Danish Megaliths

Denmark has about 2500 extant megaliths preserved as listed monuments. An additional 4500 are known to have existed but are now lost. It is estimated that originally around 25000 megaliths were constructed over the course of only three or four centuries during the Neolithic period. In comparison to megaliths in other European countries the Danish examples are fairly small, but their distribution is characterized by large concentrations in certain areas.

The monuments are protected by The Danish Agency for Culture which is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The Agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government for the visual and performing arts, music, literature, museums, historical and cultural heritage, broadcasting, libraries, and all types of printed and electronic media. The Agency works internationally in all fields, and increasing internationalisation of Danish arts and cultural life is a top priority.

A special task of The Danish Agency of Culture is to manage and enforce legislation concerning the protection of prehistoric monuments, including dolmens and passage graves. This task is undertaken by employees in the Office of Prehistoric Monuments. The Agency is surveying all protected monuments and oversees the work of maintaining and, if necessary, restoring sites in accordance with the rules and regulations. The Danish Agency of Culture is conveying knowledge and information about the monuments, both physically at the monuments and digitally on-line (eg. www.1001stories.dk). The Agency promotes the conservation of monuments, which, at the same time, are actively used and represent a valuable asset for society as a whole.