From radio station to smartphone

Radio means being wireless. Although the word may be mostly associated with music, news, and sports broadcasts by many, radio is about using radio waves to wirelessly transmit information from one point to another. Our mobile phones and home networks also use radio, even if we don’t always think of it that way.

The foundation for this way of communicating was laid as early as the late 19th century, and when Grimeton Radio Station was completed in 1924, it was far from the only one of its kind. Around the world, similar facilities were built during the same period with the purpose of wirelessly transmitting text messages, and eventually also phone calls and images, to other countries. However, development was rapid, and old technology soon had to make way for new.

For various reasons, Grimeton Radio Station escaped the fate of scrapping and demolition that befell many other contemporary facilities. Instead, both the buildings and the transmitter system for which the radio station was originally built were preserved. This has made Grimeton Radio Station today a unique and well-preserved example of the advancements made during the first half of the 20th century, upon which our modern wireless technology continues to build.

Referring to this and the “exceptionally great universal values” the site is thereby considered to possess, Grimeton Radio Station was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004 by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

A sustainable world heritage site

These activities should create the best possible conditions for future management based on current conditions. For Grimeton Radio Station, this mission statement is formulated as follows:

• That the qualities that brought it to the World Heritage List are preserved, strengthened and communicated without negative impact on our world.
• That the site is a living world heritage site and a resource of global importance, linking the present with the past through good radio communication skills.
• Making World Heritage accessible so that its values touch, engage and unite people around the world.

Since 2020, Sweden has a national strategy for World Heritage work. The National Heritage Board, in collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, and in dialogue with other World Heritage stakeholders, has developed a strategy. In addition to UNESCO’s requirements and recommendations, the strategy is based on national environmental and cultural policy objectives.

In line with this strategy, the World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station is working on several of the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and is constantly striving to improve. The pursuit of sustainability is a common thread in the various projects carried out on the site, but also permeates the activities of its various branches in general.

It is widely known today that World Heritage Sites can attract visitors. The same applies to the fact that unsustainable development of the tourism industry can negatively impact the values of a site. This has led UNESCO to actively work since the early 2010s to encourage various World Heritage Sites to adopt sustainable tourism strategies.