Lur Blowers (Lurblæserne), Copenhagen

Bronze horns over Copenhagen’s civic stage

The Lur Blowers (Lurblæserne) rise dramatically at the edge of City Hall Square, their dark bronze figures outlined against Copenhagen’s often windswept sky. Two caped, helmeted men stand shoulder to shoulder, each holding a long curved lur – a Bronze Age horn – angled upwards as if ready to sound a ceremonial call across the square. Perched high on a tall brick column, they watch over the constant choreography of buses, bicycles and pedestrians below.From ground level the figures seem small, but look up and you notice how tightly they are composed, almost merging into a single powerful form. The column itself is built in warm red brick and terracotta that echoes the neighbouring City Hall, visually tying the monument into the architecture around Rådhuspladsen. A circular bench wrapped around its base offers a natural place to pause, rest or simply look out across one of Copenhagen’s busiest urban spaces.

From brewery patron to city landmark

The monument owes its existence to the Carlsberg and New Carlsberg Foundations, which donated it to the city to commemorate the 100th birthday of Carlsberg founder J.C. Jacobsen in 1911. Architect Anton Rosen designed the column, while sculptor Siegfried Wagner created the bronze group, completed and inaugurated a few years later. Their collaboration produced something that feels both celebratory and civic – a victory column without a battle, honouring industry, culture and the city itself.Inscribed on the shaft are Jacobsen’s name and the dates that anchor the work in its commemorative purpose. Yet for most passersby today, the monument is less about a specific brewer and more about Copenhagen’s early 20th‑century confidence. It belongs to the same era that gave the city its grand City Hall, elaborate fountains and decorative façades, when public art and architecture were enlisted to project modern identity.

Echoes of Bronze Age music

The lurs clutched by the figures are not fantasy instruments but enlarged versions of real Bronze Age horns unearthed in Danish bogs. The original lurs, often found in carefully buried pairs, date back around three thousand years and are thought to have been used in rituals, processions or to signal in warfare. Their distinctive S‑shaped curves and flared bells are faithfully translated here, giving the sculpture a direct line back to prehistoric Scandinavia.The decision to depict two players rather than one reflects that archaeological detail: lurs were tuned in pairs, intended to sound together. Here, the sculptor places the men so close their shoulders almost touch, amplifying the sense of unity and shared purpose. Though you cannot hear them, it is easy to imagine a deep, resonant note rolling down the length of the square each time you glance up.

Part of City Hall Square’s living backdrop

Standing just beside Copenhagen City Hall and near the Dragon Fountain and Hans Christian Andersen statue, the Lur Blowers form part of a dense cluster of monuments that frame Rådhuspladsen. Buses slide past, cyclists weave by, and crowds gather for concerts, demonstrations and celebrations, all under the silent gaze of the horn players. By day they are a popular reference point in a tangle of streets and transit lines; by night they become a dark silhouette against the illuminated façades.Despite their height and heroic style, there is something approachable about the monument. The low brick plinth is close enough to touch, and the bench invites you to sit and watch the city’s theatre unfold. For photographers, the figures offer a striking vertical accent in views across the square, often captured alongside the City Hall tower or the neon of nearby buildings.

Quiet details amid the urban rush

Spend a few minutes at the foot of the column and smaller details reveal themselves. The texture of the brickwork, the weathering of the bronze, the careful way each lur curves outwards before turning skyward – all reward a slower look. You may spot locals using the bench as a casual rendezvous point or office workers taking a brief break between buses.In a square dominated by grand architecture and large crowds, the Lur Blowers provide a vertical punctuation mark, a reminder of Denmark’s deep historical layers. From Bronze Age instruments to industrial‑age philanthropy and today’s lively public gatherings, this single column captures several chapters of the country’s story in one compact but memorable piece of cityscape.