitious museum project on Bornholm has been abandoned after the budget increased by a three-digit million amount. The plans to establish a new museum at Helligdomsklipperne have now been definitively shelved. This is due to the estimated construction costs rising by at least 100 million Danish kroner more than originally calculated. According to a press release from the Bornholm Museum Foundation, as reported by TV 2 Bornholm, the project was assessed in February to cost 151 million kroner. The Museum Foundation had secured 152 million kroner and an additional 32 million kroner for the museum’s content. However, when the costs suddenly rose by a three-digit million amount, the economic basis for the project became impossible to realize.
The Director of the Bornholm Museum, Jacob Bjerring-Hansen, stated that the cancellation of the project is a great loss for Bornholm’s cultural heritage, community, and tourism. Several foundations had already granted funds for the project, but the Bornholm Museum Foundation has now informed those foundations that the project has ceased, and the applications have been withdrawn. The planned museum center was supposed to be completed in 2026 and would have included a new Bornholm Museum, an expansion of the Bornholm Art Museum, and a free space for social and cultural events.
Jacob Bjerring-Hansen emphasizes that the cancellation of the construction leaves Bornholm’s cultural heritage in a critical situation. He highlights that the Bornholm Museum is outdated in practically every possible way and points out the need to find a solution to preserve and convey the island’s history. The Bornholm Art Museum, which had been emptied and prepared for the now canceled renovation, will now be gradually reopened from July. Employees will move the content back and prepare for the museum’s reopening.