A small country town in Denmark has been ‘put on the map’ after plans were announced to build Western Europe’s tallest building in the area.

Local company Bestseller has commissioned the tower, to be designed in Brande by renowned architecture firm Dorte Mandrup.

The tower is planned to be 320 metres high, making it not only the tallest building in Denmark but also the tallest building in the world, surpassing The Shard in London by 10.4 metres.

European fast-fashion giant Bestseller was founded in Brande in 1975. Currently, the rural town houses just over 7,000 people.

As the town and its surrounds are so flat, the Bestseller tower will be visible from 60km away.

There is some opposition from residents in neighbouring Sweden, where a local publication likened the building to the Tower of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. In Denmark however, there has been surprisingly little opposition.

While it is unusual for such a tall tower to be constructed in a small, rural town, it is not unheard of. Another example is Sky Tower 41, a 41-storey residential tower erected among Japanese fields in a city of 33,000 residents. Constructed in 1999, the tower is known for standing out in its rural surrounds.

Image credit: Bestseller