The Ministry of Culture
The development of cultural institutions and cultural policy in Denmark is closely linked to the cultural and political movements that fostered Danish democracy and the welfare state.
After Denmark adopted its first democratic constitution in the mid-nineteenth century, responsibility for support to art and culture gradually shifted from the Royal Court to the newly constituted civil administration.
The first Ministry of Culture
Denmark's first Ministry of Culture was established in 1961, marking the start of an era in which cultural affairs were given higher priority and in which the Danish population became more involved in the arts and other cultural activities. Gradually the basic legal and financial framework for cultural life was developed.
The Ministry of Culture today
The Ministry of Culture is comprised of a central division, the Agency for Culture and Palaces and a number of cultural institutions: