Naturkraft Thanks for the neighborly greeting

"Maybe you could..." this is how Lene Graven Pedersen began Graven Pedersen began her letter to Naturkraft in this newspaper. We thank Lene Graven Pedersen for taking the time to suggest how Naturkraft can be developed as a neighbor to the site!

In West Jutland, we know the value of good neighborliness, where we support each other. And that's exactly what Lene Graven Pedersen is talking about. That Naturkraft should develop into an attraction for the benefit of both locals and tourists. This is exactly what we are working for in Naturkraft - and in the rest of the museum.

Lene proposes that Naturkraft becomes a place that can "combine play, culture, gastronomy and nature in a sustainable setting, making it a gathering place for all ages - a place where you can play, learn and enjoy socializing in scenic surroundings".

These are very much the guiding principles that we have followed during the three years we have been running Naturkraft as part of the museum. For example, with a full dome experience about the history of wind power in West Jutland, we focus on how West Jutland is a driving force in the sustainable transition. We have worked to make the nature expeditions in the park stronger so that families of several generations can have active aha experiences together. The fact that this is the right way to go can be seen in both stable and excellent visitor numbers and good reviews from guests. We are currently establishing new water learning elements in the park, inspired by the nature of West Jutland with Vonå, Skjern Å and the lock in Hvide Sande, which provides outdoor learning and play for both school students and day visitors. This investment costs a couple of million and is financed as a learning project with government funds. It also provides an understanding that "a huge nature playground" that both Lene and we dream of is an expensive investment.

Large greenhouses with street food is a great idea, but we need to have a good turnover in the current café before we take the next step in that direction. We already have an eye for local produce and are developing the use of it as it becomes economically viable. An ice rink would be great, but requires a profit for rent and operation. Based on experience, we are working on establishing events on a small scale before we launch large-scale events. However, we are very pleased that we have just received support from the Nordea Foundation to build "mega-shelters" for our outdoor communication and shows. It is our hope that we can later receive funding to develop audio guides that can unfold all the West Jutland stories that are already available at Naturkraft, but which visitors don't necessarily discover today. Others than our neighbors also have dreams on behalf of Naturkraft, for example, city council politician Dan K. Jørgensen has expressed on social media that Naturkraft could be shaped more like the Experimentarium in Copenhagen.

We agree that the experiences and attraction values at Naturkraft must be enhanced. We have over 100 years of experience in creating strong cultural attractions. We know that neither Lene nor Dan's dreams are cheap, and we also know that the funding for them comes through own earnings and foundations. So even with the benevolent support of the city council, our operating support and visitor base is still well below that of Copenhagen attractions. At a steady pace, we are transforming Naturkraft into a place that the foundations trust will remain stable. Until we can submit the big applications, we focus on the things we can improve with our own people and based on our many years of experience in creating attractive experiences. With patience, Naturkraft will probably end up being a place not far from what Lene dreams of.

Link to articles in the newspaper