Rural areas across Europe are increasingly defined by obsolete infrastructural elements–remnants of once-essential networks now made redundant by economic shifts, technological change, and rural-to-urban migration. Despite their intrinsic historic and cultural value, these structures are often neglected or demolished, reflecting a disconnect between heritage-, architecture-, and rural planning practices.
This investigation departs from three case studies of obsolete train stations in Thisted, Denmark, which all are affected by planned or performed interventions. By employing methods from architecture, anthropology and heritage–including historical analysis, archival research, informal interviews with various actors, documentation of architectural qualities, and spatial ethnography– the aim is to investigate tangible and intangible dimensions of the train stations and their surrounding environments in relation to their interventions. In doing so, the aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the potential embedded in these sites and how interventions have influenced the experiences and perceptions of value.
The findings point to that while these structures have lost their original function, they might retain emotional meaning for the locals as well as spatial potential. Community narratives, memory, and related intervention-projects in the area suggest that these sites can act as nodes and platforms for new spatial imaginaries.
This paper narrates the tangible and intangible connections of three obsolete train stations in Thy, their past and present, and speculates on possible futures. It highlights the need for more nuanced strategies in engaging with obsolete rural infrastructure—not as static heritage or eyesores to be demolished, but as dynamic cultural environments. Re-narrated as ‘Everyday Heritage’, such environments could contribute to a more considerate and place-specific practice, promoting social cohesion and spatial continuity for rural futures.
Bibliography
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