Admission on July 9, 2026
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, we welcomed 2 students into Harald Bluetooth Guild as part of our exchange program with Ireland.
In the picture, from left to right, you can see Jacob Stryhn and Anette Borg from the Guild board, the exchange students Elva Viola Thomsen from Denmark and Helen Donnelly-Barrett from Ireland, as well as Alderman Finn Berggren.
Summer Outing
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 50 members and companions took part in a summer outing that, with VIKINGBUS, first took the participants to a sensory exhibition at Fugledegaard in Naturpark Åmosen by Tissø, where the beliefs, rituals, and lives of the Vikings are told through sound, light, and the incredible reconstruction of the Tissø ring, weighing about 2 kg of gold. The ring is, by the way, part of Harald Bluetooth Guild's logo.
Fugledegaard's cultural coordinator, Julie Strandby Dam-Larsen, gave a guided tour and spoke animatedly about the place.
After the visit, the trip continued around Tissø to Selchausdal Manor, where the estate owners Helle and Peter Vagn-Jensen welcomed us in, and we were told about the estate itself, as well as the Viking-era finds that are being discovered in the estate's fields for preservation for future generations.
The evening ended with an excellent dinner featuring game hunted in the area, prepared on-site, and accompanied by outstanding wines.
Photos by Hasse Ferrold
Admission on June 10, 2026
On June 10, 2026, the Guild welcomed 6 new members.
From left to right are Consul Claus Søgaard Poulsen, COO Claus Bredvig, Fund Director Dorte Skov Jespersen, CEO Peter Brødsgaard, Network Coordinator Jens Georg Bagge, and former Ambassador Jørgen Molde.
New Guild Board
From May 2026, the Guild Board will consist of Mayor Knud Vincents, Treasurer Lis Tribler, new member Carl Østergaard, member Birgitte Dinesen, chairman Jens Grønkjær, alderman Finn Berggren, new vice chairman Jacob Stryhn, and member Anette Borg.
Photo: evanfoto.dk
Guild Assembly May 7, 2026, at Kragerup Estate
The Guild Assembly was held in the Forest Cabin at Kragerup Estate, in brilliant sunshine.
The event began with a speech by Canada's ambassador to Denmark, Carolyn Bennett.
Carolyn Bennett gave a powerful speech about her life and work, and the relations between Canada and Denmark, including the Arctic region.
The chairman, Jens Grønkjær, presented a report, stating that as of January 1, 2026, the Guild has 380 members, 262 Danish and 118 international members.
The Guild's first chairman, now vice-chairman Svend-Erik Kristensen, is “emigrating” to Bornholm in the fall, and as a result, has chosen to resign from the Guild Board.
The assembly thanked Svend-Erik for his 12 years of service on the Guild Board and wishes him all the best on the "Sunshine Island".
The chairman presented Svend-Erik with some HBL beers and bitters. Svend-Erik thanked for 12 exciting years and looks forward to participating next year as an ordinary member of the Guild.
The new vice chairman is Jacob Stryhn, and Carl Østergaard takes the vacant seat on the Guild Board.
In the pictures are Carolyn Bennett, chairman Jens Grønkjær with outgoing vice chairman Svend-Erik Kristensen, and Alderman Finn Berggren.
The Alderman admits Carl Østergaard to the Guild Board.
Photos: Alan Thagaard
On May 19, 2026, the Guild admitted 8 new members
From the left are seen Ambassador Merete Juhl, Funeral director Henrik Juul, investor, Landowner Christian Arnstedt, Craniosacral Therapist Charlotte Ravn, Clinical Dental Technician Jenny-Marie Hoe, Entrepreneur Morten Tranekær, Protreptist Maibritt Isberg Andersen and Crisis Manager Tanya Marlene Lucia Guldhammer.
Inauguration April 22nd 2026
The first inauguration of the year took place at Trelleborg on April 22th 2026, in bright sunshine.
In the picture, from left to right, are Director Thomas Lehmann, Professor Thomas Skovgaard, Secretary General Michael Back Petersen, Senior Product Owner Marianne Bernt Elboth, Adjutant Christian Meinertz, Chairman Jens Flesner Kristiansen, and Actor Peter Holst-Beck
Extraordinary inauguration on November 4th, 2025
At an extraordinary inauguration on November 4th, 2025, the Guild admitted Head of Mission Ewa Debska from the Polish Embassy in Copenhagen.
The inauguration was arranged in a hurry and was conducted by Alderman Finn Berggren, Treasurer Lis Tribler, and Chairman Jens Grønkjær from the Guild Board.
In the picture, from left to right, are Alderman Finn Berggren, Ewa Debska, and Treasurer Lis Tribler.
Member trip to a Vineyard
On Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, Harald Bluetooth Guild ended the season with a visit to Denmark's largest vineyard, Dyrehøj Vingård, on Røsnæs. The Guild's partner VIKINGBUS transported the participants from Slagelse Station to Dyrehøj Vingård and back.
It was the best possible weather for the excursion, which had about 30 participants. The winery is owned by Pernille and Jacob Bruun-Jensen, and the visit began with a glass of "bubbles", followed by a field walk with a story about the vines by Pernille. The fields face south towards Kalundborg Fjord, with a beautiful view of the fjord.
Back at the winery, Jacob Bruun-Jensen took over, just a few minutes after returning from the harvest at his Californian vineyard.
Jacob is passionate about wine, and is a DipWSET, Certified Sommelier, and a UC Davis wine program graduate.
Jacob gave a tour of the production facilities and spoke passionately about the production of the wine, before the participants enjoyed a lovely tapas setting with several different wines from the winery, all of which were thoroughly presented by Jacob, who also told a little about himself and his background, having grown up in Slagelse
After the members had diligently bought some of the quality products from the vineyard's shop, the trip went back with VIKINGBUS.
A big thank you to Pernille and Jacob Bruun-Jensen for an excellent arrangement.
And to those of you who were not on the trip: a visit to Dyrehøj Vingård and Røsnæs in general is definitely worth a trip.
Admission on September 15, 2025
The last regular inauguration of the year in the Guild on September 15th 2025 started with a wind-blown tour of the area at the Viking castle of Trelleborg.
Since the museum at Trelleborg is closed on Mondays during the off-season, the inauguration itself took place in scenic surroundings at the Climbing Park at Kragerup Estate. Here the weather showed its best side, as the sun-drenched trees provided shelter from the wind. It became a different, but very atmospheric inauguration.
Among the newly admitted were the ambassadors from Canada and Ireland. The Irish ambassador Kyle O'Sullivan is new to Denmark, and has only been in Denmark for 14 days.
Therefore, it was a special pleasure that he had set aside time for the occation, as the cooperation between the Harald Bluetooth Guild and the Irish Embassy is particularly important, due to the youth exchange program the Guild runs every summer, with the exchange of a young Irish and a young Danish student, with the aim of spreading knowledge of each other's culture, based on the Viking theme.
It is the Irish Viking town of Waterford, which, in collaboration with Rotary International, is responsible for the Irish part, just as the local Slagelse Antvorskov Rotary Club is responsible for the accommodation of the Irish student in Slagelse.
The picture shows the newly admitted members in the forest at Kragerup Gods.
From left: Develop Manager Knud Erik Rødbro, Ambassador Kyle O'Sullivan, Ireland, Ambassador Carolyn Bennett, Canada, estate owner Thomas Voss, CCO Christian Zohnesen, theatre director Pia Jette Hansen and psychologist Ole Michael Spaten.
