This page describes the planned category "Nordic heritage" - the discussion on the subject is done in the forum under the topic Danish Cultural Heritage / Swedish Cultural Heritage. At the current status this is still a draft. Feel free to join the discussion on the topic.
Also here is a link to the current Category description.

Nordic Heritage

Description:

The Nordic countries and possessions (i.e. Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Åland Islands) are rich in cultural heritage sites, from the time of the declining Ice Age through the Viking Age, the Middle Ages and modern times. Some of these cultural heritage sites have also been recognized by Unesco as World Heritage Sites. As in other countries, these cultural sites were and are placed under special monument protection and are usually also included in state lists.

Expanded Description:

The Nordic countries and possessions, which consist of Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Åland Islands, are home to many cultural sites and sights from different eras. Rock carvings in Tanum and Alta, among others, are known from the late Stone Age, and stone tombs such as the Haga dolmen (on the Swedish island of Orust) or the Ales Stenar ship site (near Kåseberga in the municipality of Ystad) could also be assigned to the early period. Many artefacts have also survived from the Viking Age, such as the various burial sites and sites such as the Viking castles of Fyrkat near Hobro or the Trelleborg in the eponymous town in Skåne. From the time of the Middle Ages, whole towns like the Danish towns of Tønder and Ribe can tell us something about that time. The more recent period also offers interesting historical places such as "Den Gamle Gaard" in Fåborg, which was built around 1720.

Usually these sites encompass a heritage protected building or an object that is of general interest, may it be the beauty of the building, its scientific significance or its cultural and historical value. Some sites are also awarded with an official emblem or marker - like the Danish "Kulturarv fredet" marker (see an image of the marker at Wikipedia Commons), the Swedish marker for "Byggnadsminne" (see Listed buildings in Sweden" on Wikipedia) or the Olavsrosa in Norway. Such information on cultural heritage is collected by the Nordic countries, usually in an official national heritage register, in some cases also in an online accessible database. For example:

• Denmark uses the Danish Ministry of Culture/Kulturstyrelsen to manage its heritage register. The ministry supports several registers, for example
  • Fund og Fortidsminder ("Finds and relics of the past"). This site includes a map.
  • Fredede og bevaringsværdige bygninger ("Listed and conservation-worthy buildings"). This site uses also a map.
  • Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen - kulturarv (Palaces and Culture Agency - cultural heritage).
• Finland uses a register for historic buildings (http://www.rky.fi/read/asp/r_default.aspx) and archeological sites (https://www.kyppi.fi/palveluikkuna/portti/read/asp/default.aspx)
• Åland Islands do not have an online database of their own. Some articles on their cultural and historic heritage can be found in Wikipedia entries. Surprisingly, there are also entries located on the Åland Islands that may be found in the Finnish online databases - but it is not clear whether those databases contain all of them, although it might be worth a try.
• Iceland has a ministry for the cultural heritage (https://en.minjastofnun.is/). Unfortunately there is no publicly available database associated with any of the sites.
• Norway uses an online database named kulturminnesøk that is part of the Riksantikvaren. It contains a lot of entries (including places that may be declared historic in the future) and is hosted at https://www.kulturminnesok.no. The site supports a map and also includes some entries from Svalbard. Another source for cultural heritage in Norway is at kulturarv.no, also with a searchable map.
• Sweden collects heritage data via Riksantikvarieämbetet ( https://www.raa.se/). An interactive map is also available on the site.
• For the Faroe Islands and Greenland we've not yet found an official heritage register. There exists a privately maintained website (https://www.tjodsavnid.fo/bygningadeild) that collects locations of listed buildings on the Faroe Islands.

In many cases these online accessible heritage registers also contain additional historic information and official references that can be used for research on the heritage site and later in the Waymark description. Remember that this list is an example and as such is not exhaustive; there may be other (possibly even better) sources to consider. If in doubt, it's advisable that one confer with the category officers prior to submission.

