Guide: Take the Metro to see the statues of women of historical significance
More female statues on the way
In a report from Aalborg University, experts point to 100 women who, with new statues, are set to break with centuries of historical imbalance in the cityscape. See the report
Asta Nielsen, Tove Ditlevsen, and Margrethe II are some of the women who have left a significant mark on Danish history, but they are far from the only ones who have earned a place in the public sphere.
According to the first survey of art in public spaces in Denmark from 2025, only 43 of 484 statues nationwide depict a woman who has been significant in history—the rest are men. In Copenhagen, there are 14 statues of named historical women, and you can take the Metro to see them all.
Karen Blixen
In 2024, Copenhagen gained a statue of an important woman: Karen Blixen cast in bronze on Sankt Annæ Plads overlooking the city, the harbor, and the sea. The sculpture was created by sculptor Rikke Raben.
Take the Metro to Kongens Nytorv and enjoy the sight of the beautiful portrait statue that pays tribute to her life, art, and world-renowned authorship, with Den afrikanske Farm (1937) and Babettes gæstebud (1952) as some of her most iconic works.
Karen Blixen
Countess Danner
Take the Metro to Forum and experience one of Copenhagen's newest monuments. In 2024, Dannerhuset erected the four-meter-high bronze sculpture of Countess Danner as a tribute to her social commitment and women's rights activism.
The sculpture was created by sculptor Kirsten Justesen, a prominent figure in feminist art.
Countess Danner
Queen Caroline Amalie
If you take the Metro to Nørreport, it is not far to Kongens Have, where you can see the first woman to have a statue in a public space: Queen Caroline Amalie.
Caroline Amalie was married to Christian VIII and was Queen of Denmark from 1839 to 1848. They never had any children, which may be why Caroline Amalie made it her life's work to support poor and needy children.
The statue was created by Danish sculptor Vilhelm Bissen and erected in 1896.
Queen Caroline Amalie
Inge Lehmann
Seismologist Inge Lehmann is one of Denmark's greatest, but also most overlooked, scientists. She was behind the groundbreaking discovery of the Earth's solid inner core in 1936.
It was not until 2017 that she was honored with a monument in Vor Frue Plads. Take the Metro to Rådhuspladsen, and you can admire the sculpture, in which artist Elisabeth Toubro was inspired by Inge Lehmann's research.
Inge Lehmann
The 9 other female sculptures
1. Jeanne d’Arc, Ørstedparken
2. Inger Christensen, Hjalmar Brantings Plads
3. Kristina Beck Petersen, Amerikakaj
4. Betty Nansen, Betty Nansens Plads
5. Prinsesse Marie, Langelinie
6. Dronning Louise, Diakonissestiftelsen
7. Empress Dagmar, Kejserinde Dagmars Plads
8. Queen Louise, Sortedam Dossering
9. Eva Smith, Søndre Campus
Natalie Zahle
Natalie Zahle was a teacher and champion of women's right to education and independence. In 1852, she started N. Zahle's School for Girls at a time when it was not common for girls to receive an education.
If you take the Metro to Nørreport, you can see her monument in Ørstedsparken, which consists of a portrait bust of Zahle with a teacher holding a girl's hand in front of her.
The sculpture was created by Ludvig Brandstrup and erected in 1916, when Natalie Zahle became the first woman in Denmark to have a statue erected in her honor for her work rather than her title.
Nathalie Zahle
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