The story

The history of Odense Friskole begins in the middle of the 19th century.
At that time, the popular movements became strong and had a great influence on Danish school history. Free schools emerged as a protest against the public school. In the beginning, the new schools were called singing and storytelling schools, only later came the term free school.

Free school people fought for a school that – in Grundtvig’s words – should be a school for life. The children were to be enlivened and enlightened, and the teaching was to give the children the desire and courage for life.

The school initiatives emerged as a struggle against dead learning, rote learning and terperi. The teaching should be made relevant – and as we will say today: It is about motivation and commitment when it comes to learning something

In Grundtvig’s words: … and he has never lived as wise as it has become, he did not have love at first ” (from the song  “ Now it must be revealed ” , Højskolesangbogen no. 88 verse 5) 

With popular school initiatives, the parents of the time took responsibility for their children’s schooling both in terms of form and content.

Odense Friskole came into being

Odense Friskole was started in 1863. In the beginning there were only 7 students, and the first teachers stayed there only for a short time. Only when the schoolman Morten Eskesen came in as the school’s leader did things get going.

Morten Eskesen came from a position as school leader in Rudme south of Ringe. Eskesen had helped start Grundtvig University College together with Grundtvig.

He had started Rudme Friskole and was in his fifth year in Rudme, when Christen Kold persuaded him to go to Odense and work for a strong free school in the city.

The free school has since developed both in form and content, and it has also moved around to different addresses.