Troll Hunting In Copenhagen: 6 Thomas Dambo Trolls in 1 walk
In the autumn of 2023 I went on a troll hunt around the south-west of Copenhagen. Not real trolls (sadly) but the beautiful works of Danish artist Thomas Dambo. While out on this adventure I got out and about in some fantastic ‘hidden gems’ in nature through some areas which I would otherwise never have visited.
I’ll tell you a bit about the artist behind the trolls before sharing my route and some snaps from the day.
Thomas Dambo and his fantastic trolls
Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist from Odense. He makes wooden trolls out of recycled wood, plastic metal and salvaged materials. Many of these are in Denmark but he has built trolls which are now located all over the world from South America to east Asia and Australia.
How many Thomas Dambo trolls are there?
From taking a look at Dambo’s excellent website, I can see that he is constantly adding new sculptures and receiving commissions for some amazing festivals and events across the world (16 new trolls in the last 4 years!). At the time of writing in winter 2024 there are 52 trolls listed on the fantastically named website Trollmap.com. In this article I’m just going to cover the 6 I was able to visit on my wanderings around south-western Copenhagen area.
My hunt to find 6 trolls in the Copenhagen area
I set out as a fresh-faced troll hunter, taking the overground public rail service (S-tog) from Copenhagen Central Station to Ishøj (check out my full map of the walk at the end of this article). From there it was a short walk southwards to the waterside, where I saw the beautiful ARKEN art gallery before heading west along the coastal path to catch sight of my first troll.
My very own Troll Map (courtesy of trollmap.com) showing the 6 trolls I visited and a loose approximation of the route I took to see them. Central Copenhagen is indicated in the north-east of the map. Photo screenshot from my own trollmap.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about my trollhunt and are inspired to try it yourself, or to create your very own trollhunt.
I’d definitely recommend visiting Dambo’s website to plan your route and please share your photos and stories with me from your own adventures out in the beautiful nature that lies undiscovered on our doorsteps.
Happy hunting!
Exploring more of Scandinavia
If you want to get more inspiration of what to do and see out in nature, check out my guide to the Klampenborg park north of Copenhagen.
Or find out some of the best spots for wild swimming in Copenhagen, from purpose-build lidos to world-famous beaches. Thank you for reading!