Reinvented and resurrected: how the nisse has persevered over the years

Out in western Zealand lies Nisseland, a nostalgic tip of the hat to the department store displays of Christmas past

Back before Disney, with a cry of “Bippity, Boppity, Boo,” took out a patent on fairy-tales, Christmas displays were still handmade and the nisser of Nordic folklore were more country trolls than Christmas elves.

But if anything, the festive period − which has seen the mischievous trolls put on red and white striped tights and move inside the Danish home (normally the attic) − has helped the nisser persevere in the popular imagination despite an increasingly more global outlook and them becoming a little benign.

Those long winter evenings …
Right up until the 1960s and 70s, children in provincial Zealand would look forward to the annual Christmas outing with their parents, who would take them to a large department store like Magasin or Illum in Copenhagen (or Daells Varehus back then, which is now the upmarket boutique hotel Sankt Petri) to see the elaborate mechanical displays of the nisser, handmade in meticulous detail, each one the centrepiece of its own small yuletide scene.

Stand for long enough and some of the figures would move their heads towards the viewer, or their arms as they made something in the workshop, and a train might pass around the entire display.

In Denmark, as in the rest of Scandinavia, nisser have nothing to do with Santa’s helper elves and instead originate from the region’s pagan past, causing trouble on the farms, perhaps encouraging children to stay indoors on perilously icy winter days and, later, giving small advents gifts in return for a bowl of risengrød (or rice pudding) left up in the attic – but woe betide you if you forgot. Livestock might die or even worse.

They’ve got their own land
While Copenhagen’s department stores have long since abandoned the old mechanical displays, a real old-fashioned Christmas experience can still be had out in the country.

Nisseland, near Kalundborg in the most western part of Zealand, is the world’s largest mechanical nisser display. Over an area 1,500 sqm in size located in a large engine shed on a farm near the village of Mørkøv, it displays hundreds of unique, handmade mechanical nisser and animals, all with their own fantastic seasonal scenes.

The mechanical nisser displays of Nette Philipsen and John Rogers first went on display at Tivoli during its 1996 Christmas season, and they have since been exported to Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden, and even to Japan at the indoor Sapporo Media Park Spica.

Nisseland, meanwhile, was established in 2002, and the nisser business is now so successful that the husband and wife team spend all year on the displays, employing a team of (human) helpers during the busy months of November and December.

Started by enthusiasts
“It all started over 20 years ago, when my wife Nette and I, both big nisser fans, were lamenting over the fact that the mechanical Christmas displays at Copenhagen’s large department stores − ones we had experienced as children on annual outings with our parents − simply did not exist anymore,” explained Rogers to Landbrugs Avisen.

“There was only one thing to do, and that was to make one ourselves. We sold our first display in 1983, and since then our nisser company has grown.”
Aside from the display at Nisseland, Christmas trees are sold, along with wreaths and other decorations, by the neighbouring farm owners, and there are pony rides on diminutive Icelandic ponies. Children can pet goats and sheep, and there is a booth of Christmas treats from all over the world.

Each year, the couple refresh their display with new scenes, replacing old figures, which are all handmade by Rogers, who learned after the first year that simply gluing the figures was not enough and soon invested in welding equipment. Philipsen, meanwhile, is in charge of wardrobe and sews the clothes individually for the beloved nisser figures.




  • In conversation with Conrad Molden: The man behind the mic

    In conversation with Conrad Molden: The man behind the mic

    He’s tickled our funny bone with countless wisecracks and clever wordplay, and in the process, made Denmark feel a little more personable to many expats. An international import himself, funny man Conrad Molden has successfully carved out a niche for himself on the Danish stand-up scene, but it’s taken a solid 13 years, much trial and error, and heaps of Danglish

  • Volunteer Night 2025: when volunteering rimes with integrating

    Volunteer Night 2025: when volunteering rimes with integrating

    On Wednesday, April 30, from 17:00 to 20:00, Studenterhuset will host Volunteer Night 2025, a free event organized by the organization International House Copenhagen, which goal is to ease the relocation process for newcomers in Denmark

  • The international who shaped Copenhagen

    The international who shaped Copenhagen

    Anna Maria Indrio is one of the most important architects in Denmark, having contributed to shaping Copenhagen into what it is today. Among her best-known projects are the extension of SMK and Arken, as well as the Natural History Museum and the Darwin Centre in London. She moved here 60 years ago, when “Copenhagen was gray and dormant. Predictions suggested it would become depopulated. But putting people at the center changed everything,” she said

  • Danish government passes amendment to increase citizenship fee by 50%

    Danish government passes amendment to increase citizenship fee by 50%

    Fees were raised to reflect processing costs and curb repeat applications, creating debate over whether the new charges erect barriers to political participation for internationals.

  • Internationals’ labour contributes 361 billion DKK to Denmark’s GDP, and it is growing strongly every year

    Internationals’ labour contributes 361 billion DKK to Denmark’s GDP, and it is growing strongly every year

    According to a report by the Danish Chamber of Commerce, internationals’ contribution is 12% of the country’s GDP. In 2023, it was 322 billion DKK, and in 2008, it was 136 billion DKK. “Internationals make a gigantic difference in our prosperity and welfare,” comments Morten Langager, the Director of Dansk Erhverv.

  • Inside Denmark’s innovation engine

    Inside Denmark’s innovation engine

    With half of its staff being international, the BioInnovation Institute reflects Denmark’s broader transformation into a global innovation hub. But can the country—and Europe—keep up the pace? “If reforms are made now, we can close the gap in ten years,” explains BII’s CEO

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.