All 1,694 public concrete shelters in Denmark are expected to need treatment for mold and pests such as rats before they can be repaired or prepared for use.
The figure comes from a document from the Danish Agency for Societal Security, Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed. DR reports that the construction trade paper Licitationen obtained the document through a freedom of information request.
According to the document, all of the concrete shelters are expected to require treatment for mold and pests if they are to be repaired, renovated or made ready for use. The shelters are underground structures spread across the country.
Denmark distinguishes between three types of shelters. The public shelters, which the agency calls concrete cover trenches, number 1,694. They are intended for people caught outside, such as road users or residents of buildings without their own shelter.
The largest share of shelter capacity is found in so-called sikringsrum, secured rooms inside existing buildings such as apartment blocks. A third category, supplementary shelters, does not meet the formal requirements but still offers some protection.
A national count of shelters from 2024 showed that the concrete shelters accounted for 113,018 spaces. The total capacity in Danish shelters at that time was around 3.4 million spaces.
Inspection began in December 2025
A broad inspection of all the country’s concrete shelters started in December 2025, more than half a year ago. The aim was to give the authorities a combined and updated picture of their real condition and capacity.
The inspection has shown that just under half of the 1,694 shelters could be put into use in the event of an acute need. Kristeligt Dagblad reported this earlier in August, based on an answer given to the Danish Parliament.
According to that answer, 831 of the shelters meet basic requirements and have the central fixed installations. Even for those 831, a series of remedial measures and an actual preparation process were assessed as necessary.
The concrete shelters were built up to the 1950s, for example along roads and in parks in the larger cities. They were designed so that people in the streets during an air raid alarm could take cover. Many of these older bunkers have been decommissioned over the years.
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The inspection of the sikringsrum is the next phase in the overall review of Danish shelters. That review covers the shelter capacity built into existing buildings, which holds the majority of the country’s shelter spaces.
