{"id":44675,"date":"2025-12-01T11:51:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T10:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arbejdermuseet.dk\/?page_id=44675"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:14:36","slug":"unesco-world-heritage-unesco-world-heritage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/arbejdermuseet.dk\/en\/about-the-worker-museum\/unesco-world-heritage-unesco-world-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"UNESCO World Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

World Heritage nomination between Denmark, Australia and Belgium<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Workers’ Museum is currently working intensively on a UNESCO World Heritage nomination of four workers’ assembly halls in Broken Hill (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Ghent (Belgium) and Copenhagen (Denmark).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Heritage nomination is in progress. This means that the Workers’ Museum is part of an international project group that has written a comprehensive report on the buildings’ history, architectural values and a large comparative analysis of workers’ assembly halls and similar buildings internationally. The nomination report was sent to UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre in Paris for evaluation in January 2026, and it will be a year and a half before we know if the transnational series will be inscribed on the prestigious World Heritage List<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Heritage List stems from UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention (1972),<\/a> which aims to recognise, preserve and protect natural and cultural sites throughout the world that have outstanding universal value and represent major developments in nature or history for all humanity. The international democratic labour movement that emerged in the years from the 1850s to the 1910s is an important period that paved the way for the labour movement that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The globe and banner are used in the UNESCO project as a symbol of the international presence of the labour movement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The nominated Workers’ assembly <\/strong>halls:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Broken Hill Trades Hall (Australia)<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Broken
Broken Hill Trades Hall. Photo: Hal Gamble.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Broken Hill Trades Hall is a workers’ assembly hall built in 1898 and located in the remote mining town of Broken Hill in the Australian Outback. Trade union activities had a major impact on the political, economic and social life of Broken Hill and the Broken Hill Trades Hall was the central location for meetings and organising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is one of the world’s most isolated workers’ assembly halls and illustrates how industrialisation, urbanisation and mass immigration went hand in hand with the spread of the labour movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broken Hill Trades Hall is associated with fierce labour disputes, such as strikes, and has close ties to the development of the Australian Labor Party. Important labour rights of international significance, such as the 35-hour underground work week for miners, were first introduced here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the building is still owned by the Broken Hill Trades Hall Trust, which manages the building on behalf of the unions and the Broken Hill community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Victorian Trades Hall (Australia)<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Victorian
View of the Victorian Trades Hall from the 8-8-8 Monument. Photo: \u00a9 Hin Lim Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Built in 1874, the Victorian Trades Hall is considered to be the world’s oldest workers’ assembly hall. The first building from 1859 was built on the same site as the current one from 1874. Located in the centre of Melbourne, the building has played a crucial role in the fight for labour rights in Australia for over 150 years. It has often been at the forefront of global movements, most notably the fight for the eight-hour workday – one of the world’s first and most successful labour movement campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the building still serves as the headquarters for a number of unions and labor organisations in the state of Victoria, including the Victorian Trades Hall Council, which represents over 40 affiliated unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the building on the Victorian Trades Hall website: https:\/\/www.weareunion.org.au\/history<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Feestlokaal Vooruit (Belgium)<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Feestlokaal
Feestlokaal Vooruit, Photo: Karin Borghouts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Feestlokaal Vooruit was built in 1914 in Ghent. It is the best preserved example of a workers’ assembly hall in Belgium – the country that historically had the largest concentration of such buildings in the world. In Belgium, they became known as people’s houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feestlokaal Vooruit became a model for similar workers’ assembly halls in Europe, especially in France. The building is a strong example of how workers’ assembly halls were often linked to cooperatives and a powerful symbol of the success of consumer cooperatives in organising and bringing workers together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Feestlokaal Vooruit functions as a living cultural centre and is still owned by the cooperative but managed by the cultural centre VIERNULVIER. It remains an open and inclusive hub for cultural, social and educational activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the building on the VIERNULVIER website: https:\/\/www.viernulvier.gent\/en<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Arbejdernes Forenings- og Forsamlingsbygning (Denmark)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Arbejdernes
Arbejdernes Forenings- og Forsamlingsbygning. Photo: Adam M\u00f8rk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Arbejdernes Forenings- og Forsamlingsbygning was built in 1879 and is probably Europe’s oldest workers’ assembly hall. The main part of the building was constructed in one single building phase – despite very limited financial means – and testifies to the enormous importance of a self-governed and multifunctional building for the workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 103 years, the building served as a gathering place for the Danish labour movement before it became home to The Workers’ Museum. The original division of rooms has been preserved, showing the building’s versatile use, and the historical decorations have been carefully restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The building is still an iconic meeting place for the labour movement and is the setting for commemorations of special events – including May Day demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sort\/hvid
May Day March in 1912. The banners read 8 hours freedom, 8 hours work, 8 hours rest<\/em>. The international campaign for better working conditions, 8-8-8, started in Melbourne.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The four buildings have been selected on a number of strict criteria that ensure the nominated buildings are the best examples of workers’ assembly halls from the formative period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are thousands of workers’ assembly halls in the world of different character, purpose and size. Not all of them can be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, so this UNESCO project has also created a StoryMap (an interactive map showing many workers’ assembly halls and sites around the world, with more being added all the time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can view our StoryMap here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you know of a building that is not yet on the map, please fill out the form here<\/a> so that more buildings can be represented on the map. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Workers’ Assembly halls as World Heritage Sites<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Here you can read about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a workers’ assembly hall?<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

