Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Denmark Copenhagen Vejrpigerne ('The Weather Girls')
AO Edited

Vejrpigerne ('The Weather Girls')

This pair of gilded girls atop an Art Deco building in Copenhagen were built to function as a weather indicator.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Vejrpigerne   Marco Zanferrari / CC BY-SA 2.0
Vejrpigerne   Marco Zanferrari / CC BY-SA 2.0
Vejrpigerne   Fred Romero / CC BY 2.0
Richshuset   Bahnfrend / CC BY-SA 4.0
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Older cities often have some sort of weather forecasting device near the town square. Some are as simple as a weather vane, while others are a bit more complex. In Copenhagen, a duo of young women began predicting the weather for the capital in the 1930s.

Known as Vejrpigerne, or the Weather Girls, the statues are located at the top of the Richshuset building, right across from city hall and above an enormous neon thermometer. They are located on a large spinning disk that can move one of them in or out of the tower, not unlike a glockenspiel. One of the girls is walking her dog while holding an umbrella, she comes out when it is predicted to be rainy. The other girl is riding a bicycle, ready to go explore the city when the weather is fair.

The pair were made in 1936 by Danish sculptor Einar Utzon-Frank, and have been a beloved landmark of the city for decades. When functioning properly, an internal barometer would determine which of the figures would rotate to the front. Though the thermometer on the outside of the Richshuset still works, the mechanism that powered the rotation broke in the 1990s and has yet to be repaired. Currently, both of the weather girls can be seen from their perch over the Rådhuspladsen.

Related Tags

Art Deco Instruments Of Science Engineering Bicycles Weather

Know Before You Go

You can easily see the statue from the main square, just look above the large thermometer.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

August 2, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.copenhagenize.com/2015/02/
  • http://www.copenhagenize.com/2011/08/top-five-bicycle-monuments.html
  • https://onlines.dk/richshuset/history/
  • http://classiccopenhagen.blogspot.com/2011/03/weather-girls.html
  • http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/2007/12/cycle-girl-has-been-somewhat-of.html
Vejrpigerne ('The Weather Girls')
16 Rådhuspladsen
Copenhagen, 1550
Denmark
55.675852, 12.567357
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jens Olsen's World Clock

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Jarmers Tower

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Denmark

Places 49
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Jens Olsen's World Clock

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Jarmers Tower

Copenhagen, Denmark

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Denmark

Places 49
Stories 5

Related Places

  • All manner of speed records are represented.

    Davis, California

    U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame

    A blend of sporting history mixed with childhood nostalgia await visitors to this museum.

  • Ghent, Belgium

    Volkssterrenwacht Armand Pien

    Learn about stars, weather patterns, or just enjoy the panoramic view of Ghent.

  • Zrinjevac Meteorological Column

    Zagreb, Croatia

    Zrinjevac Meteorological Column

    This 135-year-old weather station studied the effects of the climate on human health.

  • The weather vane.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane

    This centuries-old rooster survived a devastating fire.

  • Tower of the Winds.

    Athens, Greece

    Tower of the Winds

    An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.

  • Ancient windmills in Nashtifan village.

    Nashtifan, Iran

    Nashtifan Windmills

    The vertical-axis windmills of ancient Persia have been grinding flour for 1,000 years and counting.

  • Meteorological station in Residenplatz

    Salzburg, Austria

    Meteorological Pillar of the 19th Century

    The beautiful, ornate weather station is the most popular geocache in Salzburg.

  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Center for PostNatural History

    Mutant vegetables, transgenic mosquitos, and atomic rodents span the walls of this one-of-a-kind museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.