A comprehensive mapping of Denmark’s 1,538 public statues reveals a striking gender disparity: there are nearly three times more statues of nameless, naked women than of historically significant women. Out of 519 female statues, only 43 honor named women who shaped Danish history, compared to 484 statues of historically important men.
The Numbers Tell a Troubling Story
Denmark’s public spaces are home to 1,538 statues, according to the first official mapping conducted by the Museum of Art in Public Spaces. While 854 of these depict men and 519 show women, a closer look reveals a troubling pattern.
Only 43 statues commemorate named women who made historical contributions to Denmark. Meanwhile, 120 statues portray nude or partially nude women who remain nameless. In contrast, 484 statues honor historically significant men.
This creates an 11-to-1 ratio between statues of important men and important women in Danish public spaces.
From Copenhagen to Small Towns
The disparity appears across Denmark. In Copenhagen, there are more statues of mythical creatures than of women. A 2023 survey found that only 31 out of 321 statues and busts in Danish municipal public spaces represented women, roughly 10 percent.
The situation looks even worse in smaller municipalities. According to Cultural Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, 75 out of Denmark’s municipalities don’t have a single statue of a historically significant woman.
Historical Figures Stand in Bronze
Walking through Copenhagen, visitors encounter Admiral Niels Juel standing tall with his command staff at Holmens Kanal. Not far away, Hans Christian Andersen peers toward the street named after him, his characteristic tall hat instantly recognizable.
These are just two examples of the many historical men immortalized in Denmark’s public spaces. Finding similar tributes to women requires a much longer search.
Who Gets Remembered
Among the few women honored with statues, Princess Marie stands at Langelinie in Copenhagen. Her monument dates back to 1912. But such examples remain rare exceptions rather than the rule.
For every historically significant woman memorialized in bronze or stone, there are multiple statues of anonymous female figures, often unclothed and serving primarily decorative purposes.
Cultural Impact and Public Perception
Cultural Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt called the findings absurd. He expressed concern about what message these statues send to young girls and women moving through Danish public spaces.
The minister noted that the prevalence of statues showing women primarily as bodies rather than as historical actors sends the wrong signal. According to Engel-Schmidt, this imbalance suggests that women’s value lies primarily in their physical appearance rather than their contributions to society.
Beyond Aesthetics
Henriette Laursen, director of Kvinfo, Denmark’s knowledge center for gender and equality, emphasized that representation in public spaces matters significantly. She argued that these statues shape how society understands gender roles and competence.
Laursen explained that repeatedly seeing men portrayed as action-oriented and significant while women appear as decorative nude figures reinforces outdated stereotypes. This pattern suggests that men are those who act while women are those who are looked at.
Government Takes Action
The mapping was commissioned after a 2023 roundup by Jyllands-Posten showed that very few statues and busts in public spaces portrayed women. Following these findings, the government established an expert committee.
The committee, anchored at Aalborg University, will work alongside public input from borgerbidrag.dk to identify historically overlooked women. Their task includes recommending appropriate locations for new statues honoring these women.
Potential Candidates
Minister Engel-Schmidt has already suggested several candidates for commemoration. Author Tove Ditlevsen and Bodil Begtrup, Denmark’s first female ambassador, are among the names mentioned as deserving recognition.
The public has been able to submit their own suggestions for several months. Soon, the final list of potential candidates will be published.
Financial Commitment
The Ministry of Culture expects to allocate a smaller million-amount to help finance the installation of new statues honoring women. This co-financing approach aims to make it easier for municipalities and organizations to create these monuments.
Interestingly, the first major public statue in Denmark dates to 1688. An equestrian monument to Christian V on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen marked the beginning of what would become a predominantly male collection of bronze, marble, and granite tributes throughout Danish cities.
Changing the Narrative
Engel-Schmidt stressed that public spaces should reflect that women have played significant roles in Denmark’s shared history. The goal is not just to add more statues, but to create a more accurate representation of who contributed to building Danish society.
Professor Poul Duedahl from Aalborg University notes that women remain systematically underrepresented in Danish historical narratives overall. They account for only about one-tenth of named subjects in books about Danish history. This scholarly underrepresentation mirrors their absence from public monuments.
As Denmark moves forward with plans to honor more historically significant women in public spaces, the hope is that future generations will see a more balanced representation of who shaped their nation’s history.
Sources and References
The Danish Dream: Hans Christian Andersen Danish Storyteller
The Danish Dream: Best Museums in Denmark for Foreigners
TV2: Flere navnløse og nøgne kvinder end historiske navne har fået rejst statuer
