Rødkilde Højskole
folk high school on the Danish island of Møn
Rødkilde Højskole is a folk high school just south of Stege on the Danish island of Møn. Founded in 1866, it is one of the older folk high schools in Denmark. Renamed Teaterhøjskolen Rødkilde (Theatre High School Rødkilde), it now offers both short (4 weeks) and longer (up to 22 weeks) courses for those wishing to learn more about the theatre, especially those aspiring to become actors. The main building by Ludvig Fenger, the student wing and the octagonal assembly building were listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places by the Danish Heritage Agency on 8 July 1982.
Background
The concept of the folk high school originated with Denmark's revered theologian and educator, N. F. S. Grundtvig who was inspired by the English boarding schools as well as by the French approach to education for all. In the 19th century, education in Denmark was essentially for the upper and middle classes while farm workers and labourers simply had to learn their trade from their parents. Grundtvig's focus was on popular education and Enlightenment. He aspired to give the peasantry and the lower layers of society a higher educational level through personal development or what he called “the living word”. The language and history of the country, its constitution and main industries (farming) along with folk songs were the guiding principles for education within a Christian framework.
While the first folk high school opened in 1844, it was in the 1860s that the schools began to spread.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Rødkilde Højskole” as folk high school on the Danish island of Møn. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as folk high school on the Danish island of Møn. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 6, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q7386713. Authority coordinates are 54.968, 12.270. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1866, 1982 and 1844.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Rødkilde Højskole”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rødkilde Højskole primary sources, Rødkilde Højskole archive and Rødkilde research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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This entry incorporates text from “Rødkilde Højskole” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.