Dragør is a quaint town around 10km south of copenhagen in the island of Amager (which locals pronounce ama). it's actually just a few km away from the airport, so even from the harbour you can still hear the constant air traffic. The reasoning denmark has put forward for inscription basically boils down to preservation. the state argues that there are few towns which showcase the advent of globalisation in the 18th century as well as dragør. Denmark was for a long time a maritime power and it only stopped being so in the 19th century when their fleet was sunk in the war against britain, so hypothetically it would be one of the places to look for this suposedly missing link. The truth however is that dragør is nothing to write home about. even the danish inscription feels unconvinced by its own arguments aiming for as many criteria as posible with very little variation in their arguments. their central stand is the town layout, which they affirm is very particular. I'm not convinced that having a regular grid pattern with dozens of remarkably similar whitewashed yellow houses is "very particular", let alone grants inscription. the town itself feels more like an overly comodified former fishing town than the open air museum the report seems to suggest.

while walking through the maze the town is i couldn't help think of burela, a thriving fishing town I vsisted in the north of spain. its in particular renowned for its multicultural population, which also used to be an important aspect of dragør (dutch settlers). I think that was what this town may have been at some point and I couln't help but feel a deep sorrow from seeing its hollow state today. I found little evidence, that this was at some point a thriving fishing town, let alone the second biggest harbour in denmark.

Of course loss of authenticity is common to other sites, but Dragør simply lacks other redeeming qualities. it's not outstanding in its architecture (though its pecliar) importance or setting. I wandered the old town for a good hour and I couldn't for the love of god find any truly remarkable building. the setting is also remarkably insipid with very notable alterations, such as the oresund bridge and the copenhagen airport.

All in all this is a clear NO from me and I really hope this pretty but insipid town never finds its way into the list. There are surely much better alternatives to represent the advent of globalisation. 

now onto the actual visit. the town is well connected to copenhagen via public system, but I nevertheless biked there. the trip is nice though a bit long and not overly impressive. west of the harbour there's a big grid pattern which I assume is the central piece of the nomination. you'll recognise it via its yellow houses, cobbled streets and, in summer, blooming flowers. there's a museum, but I couldn't visit, because it closes at 5:30. Apart from that there's very little information lying around. I found one infographic in english about the quarantine building and that'd be it. It kinda gave me the feeling that denmark is not taking this nomination seriously at all, which honestly soothes me. 

After a very unremarkable time in the town and a decent ice cream by the harbour I left dragør, not convinced of its universal value, but rather with a renewed confussion as to why denmark has even proposed this site.