Konstverket Nimis - vägbeskrivning och intressant fakta

Nimis is a fascinating artwork on the Kulla peninsula in Skåne, created by artist Lars Vilks. It's not just the artwork itself that is exciting, but the stories and myths surrounding it. We've gathered some interesting facts about the artwork and the 'sovereign state' of Ladonia and offer our top tips for visiting.

Table of contents

The artwork Nimis

Measuring almost 200 metres in length, the Nimis artwork takes possession of the inaccessible site in an exciting way. The unauthorised construction challenges the mind, and the more you immerse yourself in it, the more fascinated you become. The work is located in an inaccessible place, but despite the challenge and effort of getting there, it has been estimated that the site is visited by 40,000 people annually.

Nimis is located in the Kullaberg nature reserve on the Kulla peninsula in northwest Skåne, about 12 kilometres northwest of Höganäs.

A work of art and a black building

A first version of Nimis was completed in 1980. The authorities did not know about the building until it was completed, and because it was built without planning permission in a nature reserve, it was considered an illegal construction. This led to a long legal process between the artist Lars Vilks and the County Administrative Board of Skåne County. Vilks himself has described Nimis as a conceptual art project, where the legal process is an important part of the art.

It is made of driftwood, planks and branches and has 15 metre high towers. It has been burned and rebuilt several times, so it does not look the same today as it did in the beginning.

Right next to Nimis is Arx, a sculpture made of stone and concrete. A third work, Omfalos, was removed in 2001 by order of the district court. However, Nimis and Arx remain, leading Vilks to conclude that he has achieved "permanent occupation" of the country. To further protect the artworks, in 1996 he declared the site a sovereign country with an area of one square kilometre.

Interesting facts about the "state" of Ladonia

Ladonia was declared independent by Lars Vilks on 2 June 1996. The "state" has a own website where you can learn the following about the country:

Ladonia has its own flag. The flag is green, with a green cross and known as 'The Glorious Green'.
The country has a heraldic coat of arms, which is used in administration, on coins and on the website. The use of the weapon is regulated by Ladonian law.
The country has two national anthems.
In Ladonian there are only two words "waaaall" and "ÿp". The main language is Latin, but English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German and French are also accepted.
The country has its own currency called örtug. 1 örtug is equivalent to 1 euro.
Ladonia has a government. The government consists of the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and the Council of Ministers. Frans Brood is Prime Minister and Lars Vilks is Secretary of State.
Ladonia excludes men from the throne. There has never been, and never will be, a king in the country. The queen's name is Carolyn of Ladonia.
Ladonia has its own time zone, which is three minutes behind neighbouring Sweden.
Citizenship in Ladonia is free. If you want to be ennobled, there are recommended amounts to donate.
Ladonia has just over 22,000 citizens, more than 1000 nobles and 125 ministers. None are resident in the country.
The country has several holidays of its own, such as National Day of the Great Fire (commemorating the 1996 Nimis fire), Birthday of Queen Carolyn I and The Day of Artful Jumps.
Ladonia has declared war against Sweden and San Marino.

How long does it take to go to Nimis?

It is not easy to answer the question of how long it takes to walk to Nimis. Nor is it easy to say how far the distance is, as the sites cannot be measured via Google Maps. The walk from the car park is not really very long, but the terrain makes it take some time anyway.

Towards the end of the walk it gets steeper and steeper, and the trail is full of rocks and roots. You may need to walk carefully to avoid falling, and if it has been raining, it can be particularly slippery. So it's a good idea to allow around 40 minutes in each direction, although some may go faster.

Directions to Nimis

Given that we ourselves had some difficulty finding our way along the walkway to the Nimis artwork, and since we talked to other visitors who had difficulty finding their way around, it may be useful to provide directions.

By car to Himmelstop

If you use GPS, you can set it to "Himmelstorp". From Helsingborg you drive about 40 kilometres northwest. Drive to Höganäs and then continue on road 111 towards Mölle. Just before the campsite (First Camp Mölle-Höganäs) take the Bränneslyckevägen towards Arild, and shortly afterwards take the Himmelstorpsvägen. Either drive all the way to the red farm Himmelstorp or park a bit away and walk to Himmelstorp.

Skog Kullabergs naturreservat — Since we parked a little further away, we started by walking to Himmelstorp.

Walk from Himmelstorp to Nimis

When you see the red farm Himmelstorp, pass to the right of the buildings (as you see them in the picture). You will pass a cow pasture and a gate, and enter a path in the forest.

If you see the judgement ring in the picture below (an Iron Age grave described by Carl Linnaeus, among others) - then you know you've gone the wrong way! Go back to Himmelstorp and find the path to the right of the farm.

In the forest you will see many "proper" signs pointing, for example, to "Kullens fyr" or "Arild". These are not the ones you should be looking for. Instead, look for the yellow "N" carved into trees or fence posts. These are the ones that show the way!

If you have a GPS on your mobile phone, you can also double-check that you are walking in the right direction. Google Maps does not show the walking route to Nimis, but the map shows where Nimis is located.

You walk towards the sea, and over time the slope becomes more and more downhill. The last part is steep and rocky. But eventually you reach the "entrance" to Nimis!

Visiting Nimis - safety and other considerations

Visiting Nimis is exciting and interesting, but also comes with some challenges. We heard about a person travelling in flip-flops (not recommended!) and there have been many accidents in the area.

