Go for a walk in Mindelunden from home: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=TjamqE8BPX5

Mindelunden in Højerup

The history of Mindelunden at Stevns Klint

A look back at the history behind the strong sense of national identity that arose in the Danish people after the war of 1864 and the loss of the Southern Jutland duchies, Schleswig and Holstein – Lauenburg.

The same strong sense of national identity was the background for the establishment of the Højeruplund Society in 1910.

Folk forbinder Stevns Klint med dets dramatiske kystklint, der strækker sig langs Østsjælland i Danmark. Det er især kendt for: * **Geologi:** Klinten er verdenskendt for sit fossilrige lag, kaldet *fiskeleret*, som markerer grænsen mellem kridt- og tertiærtiden og har stor betydning for forskningen i asteroidepåvirkningen, der udryddede dinosaurerne. * **Natur:** Området er et vigtigt yngle- og rasteområde for mange fuglearter og har en unik flora. * **Kultur og Historie:** Der er en rig historie forbundet med området, herunder fortidsminder, kirker (som f.eks. Højerup Gamle Kirke, der delvist er styrtet i havet) og den gamle Højerup-trappen, der fører ned til klinten. * **Beliggenhed:** Den stejle, hvide klint, der rejser sig op af Østersøen, er et ikonisk landskab. * **Geopark:** Stevns Klint er en UNESCO Global Geopark, hvilket understreger dens internationale betydning som natur- og kulturarvssted.

Is it the Old Church, situated so far out on the cliff that part of it collapsed in 1928?

Is it the characteristic cliff formation or cliff profile with the hard bryozoan limestone at the top and the soft chalk at the bottom?

Is it perhaps the thin layer of fish clay that separates the two layers of limestone and chalk massifs? The approx. 1 cm thin iridium-containing layer that interests geologists from all over the world?

Is it the inn – the Traktørstedet – with its unique location, and where one eats well?

– Yes – the reasons for visiting the site can vary greatly. It's likely that few people today sense the historical perspective and the strong national feelings that lay behind the establishment of the Højeruplund Society and the creation of the Memorial Grove in 1910.

The founding of the Højeruplund Society

The strong national feelings lead us back to the dispute over the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.

We are taken back to the constitutional dispute between Denmark and the German Confederation.

In 1852, Denmark entered into an agreement with Prussia and Austria: Denmark was not allowed to incorporate Schleswig – in return, there was to be no merger between Schleswig and Holstein. The Danish monarchy was to be a three-part state consisting of the independent elements: Denmark, Schleswig, and Holstein-Lauenburg. This monarchy was designated the Integral State.

Despite reservations, Danish politicians adopted the November Constitution in 1863. The November Constitution linked Schleswig to Denmark and separated Holstein-Lauenburg. Denmark thereby broke its previous agreement with Prussia and Austria, and was thus on a collision course. The Danes misjudged the foreign policy situation. We had expected support for our constitutional policy, but when the Prussians, together with the Austrians, crossed the Eider River on 1 February 1864, we were completely alone. The war and the defeat were a catastrophe for Denmark. The losses of dead and wounded soldiers were in the thousands – to no avail.

At the peace treaty in Vienna, Denmark had to cede Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg to Prussia, and the border was moved from the Elbe near Hamburg to the Kolding River near Kolding, thus Denmark had to give up around 1/3 of the kingdom to Prussia. The Danish national soul suffered a mortal wound that took many years to heal.

But atop the humiliation and shame, a strong national consciousness arose in the population. The poet H. P. Holst wrote: For every loss no compensation is found: What is lost outwardly, must be won inwardly. (The quote is often mistakenly attributed to Enrico Dalgas). It was no coincidence that the golden age of painting came about precisely at this time. Interest in the country's history was also awakened – a strong national feeling swept across the country. Skamlingsbanken and Skibelund Krat were national festival grounds where thousands of people gathered for national and popular meetings.

On Stevns, it all began at an election meeting in Spjellerup in 1910. Lars Jørgensen from Skørpinge on Stevns was a patriotic man. He took the floor and his speech was characterised by his national views. He received several derisive remarks from younger audience members on this occasion. This upset Lars Jørgensen and he spoke with Frederik Scavenius from Gjorslev, who also attended the meeting, and they were subsequently agitated by the assembly's lack of national sentiment. They invited a number of men from the area to a meeting at Gjorslev with the aim of establishing a national society. Frederik Scavenius's father donated the small grove by Højerup Klint to the Society, which took its name from the grove. The inauguration ceremony for the Society Højeruplund in 1911 gathered around 1000 people.

In the following years, several thousand people gathered for national and popular meetings – the Constitution meetings at Højeruplund were particularly well-attended. In 1911, a rostrum was built of red monk bricks and chalk stone from the cliff. The rostrum was located just west of the Christian Richard memorial. Here it stood in line with the Reunification Obelisk and the Scavenius Mound.

It is interesting to dwell for a moment on the Society's purpose clause, which states, among other things:

The company's purpose is to enhance patriotic sentiment in our nation by:

To hold national, popular education and church meetings in Højeruplund.

To erect memorials to men and women of national importance, as well as to historical events.

The company Højeruplund lived up to this ambitious and fine purpose clause. In the following years, 15 monuments were erected in accordance with the purpose clause.

We'll take a closer look at this: See the menu on the right.