Accepted waymarks:
In this category we endeavour to accumulate all officially recognized sites that are considered of cultural or heritage value in the Nordic countries. Each heritage site must be registered in some official heritage register or document collection that also must be publicly available online so that Waymarkers may provide the web link for the required variable.

This category would also accept the rare cases of a heritage site in countries other than the Nordic ones with a really strong connection to the Nordic countries. That is, it MUST be listed in an official register of the Nordic country with which it is associated.

Not accepted waymarks:
This category will not accept historical markers at sites where historic events may have occurred, if the site itself is not registered. These places should go into the Signs of History category or, in the case of Norway, to the Norway Historical Sites category.

We also explicitly exclude rune stones from this category, as they are better placed in the Runestones worldwide category.

Posting instructions:

• We are aware that creating a waymark for this category may require some of your time and energy: You must visit the heritage site personally; it must be a publicly accessible site, even though you may be required to pay an entrance fee or may visit the site only at specific times (in which case please make note of that in the long description). Obtain accurate coordinates as close as possible to the object (in the case of the object's being a building you should take them at the main entrance of the building) and at least two good quality pictures taken by you personally and in adequate light - daylight preferred. The first picture should include the object or building in its entirety (this would be the default picture for the waymark), the second one should show the object or building in its surroundings. Any descriptive signs or markers associated with the site should also be included, the text of which must be easily readable when uploaded. Consider taking more pictures in order to show more facets or interesting details. The GPS device used should not be in the pictures.
• Include in the title of your waymark the location or site name as it appears in the relevant heritage register, city (or county/municipality if not in a city), state/province, country (optional). Do not use a tilde ( ˜ ) or a double hyphen ( -- ) in your title.
• Describe the object or building with your own words in the short description. For the long description we expect at least three sentences written by you in your own words that explain the object or building and its cultural and/or historical significance. You could also include your personal impressions of the site in the long description - though that is not a requirement.
• Required is the inclusion of a link to an official heritage register entry or a document maintained by the appropriate national agency - enter this in the variable supplied. The waymark will be declined if you fail to write a short description, the three required personal sentences, or fail to include the link.
• When you use any texts from the official heritage register or from other sources (like Wikipedia) as a reference, try to phrase them in your own words. Add the referred source, with appropriate URL, as reference at the end of your article. Any quoted text must be clearly marked as such (i.e. by using double quotes ( " ) or similar formatting options). If you quote any text, you MUST provide the source immediately after the quotation. Quoted text does not count toward the three personal sentences mentioned in the paragraph above. Wikipedia may be used as an additional source for the object; ideally you should begin with the official heritage register entry.
• If the object or building requires an entrance fee or is not continuously accessible this fact must also be part of the description. This also does not count toward the three personal sentences.
• As waymarking is an international game, the long description may be written in any language. However, if you do so, we require a translation that must be in understandable English. Tools like "Google Translate" or "DeepL" may be used, but you should proofread the generated text before submitting. Waymarks that don't have an understandable English text will be declined.

Instructions for Posting a Nordic Heritage Waymark:

Short summary for posting a waymark (see expanded description for more details):

• Coordinates taken by you at the heritage site.
• Add at least TWO pictures taken BY YOU personally:
  1. the first picture should clearly show the entire building or object. This should also be the default picture.
  2. the second image must show the building or object in its surrounding.
  3. any signs describing the object must be included. These must be easily readable after upload.
  4. no GPS in the picture.
• Naming requirement: Name of Heritage Site (as seen in the heritage register) - city/county, state/province, country (optional)
• Short description of the object or building.
• Long description with at least THREE PERSONAL sentences describing the heritage site in detail.
• Fill the required variable with the URL to the entry in the official heritage register/list.
• An understandable ENGLISH TRANSLATION is required when using a language other than English.
• Quoted text must be marked and attributed.

Instructions for Visiting a Waymark in this Category:

To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location.
Enjoy your visit, tell your story and post a picture.

Variables:

Link to official heritage register entry (required)