A bronze statue of a Burmeister & Wain (B&W) worker in Christianshavn, Copenhagen, has been given the ability to “speak” and share stories about the city’s shipbuilding history. The statue, located on one of Christianshavn’s bridges overlooking the former B&W shipyard, will recount the experiences of workers at the iconic shipyard.

The monologue is based on true accounts from “the blue men,” who worked at the B&W factories from 1843 to 1996. Actor Lars Ranthe provides the voice for the statue, bringing to life the stories of those who built ships, locomotives, and bridges, including Copenhagen’s Knippelsbro.

The public can activate the statue’s monologue by scanning a QR code with their smartphones. The service is free, requires no app download, and is available in both Danish and English.

Mia Nyegaard, Mayor of Culture and Leisure, stated that the project aims to give a voice to the generation of Copenhageners who physically built the city and have often been overlooked in historical records. The B&W worker statue is the 11th Talking Statue in Copenhagen, joining figures like H.C. Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard in sharing their stories with the public.