NKA's Preservation Work

All preserved buildings are protected both externally and internally. Buildings are preserved if they are of special cultural-historical significance and are thus such a large part of Greenlandic culture that future generations should also be able to enjoy them.1

Here on these pages, you can get information about the Greenland National Museum & Archives' preservation work, why we preserve, the requirements and conditions associated with preserved buildings, and about preservation cases and processes. On the list of "preserved and preservation-worthy buildings," you can find out which buildings have already been preserved.

Why do we preserve?

Greenland has 150 preserved buildings. It is the Greenland National Museum & Archives that administers the preservations. Greenland's cultural heritage is an important part of world and human history, and through active measures for cultural heritage protection in the form of preservation and other cultural heritage protection, Greenland takes care of its part in safeguarding the global cultural heritage.1

Inatsisartut Act No. 11 of May 19, 2010, protects preserved buildings against man-made destruction. The purpose of the Act is to protect the country's older buildings of architectural, cultural-historical, or environmental value. The buildings tell the story of Greenland's culture and architectural history through the ages, and the Inatsisartut Act is part of the national responsibility to take care of cultural monuments as a cultural resource, as a scientific source material, and as a lasting basis for the experience, self-understanding, well-being, and activity of current and future generations.1

A preservation order is, as a rule, valid forever, and maintenance is therefore absolutely central to conservation. No compensation is provided in connection with building preservation. For the sake of the preservation, the owner of a preserved building is obliged to keep it in good repair. This means that the maintenance of the building entails that the preservation values are upheld, and that the roof, exterior walls, doors, and windows must be tight and secured. Here you can read more about "the full material" that must be included with an application for permission, precisely to ensure that the preservation values are upheld.1

Not a museum, but...

When a building is preserved, permission must be sought from the Greenland National Museum & Archives for all changes that go beyond ordinary maintenance.

A preserved building is not a museum. A historic building can be used for many purposes including commercial, residential etc. It is important to maintain or strengthen the building's special qualities and character when changes are to be made. In this context, one speaks of preserving the building's core preservation values. Both small and large changes require permission from the Greenland National Museum & Archives. Application must therefore be made for everything from re-roofing or moving an internal partition wall to setting up a sign on the facade. You can read more about this in Inatsisartut Act No. 11 of May 19, 2010, Chapter 3, §22, subsections 1 and 2.

The reason for this is that it ensures that the changes made to a preserved building maintain or improve the preservation values. Building changes using incorrect materials and incorrect execution can, among other things, lead to a building losing the value and distinctive character that made it worthy of preservation.

In cases where repair involves the replacement of one or more parts, the same materials and construction techniques as the original must generally be used, if this contributes to maintaining the building's authenticity and integrity. Work on preserved buildings must also be carried out by qualified personnel, and it is important to observe building-historical traces. The purpose of observing building-historical traces is to gain knowledge about the building's original appearance and interior design, as well as the changes it has undergone over time. If the house is to be restored, its history must be clarified as the basis for a project that respects the qualities in the old house.