Julemærkefonden (literally "The Christmas Seal Foundation") is a Danish charity that operates four so-called Christmas seal homes for children with social challenges. It issues an annual Christmas seal 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 Christmas seal, the sale of which was to fund work among sick children. A Christmas Seal Committee was set up and the 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 krone. 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 Denmark, Danish seaport city 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 industria ...
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 orphanages in Juelsminde 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 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Lindersvold estate at
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 in May 1939.
In 1948, the foundation purchased villa Kildemose at Ølsted in
North Zealand
North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...
. 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), 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 o ...
in 1962. The committee then operated a total of seven institutions with room for 283 children.
Several of the Christmas seal homes were sold in the 1970s.