Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Denmark Monument


If you go into the park Østre Anlæg, climb one of the old bastions and look under a lot of greenery you might be lucky to find this monument called the Denmark Monument. Not many people in Copenhagen know about, much less have seen it, and that is no coincidence. It was made in 1897 by sculptor Louis Hasselriis to celebrate King Christian IX and Queen Louise's golden wedding and placed at the entrance of the newly build Museum of Arts in one corner of the park. The woman on top is not the Queen but represents Mother Denmark. From the start it was the cause of much debate; critics called it the ugliest monument in Denmark and that it was way too bombastic. In 1919 the municipality caved in and decided that it wasn't fit to stand in front of the museum, so it was hidden in a little used part of the park where it stands today.

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