The School
The School – Education on the Hilltop
At the top of the rolling landscape, Christian Keller built a school in 1901 for the institution’s children. Constructed in red brick with distinctive green roofs, the building accommodated up to 150 pupils, divided into three sections: one for girls, one for boys, and one for “experimental children” – where teachers assessed the children’s suitability for schooling through tests and observation.
The top floor of the school originally served as the headmaster’s residence, but in 1940 it was converted into an experimental kindergarten with space for 15 children.
During the Second World War – in February 1944 – the school was temporarily used as a home for children from the Sølund institution in Skanderborg, which had to be evacuated quickly when the Germans requisitioned the site.
A Reflection of the Era’s Educational Ideals
At the time, education and cultural refinement were seen as something that flowed from the top down – from the royal family to the bourgeoisie, from urban citizens to rural communities – and even the most vulnerable in society were believed to deserve a share in this cultural influence.
At the school, children were therefore not only taught – they were raised. The goal was not cure, but to develop abilities and behaviour through education and occupation.
Work and discipline were seen as means to counter passivity and undesirable behaviour.
The pupils were divided into two groups:
A-children received instruction in traditional academic subjects such as reading, writing, and geography – often with confirmation as the goal.
B-children were given practical training in handicrafts, cooking, and laundry, and were prepared for a future in work homes.
Special workrooms provided space for activities such as weaving, knitting, and lace-making – not as play, but as preparation for life.
A Stone with a Message
Originally, a stone stood at the school’s façade bearing the inscription:
"Here the child is raised in school and home so that every small ability may be brought forward."
Today, the stone stands at the entrance to the museum as a lasting testament to the school’s core idea: that no ability was too small to be taken seriously.
Today, the building is privately owned and used as rental housing.