Workers’ assembly halls can be found all over the world, in every country that has or has had a labour movement of various kinds. The main purpose has always been to provide a multifunctional meeting place for workers where both social and cultural, but also political activities could take place and to create a common working class identity. The meeting places were very much needed to establish mass organisation of workers where they could fight together for better conditions and a real place in society. They functioned as administrative centres. It is a building with a characteristic layout consisting of one or more large meeting rooms, smaller meeting rooms, offices, a restaurant and service areas such as kitchens or apartments. The buildings show working-class pride, identity and liberation combined through the use of established architectural styles, a variety of craft techniques in interaction with decorations such as banners and slogans as for instance Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Udsigt
The Workers’ Museum main assembly room, view from the balcony towards the stage where the slogan “Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood” is seen on the painting on the back wall. Photo: Malthe Iversen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Tr\u00e6relief
Wooden relief of tailor and textile worker, made by unemployed members of the Woodcarvers’ Union, by commission from other trade unions in 1934-35, tailor and textile worker. Photo: Malthe Folke Ivarsson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
1.Architectural attributes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Large meeting spaces<\/td>A spacious main meeting hall designed to accommodate large assemblies, gatherings, and union meetings. Often includes a stage or raised platform for speakers and multifunctional use.<\/td><\/tr>
Ornamental and functional design<\/td>Architecture emphasises the practicality of form that follows function, with affordability at the same level of importance. All workers\u2019 assembly halls incorporate common symbolic motifs (e.g.\u2013 labour emblems, socialist symbols, banners).<\/td><\/tr>
Flexible interior layout<\/td>Movable seating, open floor areas, and adaptable and flexible spaces for multiple activities (meetings, social events, education).<\/td><\/tr>
Prominent fa\u00e7ade<\/td>Most workers\u2019 assembly halls feature a fine fa\u00e7ade(s) facing the main street(s) and their intersections, symbolising the visibility and legitimacy of labour movements.<\/td><\/tr>
Key associated facilities<\/td>Offices for union administration, classrooms or libraries for workers\u2019 education, and sometimes recreational spaces (caf\u00e9s, theatres, reading rooms and sports facilities).<\/td><\/tr>
2. Functional attributes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Mass assembly and decision-making<\/td>The main purpose was to provide a platform for political Primary function as a venue for collective deliberation, decision-making, and democratic participation of workers.<\/td><\/tr>
Union and cooperative administration<\/td>Many workers\u2019 assembly halls housed union or cooperative headquarters, providing offices for representatives and spaces for organising campaigns or negotiations.<\/td><\/tr>
Educational and cultural role<\/td>Venues for adult education, literacy classes, political training, and sporting and cultural events (theatre, festivals, music, dance, dinners, lectures, boxing).<\/td><\/tr>
Social and mutual support<\/td>Often served as social hubs, providing opportunities for workers to gather outside work, celebrate achievements, or access mutual aid.<\/td><\/tr>
3. Symbolic attributes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Representation of solidarity<\/td>The building itself symbolised workers\u2019 unity, collective power, and rights to organise and self-represent.<\/td><\/tr>
Expression of autonomy
<\/td>		Most were funded or built directly or indirectly through workers\u2019 contributions, signifying independence from state or employer control.<\/td><\/tr>
Political and historical significance


<\/td>		Sites of major strikes, negotiations, or political events, embedding them in the historical memory of labour struggles.<\/td><\/tr>
International connections

<\/td>		Especially in transnational movements, these workers\u2019 assembly halls symbolised the shared struggle of workers worldwide.<\/td><\/tr>
4.Contextual attributes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Urban working class locations

<\/td>		Typically situated in industrial cities or working class neighbourhoods, close to factories, mines or ports.<\/td><\/tr>
Accessibility<\/td>Easily reachable by workers on foot or public transport, reinforcing their function as a democratic and convenient space.<\/td><\/tr>
Chronological period<\/td>All component parts are related to the formative period of the international democratic labour movement from the 1850s to the 1910s, coinciding with the rise of organised labour movements and social democracy, and the early
construction of workers\u2019 assembly halls.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
When were they built?<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

