Saturday lecture
Explore the history of Danish intelligence and defense strategy from 1864 to World War I. Kristian Bruhn provides an accessible overview of fears of war, preparations for war, and Bornholm’s role in the threat assessments of the time.
Get directions
Sankt Mortens Gade 29
Bornholms Museum - Sankt Mortens Gade 29 - Rønne
3700 Rønne
The intelligence service and defense strategy from 1864 to World War I
The Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE) was established in the mid-19th century under the name “the secret intelligence service”.
The lecture provides an accessible overview of the broad developments from its establishment to World War I. It is based on the book Rigets overlevelse and the forthcoming second volume. It is a story of beards and blue-tinted glasses, but also of the most serious matters: fear of war and preparations for war.
History never repeats itself, and the threat assessments and defense strategies of the time were based on entirely different technology. Yet the sense of living in a pre-war era is still recognizable. We will look at operational plans against Denmark and, of course, the role Bornholm played in threat assessments and defense strategies.
By Kristian Bruhn, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen.
Last updated by:Destination Bornholminfo@bornholm.info
