In the early 1920s, Danish-Americans in the United States had the idea that Danish emigrants ought to have a monument in Copenhagen. In Jutland, Danish-Americans could meet at Rebild Hills, but they had nowhere close to Copenhagen.
A working committee of Danish-Americans was set up, which appointed the sculptor Anders Bundgaard to draw up a concrete proposal for a monument. After many drawn out discussions it was decided that the monument should take the form of a mound, with an embellished inner chamber, and that Søndermarken would be a fitting site for the mound.
The Danish authorities were not entirely enthusiastic about this choice of site and their initial response was point-blank refusal. After lengthy negotiations, a settlement was arrived at in 1924 and Anders Bundgaard was able to get on with the job.
The wherewithal for the project was raised by means of a worldwide collection among expatriate Danes, with contributions as low as one dollar so that anyone could contribute, regardless of their financial standing. Some 12,000 dollars were collected among people of Danish origin and their descendents, and every contributor received an attractive litho of the Memorial Mound by way of thanks.
The memorial mound was inaugurated the following year, in 1925, amid many a speech and much singing, with 40,000 people in attendance, including the entire Danish royal family.
The memorial mound lies on its slope in Søndermarken to this day, surrounded by tall trees. Chiselled above the entrance to the mound are the words: “They who set out, never to return.” Through a narrow stone-lined passageway one enters the mound itself, which is 8 metres in diameter and 5 metres from floor to ceiling. At the top of the cupola is a metre-wide opening to allow in the light. At the centre of the room is the life-size figure of a woman. She symbolises Mother Denmark embracing her children. Built into the wall are 9 reliefs, symbolic descriptions of the emigrants’ lives and activities abroad, and in the floor is a five-pointed star representing the five continents.
The memorial mound is open to the public every year on 4 July.
Last updated:: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
