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VISITING THE VALLEY
Just 101 years ago, three Danish-Americans educators discovered a place in sunny California where land was plentiful and their culture could prosper—and founded Solvang (sunny field in Danish) as a 9,000+ acre enclave in the verdant Santa Ynez Valley.
nly 125 miles north of Los Angeles and adjacent to the 1804 Old Mission Santa Inés (now a National Historic Landmark District), Solvang thrived and settlers carried on Danish traditions of language, folk dancing, music, and cuisine. Bethania Lutheran Church, dedicated in 1928, was built in the architectural style of Denmark’s Bishop Grundtvig churches and features a wooden ship hanging from the nave, still popular with visitors today. Solvang feels like northern Europe, yet in the center of California. Just as it does in Copenhagen, Denmark’s national symbol the “Little Mermaid”
OPPOSITE PAGE: WILLIAM ETLING. THIS PAGE: KEVIN STEELE (3), COURTESY SCVB
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bronze sculpture (in ½ size authorized replica) welcomes visitors at the intersection of Mission Drive and Alisal Road. As the 20th century progressed and Solvang’s population grew, more buildings began to reflect the Danish farm-style architecture—the crossbeamed bindingsvaerk, timbers framing either brick or stucco, handsomely carved eaves and doorways, and roofing of blue-green copper or thatch made of wood shingles cut jagged at the edges. Windmills of all sizes catch the first and last light throughout the village. Danish tradition holds that the presence of a stork on a rooftop wards off lightning and brings good luck—
that continues to smile on Solvang and all its visitors still. After the conclusion of World War II, idyllic Solvang was “discovered” by the media and described as a “spotless Danish village that blooms like a rose” and enticed travelers to experience it for themselves. The Danish Days annual festival emerged in 1936 and continues to commemorate Solvang’s heritage during the third weekend of every September. Festivals are traditional parts of Solvang’s charm—from the Taste of Solvang every March to the Old Mission Santa Inés Fiesta each August and Julefest during December. (See Annual Events on page 41)
2012 SOLVANG & THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY Visitors Guide
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