Bøger om Scandinavia

Bildung is moral and emotional maturity. Bildung is also to have the education and knowledge necessary to thrive in your society; bildung is to be deeply embedded in culture and community while having the autonomy to carve your own path in life. Bildung is always personal and unique. Bildung is a German word that has no word in English. Beginning in the 1770s, German philosophers explored bildung as a secular form of inner development and it became popular among the bourgeoisie. In Denmark, a pastor realized in the 1830s that the peasants needed bildung too, and he envisioned a new kind of school: the folk-high-school. In 1851, a Danish teacher, Christen Kold, figured out how to teach in such a way that young farmhands learned to think for themselves: he told them moving stories and let them ask questions. Once he had their attention, he could teach them new farming techniques, science, philosophy, history, religion, literature, art, economic theory, and political science. Norway, Sweden and Finland copied the folk-high-school concept in the 1860s and by 1900, a critical mass of youngsters in the Nordic countries had upgraded their skills and their thinking, and the Nordics had gone from being among the poorest countries in Europe to being among the richest. This development and the bildung that carried it also meant that the Nordics made the transition from agricultural feudal societies to modern, democratic, industrialized nation-states peacefully. As we are facing new challenges from digitization, globalization, a pandemic and environmental changes we need bildung for the 21st century and the book concludes by exploring what that might look like.

Years back, when I was working in a big international company, we would often get visitors from abroad asking what to see and do in Copenhagen. I used to do these small hand-drawn maps with tips and tricks of what they should do. Both the touristy things and those that would take them a bit off the beaten path; small Copenhagener secrets.Copenhagen tops charts on all kinds of metrics around the quality of life and happiness. ECA International recently crowned The Danish capital as the world's top destination for European expats. And I hope you can see why. I am, of course, totally biased. But I just love Copenhagen. The city exudes gorgeous, northern European style architecture, cobbled alleyways, beautifully decorated shop windows, and flowing canals. Copenhagen feels exceptionally laid back, somewhat spacious, and charming.

What is it like to leave everything behind and follow the person you love to a different country? What does it mean to be Danish and how does one integrate into the Danish environment? What makes the Danish different from other Scandinavians and why do they take first places in happiness ratings? What is worth seeing in Denmark and which events should one visit? You will find answers to these questions and more in "Married to Denmark".