People have fallen, stumbled and perhaps broken a leg, and sometimes the emergency services have had to carry out rather complicated rescue operations due to the inaccessibility of the site. We definitely recommend visiting Nimis, but it's good to dress appropriately and be careful. Here are some tips:

Proper clothing and packing

Take comfortable clothes for a nature walk and - above all - a good pair of shoes such as trainers or hiking boots. Pack water to drink and possibly some fruit, coffee or a packed lunch.

Take it slow and easy

Another tip is to take it slow and easy. By being careful where you put your feet, you can avoid tripping or slipping. Remember that roots and rocks can be particularly slippery if it has recently rained! The artwork itself can be visited inside, but if you want to be extra careful, you can stay outside.

What about children? Yes, children can certainly enjoy both the adventurous forest and the exciting artwork. Just keep in mind that nothing is set in stone, that the structure contains lots of nails and that there are no guarantees as to what will last. You are here at your own risk.

Last but not least, it's worth bearing in mind that Nimis attracts many visitors. If you want to avoid the crowds, you might want to avoid the high season, or come a little earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.

The Arx artwork

Right next to Nimis is the Arx artwork, also a creation of Lars Vilks. It was built in 1991 and consists of 150 tonnes of stone and concrete. The name Arx means 'fortress' in Latin.

The stones in the artwork are marked with page numbers and form the so-called book "Arx: a book about the unspeakable", which has been given the ISBN number and is catalogued in the library catalogue. The book has 352 "pages" and was published by Nya Doxa in 1993. Since Arx was built without a building permit, Vilks was sentenced by the district court in 1994 to a daily fine for the construction.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

To summarise, we must say that it was a fascinating and interesting visit to Lars Vilks' Nimis. There are so many aspects of this work of art that even though you leave, the impressions and thoughts remain.

When you are on the Kulla Peninsula, there is of course also much more to see and experience! For example, you can visit nice Höganäs or charming Mölle. You can also discover the Kullaberg nature reserve, which offers several caves, for example.

If you're a wine lover, don't miss out on all of the following nice vineyards nearby, such as Arilds vineyard and Kullaberg vineyard. It is also nice to make a visit to the castle park at Krapperup Castle. In addition, you can take the opportunity to discover Helsingborg with 20 attractions, Ängelholm with our 9 best tips and The Bjäre Peninsula with 8 wonderful experiences.

Bästa i Skåne — All our top tips for holidays in Skåne

Facts about Nimis

Landscape: Skåne
County: Skåne County
Municipality: Höganäs
Location: Kullaberg Nature Reserve
Artist: Lars Vilks
The name: Nimis means 'too much' in Latin.
Year of construction: 1980
Material: Driftwood, planks, branches (160,000 nails have been used over the years).
Size: Nimis is around 200 metres long and up to 15 metres high.
Torn: Tower of Wotan and Tower of the Winds

READ MORE: Things to do in Skåne - attractions and experiences
READ MORE: Holidays in Sweden - your guide to Sweden's best destinations

6 Comments

Add yours →

bmlarstravellingblog says:

We have to realise that we have to give this region some time. We are down here sometimes because Lars has a sister in Viken. We've been to Kullen's lighthouse and Sofiero, but otherwise it's mostly in Viken and at Arild's golf course.
Nimis and Lars Wilks are fascinating; I had never heard of Ladonia, but surely we Swedes paid for it with local money a long time ago?

24 August 2021 - 8:40

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  There is a lot to see and experience here! 🙂 Interesting that this with örtug! I had no idea about this, but googled now and it is of course true! Apparently used in the Middle Ages!
  
  24 August 2021 - 10:24
  
Nils-Åke+Hansson says:

We first visited Nimis some years after 1984 when we moved to Höganäs. The children were overjoyed when we mentioned Nimis. Gisela (Daughter 14 years old) once forgot her jacket and her wallet down at Nimis came upon it at Himmelstorp ran down and retrieved it. At that time it was much flatter ground BUT super steep down to Nimis just a rope to hold on to... Linn thought that they could show this on the TV because it was as funny as a children's programme (about 4 years old).
Much has changed over the years, both Nimis and Nature.
Have met LW a few times in the forest.
Nice reading.

24 August 2021 - 9:25

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  A little easier when you are young of course! 🙂 If you wanted to walk alongside Nimis, there was a rope now too, which we used when we went up. Interesting to hear your experiences!
  
  24 August 2021 - 10:26
  
BP says:

Love it! Vilks is controversial to say the least and is best known for his drawing of Muhammad's face on a roundabout dog. Nimis - how did he and his colleagues manage to put Nimis together in such an inaccessible place? I'm glad 'Nimis' was left standing, cheaper than demolishing it and shipping the parts away I guess. Well done!
I also like Arx - looks like a "building" from the Bronze Age or so...

24 August 2021 - 19:40

- Carina says:
  
  Found this article and am so grateful for it.. We would never have found it without your great directions 😊.
  A bit hard to walk but worth it!
  
  25 May 2023 - 15:31

Artwork Nimis - directions and interesting facts

The artwork Nimis

A work of art and a black building

Interesting facts about the "state" of Ladonia

How long does it take to go to Nimis?

Directions to Nimis

By car to Himmelstop

Walk from Himmelstorp to Nimis

Visiting Nimis - safety and other considerations

Proper clothing and packing

Take it slow and easy

The Arx artwork

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Facts about Nimis

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6 Comments

bmlarstravellingblog says:

Helena says:

Nils-Åke+Hansson says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Carina says:

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