Copenhagen is a beautiful city with a huge historical and cultural heritage. But if you wish to experience a different side of the Danish capital and explore the astonishing nature around it, you should definitely do Thomas Dambo`s treasure hunt and discover the Six Forgotten Giants of Denmark.

The Project

What better way to explore the nature surrounding the big city landscape than a treasure hunt? That is the idea of the Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who is world-famous for creating large scale art projects and sculptures made from sustainable and recycled materials. More than ten countries are now homes to his imaginative outdoor exhibitions that have attracted the attention of locals and tourists alike.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon the first chapter of his project “The great story of the little people and the giant trolls” and to meet six of his amazing creations. His corky-looking wooden giants are quite a sight to behold and are definitely worth a day from your trip to Copenhagen. If you are a local and know the suburban area well, you can use the hints located near each of the giants to discover the next one, but as my boyfriend and I had no knowledge of Copenhagen`s surroundings, we used Google Maps to locate them. We also started from giant number 2, as to me, she looked the most interesting. It is mentioned in some sources that you need a car to do the entire hunt, but that turned out to be untrue as we managed to finish it by using only train or bus. It is also possible to do it with a bike and the route will guide you through a wide variety of Danish scenery. The only downfall to that option is that you have to bike about 31 kilometers, which for me, for example, would be impossible as I am terribly out of shape.

Hill Top Trine

When we were researching the Forgotten Giants, we were thinking to visit just 2 or 3 as the weather was amazing for the end of March and we also had visited most of the city attractions on our itinerary. I instantly liked Hill Top Trine with her open palms where you can climb and take a picture. To me, she definitely seemed the most Instagrammable and we decided to start our tour with her.

Trine is peacefully resting on top of a little hill in Hvidovre, just a few minutes walk from the road. She is named after a volunteer who helped build one of the other Forgotten Giants. To get to her, we took a train and dropped off at Avedore St. The sculpture is about 20 minutes away by walking.

Oscar Under the Bridge

Our next stop was with Oscar Under the Bridge. We chose him as he was the easiest one to reach from Trine – we just took the train from the same stop and got off at Ishoj. Then, to get to Oscar is about 25 minutes, but the surrounding area is much more picturesque and suitable for a walk. This is also a perfect spot if you wish to take full advantage of the nice day in nature.

This giant is made from the scarp wood from a torn down watermill and broken pallets from local industries. He bears the name of an artist from Chile, who came to visit Dambo and helped him with his work during the building of the sculpture.

Teddy Friendly

The cutest giant form the group for sure is Teddy Friendly, who is standing next to a beautiful lake and is giving a helping hand to people willing to cross. The origin of his name is the most interesting – he bears the name of a teacher who assisted in his building, and was super friendly and hardworking guy. Dambo was so impressed by him and his efforts that he decided to name the troll after him. Teddy`s fur is made from cut offs from cut down local trees, making him a true part of the surrounding area.

To get to him from Oscar Under the Bridge you just need to return to Ishoj St. and take bus number 400S, which will leave you just 4 minutes away from Teddy. The name of the stop is Teknologisk Institut.

Thomas on the Mountain

As it was already about 3 o’clock when we started for Thomas on the Mountain, we thought he would be our last giant for the day. He was also more difficult to reach as we had to change two means of transportation – we took the same bus to stop Hoje Taastrup St. and from there a train to Alberstslund St. From here, we had the option to either walk for about 25 minutes or to take a bus. I thought that with the time we would have to wait, walking would be the faster way to go. My boyfriend was on the opposite opinion. So we decided to see who would get there first with his chosen method. Needless to say, I won and was waiting for him next to Thomas’ very long feet!

Thomas bears the name of one of Dambo’s interns, who has been an essential part of the Forgotten Giants project, and has helped to create all six of them.

Little Tilde

We were just about to quit our hunt, when we realized that the fifth giant is just a 15-minute walk away from us. As we still had energy, we decided that we should not miss the cute statue, named Little Tilde after a local, who helped to build her. As she is located inside a beautiful park with a lake, here is the perfect location to grab a bite and enjoy a picnic in the nature.

What is unique about Tilde, except of her prime location on a lake, is that Dambo made 28 bird-houses inside the sculpture that would provide shelter for the local birds and squirrels during the harsh Danish winter.

Sleeping Louis

After Tilde, we were supposed to go back to our hotel, but I couldn’t just leave without seeing the last giant and completing our quest. We were left only with Sleeping Louis so we proceeded to his location. We needed to change 3 different means of transportation to get to him, but, at this point, we were already too invested to give up. We took bus 143 to Albertslund train station, from there Train B to Brondbyoster St., and then bus 9A to avoid walking another 20 minutes.

To me, Sleeping Louis seemed like the most accessible giant, as he is located in a quite urban area. Unfortunately, that led to graffiti being drawn on him and for him to look a bit more tattered than the other giants. Despite that, he was as impressive as his brothers and sisters and we did not regret visiting him at all!

Louis is named after an old assistant of Dambo, who was visiting from England at the time the sculpture was made and worked hard to help finish it.

In the beginning of our day we were looking for cute troll statues to take pictures with. By the end, we had discovered much, much more – the amazing nature of Denmark in hidden spots we never knew existed. I felt exhausted but happy that I had spent that day chasing this amazing work of the imagination and feeling like a true character in a fairy tale. And if I have the opportunity in the future, I would visit Thomas Dambo’s work in other countries, as well!

Have you visited some of the giants yet and which one is your favorite?