A Unique Danish Colonial History
The town has emerged around a Danish trading colony in 1755 to 1845. Besides the restoration work the project included communication of the historical buildings and created a collaboration around preservation of buildings with the Indian authorities and local academic environments.
The built Danish heritage in Serampore was basically forgotten. But the restoration work has created an occasion to uncover and render the visibility of an essential part of the Danish cultural history.
The Restoration Work in Serampore
The Denmark Tavern and Hotel was mostly a ruin when the restoration began but is now rebuilt and decorated so it works as a prober café and has rooms for tourists and visitors to rent. The police that through a period of years lived in parts of the building, obtain the buildings backside.
The church of Saint Olav now has a new roof made of lime concrete, the walls have been refurbished and painted. There have been made new electrical installations and the tower and church bells have been restored. The church was finished in 2016 and is now used for ceremonies by the communities around Serampore College and Serampore Johnnagar Baptist Church. In addition, a lot of social work is centred around the church.
When the restoration of the southern gate began in December 2013 the building was hidden by large, wild growing trees and plants. It was necessary to restore large parts of the walls and here the old bricks were reused as much as possible. The roof has been replaced according to traditional methods where lime mortar and brickbats is stamped to make the construction waterproof. Now the building has its original appearance and is used as the entrance to Serampores administrative centre.
The restoration of the governor’s house began in 2018 and was carried out by the west Bengal state government with technical support from the National Museum of Denmark. The extensive restoration included restoration of roofs and walls, new doors and windows as well as a reconstruction of a number of decorative elements. The building is now a museum and has conference and office facilities for culture administrative purposes.
Research and Communication
There have been made a registration and documentation of Serampores historical city centre that now is the plan foundation for Serampore’s local authorities. Additionally, there have been made studies of Serampores history and citizens before and now. These studies is conducted as a ph.d by the National Museum of Denmark.
A museum and a communication centre have been established in the former house of the governor. Furthermore, since the fall of 2018 Serampore has been communicated as an independent part of the National Museum of Denmark exhibition about Danish colonial history.
A Living History by the Ganges - Serampore & Denmark - August 2020
Video from the National Museum of Denmark