The Gymnastics Site
Section of reverend Nicolai Ramph's drawing of
the gymnastics site by Gjerrild School 1826. The Danish National
Archives. Danish Chancellery, 1st Department. Photo: Thorkild
Jensen.
In the Open-Air Museum's historic playground, you can try out
some of the gymnastics exercises that schoolboys were taught at
Langet School after the introduction of the Schools Acts in
1814.
The exercises aimed at improving the boys' physical condition in
general. They had to climb high up via ladders and ropes, and be
able to balance and lift themselves up by their arms. They also had
to practice running, jumping and handling of dummy guns with
bayonets. The intention was to prepare the boys for the drills they
would later have to go through as soldiers, enabling them to defend
their mother country. It was not the intention that schoolgirls
should participate in the gymnastics, as the girls were not going
to be soldiers, and besides, it was thought that the exercises
would be too challenging for them.
In the years after 1819, gymnastics sites were established at
all schools within Christian Ditlev Frederik, Count Reventlow's
Lolland estate, Christianssæde. C. D. F. Reventlow made sure to
equip the schools with oak timber and paid the workers' wages so
that the sites could be set up with the necessary equipment. He
also paid compensation to the teacher for the loss of school land
that was assigned to the gymnastics site.
The historic playground was created in 2014 with support from
Shipowner Carsten Brebøl's Non-profit Foundation.