Ærøskøbing on Ærø Island

This is the winner of a Prize.

The nominated Ærøskøbing Heritage Society (1965) involves all the citizens who have worked to preserve their Middle Ages town, the only one in Denmark whose structural characteristics remain intact. In 1971, a Disposition and Conservation Plan was drawn up by the building owners and town authorities in their conservation work.

The town embodies the ecological, social and constructive foundations of town planning and house building. The town is not just a monument to the past, but also an important functional model – the result of the collective experience and knowledge of many generations.

“For the truly democratic initiative taken by the town’s inhabitants to retain intact an urban landscape dating from the Middle Ages”