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All the United States Iowa Elk Horn The Danish Windmill

The Danish Windmill

In rural Iowa, an imported 19th-century windmill overlooks an unlikely enclave of Danish culture.

Elk Horn, Iowa

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Stacy Brooks
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Elk Horn is home to an authentic 19th-century windmill that was shipped in pieces from Norre Snede, Denmark, in 1976.   Stacy Brooks (atlas obscura user)
Elk Horn is home to an authentic 19th-century windmill that was shipped in pieces from Norre Snede, Denmark, in 1976.   Stacy Brooks (atlas obscura user)
The interior of the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, Iowa.   Stacy Brooks (atlas obscura user)
The windmill has a gift shop that sells a range of imported Danish products.   Stacy Brooks (atlas obscura user)
Slightly upward tilted close photograph of the Danish Windmill   Rachael the Explorer / Atlas Obscura User
Hans Christen Andersen   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
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In Elk Horn, Iowa, a city with around 650 residents, Danish flags line Main Street and sandwiches are served open-faced. The town’s Danish heritage derives from immigrants who settled the town in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. To this day, 43 percent of residents claim Danish ancestry.

Elk Horn is home to an authentic 19th-century windmill that was shipped in pieces from Norre Snede, Denmark. In 1976, it was reassembled in Elk Horn by over 300 volunteers. The windmill is open to the public for tours, and has a gift shop stocked with imported Danish products. The community’s Danishness has been preserved in part by its rural location, and also a dedicated effort by the townspeople to celebrate their heritage. 

Other Danish attractions in Elk Horn include the Museum of Danish America, the annual Tivoli Fest and Julefest events, and the Danish Table restaurant. Many local residents cook Danish specialties like aebleskiver (pancake balls) and frikadeller (meatballs), and some incorporate Danish elements into their Christmas celebrations and household decor.

Elk Horn’s commitment to its Danishness made it the star of Denmark on the Prairie, an award-winning Danish television documentary that came out in 2013. The film—along with a 2014 sequel and two episodes of the Danish cooking show Spise med Price—inspired a small but steady stream of Danish tourists. About 1,500 per year visit the small Iowa town.

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The windmill is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Tours cost $3 for adults and $1 for children under 12. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Stacy Brooks

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ski queen, Daniel A Gross, Darrell Powers, Rachael the Explorer

  • ski queen
  • Daniel A Gross
  • Darrell Powers
  • Rachael the Explorer

Published

December 18, 2019

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  • https://www.danishmuseum.org
The Danish Windmill
4038 Main St
Elk Horn, Iowa, 51531
United States
41.589665, -95.06056
Visit Website
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Photo of Iowa

Iowa

United States

Places 74
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