The Memorial Mound (), situated on a slope in

Søndermarken Søndermarken ( lit. "The Southern Field") is a park in Frederiksberg on the border to Valby and the Carlsberg area in Copenhagen, Denmark. It shares much of its history with Frederiksberg Gardens from which it is separated only by Roskildevej ...

, close to

Frederiksberg Palace Frederiksberg Palace () is a Baroque architecture, Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands a view over Frederiksberg Gardens, originally designed as a palace garden in the Baroque style. ...

, is a memorial to Danish emigrants in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Description

The mound measures 8 metres in diameter and is 5 metres tall. It is surrounded by tall trees and is reached along a narrow stone-lined passageway. Chiselled above the entrance is the inscription: "They who set out, never to return." At the top of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

is a metre-wide opening to let in daylight. At the centre of the room is the life-size figure of a woman who embraces her children, symbolizing Mother Denmark. Built into the wall are 9

bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

with symbolic descriptions of the emigrants' lives and activities abroad. In the floor is a five-pointed star representing the five continents. The nine reliefs represent (beginning with the one to the right of the entrance as seen from the centre and moving around clockwise): * ''The departure'': a mother stands by a gate, looking at two sons that are leaving. A dog, representing loyalty, follows them. * Struggling against hardships abroad * Clearing the forest and building the first house * Plowing the field, sowing the first seeds and planting new trees * Christianity: the Protestant, the Catholic and crusaders * ''Cattle Breeding'': The shepherd with his dog. Girl with milk bucket. Slaughtering of livestock * Seafaring: the merchant navy * Crafts & trade: building the new land * Family life: play and sports.

History

In the early 1920s,

Danish-American Danish Americans () are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danes, Danish origin or descent. Most Danes who came to the United States after 1865 did so ...

s in the United States conceived the idea to erect a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

in Copenhagen as a

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

to the traditions surrounding Rebild Hills celebrations in

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

. A committee of Danish-Americans was set up which charged the sculptor Anders Bundgaard with creating an initial design proposal. His design was inspired by prehistoric Danish burial mounds. A number of possible locations were brought in play, including

Jægersborg Dyrehave Dyrehaven (Danish language, Danish "The Deer Park"), officially Jægersborg Dyrehave, is a forest park north of Copenhagen in the municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, Lyngby-Taarbæk. To the north it borders Jægersborgs Hegn, which ...

and Kastellet, but without gaining support. Anders Bundgaard was more in favour of a location in

. The question was also subject to prolonged discussions in the media, both by Inspector of the Rotal Fardens Clemmen Jørgensen, Forskønnelseskommissionen and Fredningsnævnet. A location in Søndermarken was also criticized, both in national newspapers and the magazine ''Havekunst'', for instance by the landscape architects such as Erik Erstad-Jørgensen and

Gudmund Nyeland Brandt Gudmund Nyeland Brandt (17 March 1878 in Frederiksberg – 30 April 1945 in Kessel-lo) was a Danish landscape architect who was internationally renowned. Career Brandt was born at Frederiksberg, Denmark. His father, Peter Christoffer Brandt, was ...

. The location was in spite of all the criticism ultimately approved. Prominent members of the Danish community in most American states as well as in

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British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

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, Congo,

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and

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and

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. The necessary funds were raised through a worldwide collection among

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

Danes. Around $12,000 was collected and the monument was inaugurated in 1925 with a ceremony attended by 40,000 people, including the entire

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpe ...

Today

The memorial mound is open to the public every year on 4 July. File:;omdehøjen, Søndermarken (4 July 2020) 01.jpg, File:;omdehøjen, Søndermarken (4 July 2020) 02.jpg, File:;omdehøjen, Søndermarken (4 July 2020) 04.jpg,

References

External links

Jane Schul (1994), "Mindehøjen i Søndermarken" in: ''Fra Kvangård til Humlekule'', 24: 58-62
{{WikidataCoord
Source
1925 establishments in Denmark 1925 sculptures Allegorical sculptures in Copenhagen Bronze sculptures in Copenhagen Buildings and structures completed in 1925 Monuments and memorials in Copenhagen Statues of women in Copenhagen Works about immigration to the United States