A flower exhibition in Haderslev opened on September 26 after a 14-day delay caused by fire safety concerns, with a replacement insurance arrangement costing 350,000 kroner.
The exhibition, titled “På vej mod”, is installed in the listed Ridehuset building owned by Haderslev Municipality. DR reports that hundreds of volunteers mounted dried flowers, branches and seeds on chipboard and polystyrene.
Shortly before the planned opening on September 12, the municipality’s insurance company withdrew its fire approval. According to the insurer, the chipboard and polystyrene constituted a fire hazard inside the building.
A new insurance company then agreed to cover both the exhibition and the building. The cost is 350,000 kroner, split evenly between Haderslev Municipality and Haderslev Diocese, because the exhibition forms part of the diocese’s 500-year commemoration of the Reformation.
TV Syd reported on September 22 that the municipality would take out the additional coverage. As noted by the outlet, that decision allowed the opening to go ahead on September 26 after repeated problems with fire permits.
Divided economy committee
Mayor Mads Skau of Venstre told DR that the situation was unfortunate, but that the economy committee had found a solution at a meeting. Asked whether the extra bill was worth the money, he said he was convinced it was, pointing to the effort put in by volunteers.
Deputy mayor Jon Krongaard of Dansk Folkeparti voted against splitting the bill. Per DR, he said he would not help send an invoice to taxpayers for a mistake made by others. Carsten Dyhre Hansen of Danmarksdemokraterne also voted against and called the whole process a disaster.
Dean Torben Juhl Andersen of Haderslev Cathedral said he regretted every krone of the extra cost. He acknowledged that mistakes had been made along the way, by the diocese, by himself and by others.
The municipality’s original insurance company maintains its refusal to cover the exhibition because of the fire risk. Skau said organizers and volunteers have arranged fire watches and fire alarms, and that the venue is safer now.
The exhibition runs until October 31, 2026, with an entrance fee of 175 kroner. Around 50,000 visitors are expected over the six-week run, according to DR. Ticket revenue will mainly go to the artist Johnny Haugaard, who paid for the materials up front.
Local politics in Haderslev has been marked by the case since mid-September. The economy committee approved the shared payment despite the two votes against it.
