Jesper Møller Sørensen, Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, visits the Museum of Danish America

Jesper Møller Sørensen, Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, visited the Museum of Danish America on October 4, 2024, for a kaffe og kringler reception held in his honor. Ambassador Møller Sørensen toured the Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton, visiting the Danish Windmill, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid & Sculpture Garden, and the museum’s Genealogy & Education Center. Upon his arrival to the museum, he was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s exhibitions and storage vaults by Executive Director Tova Brandt and the Albert Ravenholt Curator of Danish-American Culture, Adam Bierstedt.  

After enjoying kaffe og kringler, Møller Sørensen met with community members, business owners, museum members, and local politicians.  

In his address, he highlighted the strong relationship between Denmark and the United States, particularly with Iowa, emphasizing their mutual sharing of agricultural and technological innovations.  

The Ambassador remarked that the United States is Denmark’s most vital ally, and the strength of this relationship underpins ongoing economic and commercial ties between the two nations. Since diplomatic relations were established in 1801, Denmark and the United States have maintained the longest unbroken diplomatic relationship in the world.  

Møller Sørensen said the relationship between Denmark and the United States is a “truly special one. We are looking to continue to build these bridges between companies, research institutions, capital investments, and between the people of our two countries.”  

The Museum of Danish America is grateful to have hosted Ambassador Møller Sørensen, and as a museum located in Elk Horn, Iowa, the largest rural settlement of Danes in the U.S., we can readily speak to the influence and contributions of Danish immigrants and Danish culture. Far beyond our small community, our state, our country, and our world have been and continue to be heavily impacted and influenced by Denmark and its citizens.