Another Colorado mountain town got a Danish troll sculpture

Tucked in the hills of Victor, Colorado something magical is coming to fruition. It's a giant troll made out of recycled wood.

“I think we all need to have magic in our lives,” said Thomas Dambo, the Danish artist responsible for the installation.

Dambo, who refers to himself as a “recycle artist,” truly believes one man’s trash is another’s treasure so much so that he makes sculptures all over the world using recycled materials.

He is especially known for his public installations of trolls. He says he tries to build them in places tucked away from the busy world.

The troll that he is building in Victor is actually the second of its kind in the state. The first was built in 2018 and resides in Breckenridge. It was relocated at one point due to how popular it was, leading to crowding and litter on the trails.

Dambo hopes that his sculptures will inspire people to think differently about their waste.

“I think that if people go for a little hike and they see something big and majestic made out of trash, then maybe they'll understand that and then maybe next time they throw out something, then they'll think twice about it,” he said.

The troll in Victor is made out of tens of recycled wooden pallets, and constructed with the help of community volunteers.

“I think it’s broadened our sense of what it means to live in this area,” said lifelong resident Autumn Wallace.Wallace is part of the Gold Camp District Impact Group, an arts non-profit that invited Dambo to Victor. They hope that encouraging arts in the area will boost tourism.

Gary Horton, a volunteer and resident, agreed.

“Nobody stops in Victor, which is actually kinda nice, but at the same time we could use an influx of new people,” he said.

The troll will be named Rita the Rock Planter and sit in an area once known for gold mining 150 years ago. She will be unveiled on Friday, Aug. 4 at Pinnacle Park Plaza, 109 N. 3rd St. in downtown Victor.

Southern Colorado is changing a lot these days. We can help you keep up. Sign up for the KRCC Weekly Digest here and get the stories that matter to Southern Colorado, delivered straight to your inbox.

KRCC and Colorado Public Radio recently transformed a building in downtown Colorado Springs into a state-of-the-art space. Learn more about the Southern Colorado Public Media Center.