Julemærkefonden (literally "The Christmas Seal Foundation") is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

charity that operates four so-called Christmas seal homes for children with social challenges. It issues an annual

Christmas seal Christmas seals are labels placed on mail during the Christmas season to raise funds and awareness for charitable programs. They have become particularly associated with lung diseases such as tuberculosis, and with child welfare. Christmas seals ...

to finance its activities.

History

The foundation traces its history back to 1903 when post office clerk and later post master Einar Holbøll conceived the idea for a Danish

the sale of which was to fund work among sick children. A Christmas Seal Committee was set up and t he first Danish Christmas seal was issued in 1904. It was available at the cost of 2

øre Øre (plural ''øre'', ) is the centesimal subdivision of the Danish and Norwegian krones. The Faroese division is called the ''oyra'', but is equal in value to the Danish coin. Before their discontinuation, the corresponding divisions of the ...

and featured a portrait of Queen Louise. A tuberculosis sanatorium (now Hotel Koldingfjord) opened at

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...

in 1911. It was immediately passed on to Foreningen til Tuberkulosens Bekæmpelse. The Christmas seal Committee decided that funds should in the future be used for the establishment and operation of sanatoriums for children. The first two Christmas seal homes opened in 1912. They were located in two former orphan ages in

Juelsminde Juelsminde is a town in Hedensted Municipality, Denmark. Notable people * Gunnar Berg (1909–1989) a Swiss-born Danish composer and leading exponent of serialism. Between 1965 and 1976 he lived at the old school at Lindved between Horsens an ...

and Mørkøv. A third institution was built in

Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Faxe Faxe or Fakse is a town on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. It is located in Faxe Municipality in Region Zealand. The town is most known for the Faxe Brewery, Royal Unibrew, a relatively large brewery producing a range of beer and soft ...

at a very low price. The former home of an editor named Jessens at Fjordmark near Flensborg Fjord was converted into a Christmas stamp home in 1938. It was followed by the inauguration of a purpose-built Christmas stamp home in

Hobro Hobro () is an old market and railway town in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 12,071 (1 January 2022). The town is situated in a hilly terrain at the head of Mariager Fjord, close to the ...

in May 1939. In 1948, the foundation purchased villa Kildemose at Ølsted in

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, Nordsjælland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area north of Copenhagen. The Danish tourist authorities have recently in ...

. It was converted into a Christmas seal home for small children. The Christmas seal home in Juelsminde was ceded to Den Kellerske Anstalt at Brejning in 1957.. A Christmas seal home opened at

Skælskør Skælskør () is a town in Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Skælskør was the seat of Skælskør Municipality. The town is located 17 km southwest of Slagelse and 12 km southeast of Korsør. Skæls ...

in 1962. The committee now operated a total of seven institutions with room for 283 children. Several of the Christmas seal homes were sold in the 1970s.

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.julemaerket.dk
List of Danish Christmas seals
1903 establishments in Denmark