The
heaths of Rebild Hills (Danish:
Rebild Bakker) was previously owned and used by the local peasants as
pastures for their cattle, but it was bought up in the year 1911 and presented as a gift to the state of Denmark, to be administered on certain conditions (stipulations). The founder of the Rebild National Park was Dr.
Max Henius, a
Danish-American who emigrated to the United States in 1881 and settled in Chicago. In 1911, almost of the hilly countryside were bought with funds raised by Danish Americans. One of the Chicago-based Danish Americans included Jens Peder Poulsen Fuglsang, born in Virring Denmark in 1871. In 1912, Max Henius (accompanied by Fuglsang, whose name in Danish means "birdsong") presented the deed to the land to his Majesty King
Christian X as a permanent memorial to Danish Americans. Sadly, Fuglsang died at sea aboard the ocean liner
SS Oscar II on his return trip to America in August 1912. Later the Danish government added to the land, that now features a beautiful natural park. The first Rebild Festival took place in 1912, when King
Christian X spoke to a crowd of 10,000. The day has been celebrated every year since then, with the exception of the periods during
World War I and
World War II. American sculptor
Georg J. Lober created an emblem for the Danish National Park in
Rebild in 1912 and also made a bronze relief of U.S. president
Abraham Lincoln located in Rebild Park. In 1925,
Mindeparken was inaugurated in the city of
Aarhus by King
Christian X and it was planned to celebrate the Danish-American gatherings as well as visiting Danish citizens living abroad there. As the Rebild Festival gained momentum, Mindeparken was dropped and used for other purposes.
Stipulations The park was given to the Danish state, as a present with three conditions: • That the area should remain in a natural state • That it would be open to the public • That Danish-Americans could celebrate American holidays at the park. == Current activities ==