Detail from 'The sugar beet workers'
In the rotunda on the island in Eventyrhaven, you'll find the bronze face of a young woman. Head from The Beet Workers may not be one of Odense's best-known sculptures, but behind the calm portrait lies a story of labour, migration and everyday life in Denmark during the first half of the 20th century. Inspired by sculptor Gottfred Eickhoff's monument The Beet Workers, the sculpture offers a glimpse into a chapter of Danish history that remains unfamiliar to many visitors.
Part of a larger monument
The bust in Eventyrhaven is a copy of a head from Gottfred Eickhoff's sculpture group The Beet Workers, which was installed on the town square in Sakskøbing in 1940. The original monument depicts two women and was created to honour the agricultural workers who laboured in the sugar beet fields of Lolland-Falster.
Although the bust shows only a single face, it points back to the larger story behind the monument. Rather than portraying a specific individual, it represents the women whose work helped shape rural communities and agricultural life in Denmark.
The story of the beet workers
Around the turn of the 20th century, many seasonal workers came to Denmark to work in the sugar beet fields, including large numbers of women from Poland. These women became known as the beet workers and played an important role in the agricultural economy of Lolland-Falster.
When Gottfred Eickhoff was commissioned to create a monument for Sakskøbing, he chose these women as his subject. He described them as "monumental, healthy and strong figures" and sought to create a monument to the working woman. The sculpture became a tribute to a group of people whose contribution was rarely recognised in art.
Gottfred Eickhoff
Gottfred Eickhoff (1902-1982) was an influential Danish sculptor. He studied in Paris and drew inspiration from both classical Greek and Egyptian art. Female figures became a recurring motif in his sculpture, and The Beet Workers is widely regarded as his artistic breakthrough. Later, he served as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
A different story in Eventyrhaven
You'll find the bust in the rotunda on the island at the heart of Eventyrhaven. While several of the park's sculptures are connected to Hans Christian Andersen and his fairy tales, Head from The Beet Workers tells a different story. It pays tribute to the people whose labour helped shape Danish society and offers an insight into a piece of cultural and social history that many visitors are unfamiliar with today.
Last updated by:VisitOdensejmjen@odense.dk
