On Sunday 8th, the Danish church in Mijas celebrated its 25th anniversary with a commemorative religious service that brought together numerous members of this community on the Costa del Sol. Opened in 2001 on Avenida Dinamarca in Las Lagunas, the church has become a meeting place for Danish residents, helping to preserve their traditions, culture and ties with their home country.
The celebration took on a special significance as it coincided with the completion of the building’s restoration work and the preparation of a publication chronicling its 25-year history. The ceremony was presided over by the Lutheran Bishop of Copenhagen, Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who highlighted the ability of churches to build bridges between cultures and religious traditions. “It is a wonderful occasion to be here for this 25th anniversary. We are Europeans and, in many ways, churches also need to build bridges to support one another; therefore, this also represents a bridge to other religious traditions in Europe, such as the Roman Catholic Church, which has a strong presence in Spain, as well as a bridge between different cultures”, he noted.
- Inaugurado en 2001, el templo se ha convertido en un punto de encuentro para los residentes nórdicos. |
- Mijas Comunicación.
For his part, the representative of the Danish church in Mijas, Hans Krab Koed, underlined the importance of having this space for Danes living in the area, especially for the younger generations. “This Danish church is very important for all Danes living here; furthermore, we have young people who are going to be confirmed next year. I like getting to know these young people; they are Danish, yet they are different from young people in Denmark because they have a broader context and live in a more diverse culture”, he explained.
- En el centro, el concejal de Extranjeros del Ayuntamiento de Mijas, Mario Bravo. |
- Mijas Comunicación.
Other members of the community also took part in the service, including John Sjoholm, who was the church’s pastor between 1992 and 2002 and who continues to maintain his links with Mijas. “I come here every year because I love Spain and I love Mijas”, he said.
Danish community
The councillor for Foreigners, Mario Bravo (PP), noted that there are currently around 680 Danes registered on the municipal census in Mijas and referred to the evolution of this community, which used to have more residents. “There was a time when there were more of Dnes, but tax legislation changed and the treaty preventing double taxation between Spain and Denmark was terminated; since then, we have been working to have it reinstated, as was recently done with France”, he explained”, he explained.
- La celebración tuvo un carácter especial al coincidir también con la finalización de las obras de restauración del edificio. |
- Mijas Comunicación.
Bravo also stressed the importance of this celebration in strengthening ties between the municipality and Danish residents: “Today is a good day for Mijas and for the Danish community; I’m sure we will have a great time and strengthen the relations we have with this community”.
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