Jeppe Aakjær - 150 years
A visit to the author Aakjær’s "Jenle" is an immersion in three artists' exciting world.
Jeppe Aakjær is the author of some of Denmark's most famous poems, such as Jens Vejmand, Jeg er havren, and Ole sad på en knold og sang. He has also written the novels, Vredens Børn, Bondens Søn and Jens Langkniv.
Aakjær was a penniless boy who became Denmark's poet king. He met a queen in her field, the carver Nanna Krog. They had a daughter, Solveig, and a son, Esben.
Together, the Aakjær family created a common dream, their castle "Jenle".
THREE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES
A visit to Jenle is three very different experiences in a manageable area. Therefore, we notice that many guests are not quite finished with Jenle after one visit and returns year after year.
NATURE
Aakjær has written the most beautiful nature poetry in Denmark – and from all four seasons. Two small streams flow through the area around Jenle and create a great exuberance.
If you follow the path through the forest Sydskoven, you end up at Nanna and Jeppe Aakjær's beautifully placed tomb. Many thousands of people come here every year and sit on the benches, enjoy the silence, the nature and the view over Jenle. Nevertheless, in Jenle’s dark forests, many trolls, who are particularly active in the middle of summer, move around. However, Jenle’s child-friendly forest wife knows the trolls and is happy to show them.
MEMORIAL ROOMS
In our minimalist times, entering the house will be overwhelming. There are items everywhere, paintings and photos on the walls. You find "Rugens Sange” (The Rye’s Songs) on the shelf. The collection of poems was published in over 120,000 copies and is the most widely read book of poems in Denmark. Aakjær praises the grain species, the foundation of Danish rye bread and culinary artistry.
Next to “Rugens Sange”, you find “Vredens Børn” (Children of Wrath), which has its own history of Denmark. Aakjær portrays the poor conditions of smallholders, agricultural workers, and servants in the country. By the publication of the book, a furious media storm with over 1,000 newspaper articles rose against Aakjær. However, Aakjær was right. A servant commission was appointed, and "The Law of Servants" was abolished in 1921. The first time a novel has eliminated a law.
The book made Aakjær known abroad and was instrumental in nominating him for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917, but he did not win. He was too harsh for the chairman of the Nobel Committee!
THE MUSEUM
The museum contains five rooms, each telling its own story.
The stable
Both Nanna’s and Jeppe’s families emigrated and visited America in the years after 1900. We look into a cabin and listen to a short story, "Om rejsen til Amerika” (About the journey to America). The nose is pressed up against the living room windows of Aakjær’s childhood home. The alcove can be seen in the background, where Aakjær slept with his grandfather. The rush mat with gobs of spit is hanging on the wall. Aakjær is in prison, imprisoned because of the speeches: “Revolutionen i Fly” – he is only 21 years old. It is too strict for Estrup. Aakjær takes the pen in hand and writes “Jens Vejmand” and “Vredens Børn”. The story about 150,000 people, who followed Denmark’s poet king to the grave in 1930, is also told. In the small cinema, different films are displayed, among others Troels Kløvedal’s “Besøg på Jenle” (Visit at Jenle).
In the attic
In the hayloft, we tell the story of the son Esben who was antimilitarist like his father. He set out into the world as a conscientious objector and returned home to Denmark in 1945 as a Norwegian war hero, decorated by Haakon VII – an exciting but doomed experience.
The Limfjord Hall
In the hall, you are told about the poets of Limfjorden who visited Jenle: Johannes V. Jensen, Skjoldborg, Thøger Larsen etc.
In the cinema, the film “Livet på Jenle” (Life at Jenle) is displayed and vividly told by the daughter Solvejg Bjerre.
The local hall
In the summertime, there are workshops about fabric, wood, jewellery, and pictures. Guests of the café also use the room. In addition to traditional exhibits, there are several electronic opportunities.
The family Aakjær welcomes you to Jenle.
See opening hours and activities at Jenle.dk.
