IMAGINATIVE THINKING

What do you do with the old nineteenth century urban prison, when it is replaced with a state-of-the-art new one on a greenfield site out of town? That was the question in 2006 facing Horsens, a pleasant city of some 55,000 people in east Jutland. Prisons are, after all, perhaps the ultimate niche activity, so it is difficult to think of alternative uses. Demolition is one option; but that leaves a big hole right in the middle of town, which creates problems of its own.

Horsens' solution was to turn it in a cultural centre, with a prison museum, conference centre, and - above all - a place to give concerts. Plans were disrupted by the financial crisis; but the project finally got underway this evening with a concert by Metallica, one of the world's biggest rock bands (and of major interest to Danes, since the drummer is Danish). 40,000 people turned up to celebrate; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are due next week.

My old university town Oxford in the U.K. had a similar problem in the 1990's, though the prison there was part of the even older mediæval castle, which is a listed building. Part of it was preserved as a museum, and another part was turned into a hotel. It's amazing what you can come up with if you put your mind to it.

Walter Blotscher