Nimis

Great art arouses passions, and opinions on Nimis are certainly divided.

The artist Lars Vilks began his monumental work using hammers, nails, driftwood and other pieces of wood back in 1980. He had been building on one of Kullaberg's secluded beaches for two years before coming to the attention of the authorities. And that's when the drawn-out wrangling began…

But Nimis still stands proud where Kullaberg meets the sea. This despite 20 years of legal action, demands for the immediate dismantling of Nimis, a variety of fines and vandalism involving both fire and chainsaws.

Lars Vilks has declared Ladonien an independent state, and Nimis a national monument alongside other features, such as the sculpture Arx – a “book” made of 150 tonnes of stone and cement. Visitors from around the world clamber over the hills to experience what was, originally, “a vague idea about a rendezvous between theory and practice”.

The artist has also become a professor of art. Sometime he can be found on site. If you are lucky, he may perform the Ladonien national anthem for you – the “plop” of a stone thrown into the sea.