Verdenskortet: Søren Poulsen’s World Map in Denmark

How long does it take to travel around the world? At Verdenskortet in Denmark, the answer can involve a leisurely stroll and a very small ocean. Beside Lake Klejtrup, miniature continents turn a familiar map into something wonderfully tangible.

This is a place for noticing shapes, telling travel stories and letting children lead the expedition. Its appeal comes from the care behind it, rather than from a long list of rides.

A patient project beside the lake

Søren Poulsen created the map between 1944 and 1969, using stones and earth to shape the continents. It measures roughly 45 by 90 metres. Those dimensions explain why aerial photographs are so striking: the whole world becomes readable as a landscape. Destination Himmerland describes the project and its creator.

At ground level, the pleasure is different. Coastlines become edges you can follow, and familiar countries sit within a wider picture. Resist the urge to judge it against the precision of a modern digital map; this is a handmade interpretation with a remarkable amount of persistence behind it.

Turn the visit into a tiny expedition

Give everyone one simple mission. Find a place where someone in your family was born, trace a previous holiday or choose a continent you know little about. Younger children might look for recognizable outlines; older ones can discuss why a flat map changes our impression of distance.

Bring a small notebook if your family enjoys drawing. Sketching one coastline gives a quieter child something to do without needing to compete in a geography quiz. A game should make the outing more inviting, not turn it into a test.

You can also make a lovely adult version: each person chooses one destination and explains what they would actually do there. Food, music, a particular walk or a friend can be a better starting point than a famous landmark.

Plan a comfortable stop

Locate the attraction near Klejtrup before building your day around it. It belongs in a Jutland itinerary, rather than being a quick addition to an afternoon in Copenhagen. Check current opening arrangements, admission and available facilities directly before travelling.

Choose footwear for an outdoor setting and bring a layer for wind or a change in weather. Anyone needing step-free access should ask about the specific route around the map; an aerial image cannot answer that question.

Leave room in the schedule for a drink or an unhurried pause nearby. Small attractions often work best when they are allowed to be small, enjoyable experiences.

Let one map lead to a real journey

For a different Danish outing, our Copenhagen guide follows the waterfront and everyday city life. If the Swedish side of your map catches your attention, the Øresund crossing guide explains how the two countries connect.

The nicest souvenir here may be a new conversation about where to go next—and why that place matters to you.

For a very different miniature journey, Window of the World in Shenzhen brings famous landmarks into a theme-park setting. Comparing the two is a fun way to see how scale changes our experience of familiar places.

A map becomes a landscape you can move through

Poulsen’s use of stones, earth and the lakeside setting turned a familiar flat image into a physical construction. The story of finding a stone reminiscent of Jutland gives the project a small beginning, while the years of work explain its eventual scale. The map is a made object within a landscape, not a naturally occurring island that happens to resemble the continents.

Its quoted scale is useful for understanding the undertaking, but a flat world map cannot preserve every distance, area and shape of a sphere perfectly. The installation is better approached as a remarkable geographic model than as a precision instrument for measuring a journey between any two countries.

At ground level, the edge of a continent becomes something to follow, while the complete outline is clearer from above. Those are complementary experiences. Try identifying a coastline or tracing a remembered trip, then look again at the whole layout. The pleasure comes from translating something usually seen on paper into a place with water, grass and room to walk, all tied to one creator’s long project.