Master Plan for Allinge and ‘Folkemødet’

The annual political festival ‘Folkemødet’ and the host town of Allinge found each other by a stroke of luck. In a matter of just five years, ‘Folkemødet’ has grown into one of the country’s largest festivals. In 2015, there were more than 100,000 visitors, some 38,500 room nights throughout the island of Bornholm and 2,300 events in Allinge by more than 700 organizers. ‘Folkemødet’ generates an amazing atmosphere and energy but also puts the small community under pressure.

The purpose of the master plan is to ensure that ‘Folkemødet’ can continue to develop and remain a vibrant event while establishing new structures, landscape spaces and architectural devices that bring lasting qualities to Allinge, northern Bornholm and the rest of the island.

The master plan operates on two levels. A general level of thoughts and ideas about a possible strategic alliance between a national event and the island as a whole, including the local communities. And a more tactical level of structural principles and specific proposals for the design of meeting places, spaces and other spatial organization forms to be realized continually. As a common feature, all the specific examples are intended as meeting places and new public spaces that can be used all year – and ultimately benefit the entire island of Bornholm.

The master plan preserves Allinge’s role as the epicentre of ‘Folkemødet’ and ensures a traffic and experience infrastructure that includes all of northern Bornholm, turning the region’s landscape and cultural qualities into a coherent experience, also beyond the four-day festival.

The project was created in a collaboration involving JAJA architects, Schønherr, Boris Brorman Jensen and Jens Folmer Jepsen.