« The Potato Girl », depicting an anonymous girl sitting on her knees with potatoes in her lap and her back shaped like a potato, was erected by Ole Mynster Herold in 1984 to commemorate the efforts of the potato farmers, their interaction with the native population and the root crop they introduced to Denmark. The attempts of the « Potato Germans » to cultivate heathland are well known in Denmark, but the immigration was on a much more modest scale than most people imagine. King Frederik V recruited workers from Hessen and the Pfalz in Germany and a total of 327 families arrived. Of these, only 59 remained, discouraged by the harsh farming conditions. From being a slightly patronising term, potato farmers are now seen as something to be proud of.