This type of building is diverse in architectural expression, always to assert the presence of the labour movement in the cityscape. The buildings nominated in this transnational series were all built during the formative period of the international democratic labour movement from the 1850s to the 1910s. This is the period when the labour movement emerged and established itself. Workers’ assembly halls are also built after 1920. In the 1920s to 1940s, the labour movement is characterised by two very contradictory trends: 1) the consolidation of the trade union movement in many democratised countries and 2) the destruction of trade unions in countries marked by war and fascism. During this period, the buildings look a little different and in the post-1950 period, the buildings become much more administrative because the labour movement and the need for spaces for assembly has changed.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Why is it worthy of UNESCO World Heritage Site status?<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

The UNESCO World Heritage List already includes sites that represent industrialisation. These include various mines, working-class communities like New Lanark in Scotland or the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The latter is a reminder of the 19th<\/sup> century international exhibition movement that promoted a global exchange of products and ideas. But there is nothing on the World Heritage List that celebrates the people who made the industrialisation possible. The people behind the machines. A transnational serial nomination of workers’ assembly halls will represent the organisational framework for cultural, social, political, and educational aspects of the working class and their great work to claim a place in society. The workers’ assembly halls played a crucial role in the development of the labour movement. Therefore, this series will add a new topic to the World Heritage List and help make the list more representative of ordinary people. Hopefully, it will also pave the way for other nominations that represent people’s everyday lives and rights and show that the labour movement’s legacy of fighting for good living and working conditions belongs to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glasmaleri
Glass mosaic from Broken Hill Trades Hall. Photo: Barry Gamble, 2025. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
Why is it a serial nomination?<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

The workers’ assembly halls, an international phenomenon found across world, stand as a collective testament to the international democratic labour movement. Together, they represent one shared history, one international struggle for better conditions and one potential World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A central part of all the workers’ assembly halls is the main meeting room, a gathering place for large meetings, parties and activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"En
Broken Hill Trades Hall.
Photo: Christl H\u00f8j Hansen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Teatersal,
Feestlokaal Vooruit.
Photo: Karin Borghouts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Udkig
Victorian Trades Hall
Photo: \u00a9 Hin Lim Photography<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Festsalen
Workers’ Association and Assembly Building. Photo: Adam M\u00f8rk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
What is World Heritage?<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

World Heritage is defined as natural and\/or cultural heritage of outstanding universal value. Often these are buildings, cities, natural areas or cultural landscapes. Being designated as a World Heritage Site is a seal of approval of a site’s global significance and an obligation to protect, preserve and promote awareness of the site. Conservation is at the heart of World Heritage work, as it is about looking after the world’s shared culture for the present and future. The reason for this transnational serial nomination is that the four workers’ assembly halls together represent a unique period in world history and are a testament to a cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drawing by Walter Crane, 1889. The drawing was translated into many different languages and is a testament to the international connections of the labour movement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List<\/a>, a cultural site must be of outstanding universal value, i.e. a World Heritage Site that is relevant to all people. In order to fulfill the outstanding universal value, a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value must be prepared. Here<\/a> you can read the statement for this project. It must be based on one or more of UNESCO’s ten criteria<\/a>, which forms the basis of evaluation of nominated World Heritage Sites. The nomination of Workers’ Assembly Halls<\/em> is based on these three criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion (iii)<\/strong>: To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.<\/td><\/tr>
How criterion three applies to this series nomination:<\/strong> Workers\u2019 Assembly Halls bears exceptional testimony to the rise of the international democratic labour movement during its formative period of working class self-organisation. The nominated buildings stand as the most significant and enduring physical expressions of this global movement which gave millions of workers uprooted by industrialisation a collective voice and a visible civic presence. They embody the core values of solidarity, emancipation, and dignity, while illustrating the transformative impact of organised labour on societies worldwide. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Criterion (iv)<\/strong>: To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.<\/td><\/tr>
How criterion four applies to this series nomination:<\/strong> Workers\u2019 Assembly Halls comprise outstanding examples of a new building type that emerged during a transformative period in human history \u2013 the rise of mass, democratic industrial societies in the late 19th<\/sup> and early 20th<\/sup> centuries. While the labour movement was socially enacted, its aspirations were architecturally embodied in these multifunctional yet highly symbolic structures, built in industrial centres across Europe and beyond amid urbanisation, mass migration, and political modernisation. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Criterion (vi)<\/strong>: To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.<\/td><\/tr>
How criterion six applies to this series nomination:<\/strong> Workers\u2019 Assembly Halls are directly and tangibly associated with the ideas, beliefs, living traditions, and historic achievements of the international democratic labour movement \u2013 one of the most influential global, social and political movements of the late 19th<\/sup> and early 20th<\/sup> centuries.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Sort\/hvid<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"1.<\/figure>\n
May Day processions in 1893 and 2025. Both images show R\u00f8mersgade and the building that is now The Workers Museum. The photograph (left) from 1893 is in The Workers Museum archive and the photo (right) from 2025 was taken by Adam M\u00f8rk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
World Heritage in the Danish Realm<\/summary>\n\n\n\n\n

If the Workers’ Assembly Halls<\/em> are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it will be in the company of the 12 sites on the World Heritage List for the Danish Realm, and counting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n