A listed building in Sweden ( sv, byggnadsminne) enjoys the strongest

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

cultural and historical protection available. Listed buildings range widely from

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s to a

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

from the 1950s. The listing is not restricted to buildings per se;

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s or other sites of cultural or historical significance are also protected by law. Listed buildings recount the passage of history and how Swedish society has changed over time. More than 2,000 buildings and sites have been protected as listed buildings in Sweden. The purpose of listing buildings and environments is to protect traces of history that have had great significance for the understanding of today's society and to guarantee people's access to the Swedish

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

. To protect the cultural and historical value of the buildings, Swedish law provides protective measures to be taken for each such listed building or site. There are two kinds of listed buildings: individual and government.

Individual listed buildings

The

County administrative boards of Sweden A county administrative board ( sv, länsstyrelse) is a Swedish Government Agency in each of the counties of Sweden, led by a vice-regal governor ( sv, landshövding) appointed by the government for a term of six years. The lists of gubernatorial ...

have the authority, through the third chapter of the Cultural memory law, to list those buildings and sites whose "cultural and historical value is especially notable or which are part of an especially notable site". This can pertain to personal housing as well as industrial buildings, parks and

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s. The County Administrative Boards decide whether a building is to be listed. Anyone can initiate the process deciding about a listing with the county. The County Board also has the authority to initiate such processes on its own initiative, and to rule in cases regarding actions that conflict with the protective measures. Private persons who own a listed building have the right to apply for

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

for costs incurred in for instance restorations. There are over 2,000 individual listed buildings in Sweden.

Governmental listed buildings

There are about 260 governmental listed buildings, for example government and court houses, defensive structures such as

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

es, bridges, royal

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

s and

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

s. The governmental listed buildings are owned by the state and recount important parts of the history of Sweden and its government. The

government of Sweden The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Ministerappointed and dismissed by the Speaker of the ...

decides whether a governmental building or site is to be listed.

Swedish National Heritage Board The Swedish National Heritage Board ( sv, Riksantikvarieämbetet; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Cult ...

submits suggested new governmental listed buildings and is responsible for their maintenance. Objects in Sweden that are listed are protected according to the law of cultural heritage (''kulturminneslagen'' or KML) and the

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

of governmental listed buildings (''förordningen om statliga byggnadsminnen''). Decisions regarding listed buildings are announced by Administrative Board in the respective

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. Record keeping is administered by the National Heritage Board.

References

External links

Listed Buildings, Riksantikvarieämbetet

Rättsnätet : ''Lag (1988:950) om kulturminnen m.m.''
{{Listed buildings in Sweden Architecture in Sweden

Individual listed buildings

Governmental listed buildings

See also

References

External links