Odense Technical College
Wooden model of roof construction made by Johannes Rasmus Vilhelm Hansen, born 1891 in Odense, for the test completing his apprenticeship. The model is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.
Intro
Odense Technical College was founded in 1844, but did not get its own premises until 1878 in a disused textile factory next to Frue Kirke in Odense. In 1905, a new polytechnic college was built in Munkemose.
Wooden model of roof construction with 10 rafters and complicated beam bracing, 1910. (see the picture on the intro tab)
This model is made by Johannes Rasmus Vilhelm Hansen, born 1891 in Odense, for the test completing his apprenticeship. At the test Johannes was sent to an unfamiliar workshop with a raw plank of lime wood, which he then cut up and planed by hand. It is mortised so it can be dismantled and transported on a bike. Besides the practical test, the apprenticeship also consisted of a theoretical part in the subjects drawing, construction and calculus. The model is now at the museum Møntergården in Odense.
Technical college and the polytechnic, Odense Teknikum
After seven years of school, young people could become apprenticed. They had to secure a place with a qualified master tradesman, and lessons in technical drawing and arithmetic took place at a technical college after work. Once qualified, students could continue their studies at a polytechnic. The first polytechnic in Denmark opened in Odense in 1905.
In the world of books
Denmark’s first book was printed in Odense in 1482. It then became possible to disseminate knowledge and information on a previously unseen scale and at an unprecedented rate. The printed book still plays an important role in our education system, but its use has developed from the rote learning of the grammar schools to the responsibility for learning placed on the individual. The Funen resident, Christian Kold, who was an activist in the free school movement, was instrumental in sparking this development.
This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.