Saturday Lecture
Hear historian and author Rasmus Voss tell the story of Denmark’s colonial expedition to Greenland in 1728–1731. Gain insight into the colonists’ daily lives, power struggles and encounters with the Greenlandic population – and the lessons that shaped further colonization.
Get directions
Sankt Mortens Gade 29
Bornholms Museum - Sankt Mortens Gade 29 - Rønne
3700 Rønne
The Most Debauched Crowd - The Colonists in Greenland, 1728–1731
This is the dramatic story of Denmark’s first major colonial expedition to Greenland. In 1728, Frederick IV set a grand plan in motion: Greenland was to be colonized. More than 100 men and women – including convicts forced into marriage – were sent off to populate new colonies and secure the kingdom’s power. Cold, disease and conflict marked the expedition’s three years, and many lost their lives.
The numerous disputes have left us a wealth of source material, offering a unique insight into life in the colonies – daily routines, power struggles and encounters with the Greenlandic population. Rasmus Voss tells the story of an ambitious but failed expedition and the lessons that laid the foundations for Denmark’s further colonization of Greenland.
Presented by historian and author Rasmus Voss.
Last updated by:Destination Bornholminfo@bornholm.info
