Utvandrarmonumentet
Emigrants monument in Karlshamn
The emigrants monument Utvandrarmonumentet represents Karl-Oskar & Kristina, the main characters from William Morbergs novel The Emigrants. It stands at the beach promenade in the Hamnparken in Karlshamn.
The life-size bronze statue from Axel Olsson was created and unveiled in 1959. In memory of the more than 1 million Swedes who left their homeland between 1848 and 1930; fleeing from hunger and poverty. Most of them emigrated to the United States and many of them boarded the emigrant ships right here, in the port of Karlshamn.
Karl-Oskar & Kristina, the two main characters from Morbergs emigrants novel representing all these emigrants. The statues illustrate the inner conflict of the emigrants. While the view of Karl-Oskar roams far beyond over the sea towards a better future, Kristina looks sadly over her shoulder, back towards the home they will never see again.
