Solvang, Danish settlement in Santa Barbara County, United States
Solvang is a Californian city in Santa Barbara County, United States, marked by its numerous half-timbered houses, four wooden windmills, and bakeries along Copenhagen Drive. The streets are lined with shops displaying Scandinavian decorations, small parks with fountains, and restaurants serving traditional dishes.
Immigrants from Denmark founded the town in 1911 and purchased land near Mission Santa Inés to create a new home in California. They built structures in the Scandinavian style and established schools, churches, and community halls that remain today.
The Elverhøj Museum displays artifacts, traditional dress, and photographs from the early settlement years. The collection offers insight into the lives of pioneers who maintained their language and customs in this Californian town.
The streets in the center are easy to explore on foot, as most shops and restaurants are close together. A shuttle bus connects the town with wineries and neighboring communities in the Santa Ynez Valley.
A motorcycle museum houses over 95 machines from different decades, including European racing models and American classics. The collection traces the development of motorcycle engineering from early models to more modern designs of the 20th century.
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