Vejrpigerne ('The Weather Girls')

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.