Solvang, California

Solvang is Danish for ‘”sunny field” and is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 6,126 at the 2020. Solvang was founded in 1911 and incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985. Solvang is often dubbed “The Danish Capital of America”.

The community took on its distinctive Danish-themed architecture beginning in 1947 and has since become a prominent tourist destination. Though only about 10% of residents in the 21st century are Danish, the town attracts many tourists from the Nordic countries, and has been the subject of several Danish royal visits, most recently by Prince Henrik in 2011.

Solvang is a tourist attraction with over one million visitors per year. Tourists were initially attracted to Solvang by the visit of Denmark’s Prince Frederik in 1939. But it was in 1947, following a feature article in The Saturday Evening Post, that they began to flock to the town. Sights include the Danish windmills, the statues of Hans Christian Andersen and The Little Mermaid replica, the half-timbered houses, the Danish rural church, the Round Tower as well as Danish music and folk dancing. Several restaurants and pastry shops serve Danish specialities. 

Here is a video from our visit to Solvang:

Have you ever been to Solvang?

Please tell us about your experience in the comments below.