About Our School
At Silkeborg Højskole you grow through community, reflection, and the encounter with others. You have time, space, and freedom to unfold. You have freedom to simply be.
You are going to love Silkeborg Højskole
Silkeborg Højskole isn’t just a place where you go to learn a pre set curriculum. In stead we invite you to grow into the person you want to be – through curiosity, community, and personal formation.
It is important to us that our teachers and staff are committed and qualified. We make sure that our facilities are well-maintained, and we take pride in our organic kitchen, modern rooms, and stunning natural surroundings.
A Danish folk high school is an adult boarding school that provides a social community and highly skilled teachers. Here, curiosity and commitment replace grades and exams. Expertise in the subjects is important, but the community and what we create together are just as important. As a student here, you will have a chance to experience and explore fundamental aspects of life.
Silkeborg Højskole is a free space that encourages independent thinking
while valuing the perspectives of others.
What is a Danish Folk High School?
A famous – although unattributed – saying about what you learn at a Danish folk high school goes like: “I don’t exactly know what I have learned, but I’ll never forget it”.
At the same time most people will tell you that the concept of a Danish folk high school cannot really be explained, but must be experienced. It is inexplicable.
And while that is not particularly helpful, we know, it probably says something important about the peculiar kind of school which is the Danish folk high school.
The Danish folk high school is a unique informal kind of school with no grades, no exams and no formalised objective other than provide meaningful learning experiences for you together with others.
It combines challenging classes with that of a rich social life that continues 24-7. It is about making you forget that you are here to learn by making you engage in every learning experience in manner that you’ve never tried before; whether it is in a class room, on sea kayaking, hiking in nature, using your hands or mind. We told you: Inexplicable.
A stay at a Danish folk high school is an intense learning experience for life.
Højskole Is Something We Do Together
We live, eat, sing, discuss, try, fail, succeed and celebrate together. Højskole life is an exercise in responsibility and community; in opening up opportunities for each other and for the society we are a part of.
When you walk out the front door on your final day at Silkeborg Højskole, you will hopefully be thankful for the community you have become part of; the friends you have made and the educational journey you have experienced in the previous four months.
We hope you will have realised that at the højskole life was not about being useful or perfect, or about skills and grades or your productive value to society. Instead, it was about exploring and challenging what it means to be a human being in a society with possibilities as well as shortcomings.
The values we work from
Silkeborg Højskole was established in 1969 gifted by FDF to the youth of Denmark. FDF is an independent and voluntary part of the youth work of the Danish national church, and the values of Silkeborg Højskole are thus rooted in a humanitarian belief system.
Our approach to teaching and learning
At Silkeborg Højskole, you choose your own subjects and dive into what truly interests you.
We teach everything from art, philosophy, and politics to music, outdoor life, and social engagement.
What makes the teaching special is the interplay between thought and practice – between students and teachers.
There are no grades or exams here – but plenty of conversations, experiments, and new perspectives.
We believe that the greatest insights arise when you dare to ask questions, listen to one another, and learn with both mind and heart.
Community in Focus
As a student at Silkeborg Højskole, you’ll live and share your days with a large group of people – around the clock.
Here, it’s not just the teaching that matters, but also the life we create together outside the classroom.
Community is felt in both the big and small moments: when we share meals, take care of practical tasks side by side, sing, dance, talk, and grow wiser in each other’s company.
There’s room for both laughter and seriousness – and you’re free to be exactly who you are.
We believe that it’s within lived community that conversation and collaboration shape the rhythm of the week – and give your stay real meaning.
Curious About the World
We believe that true understanding and insight emerge through encounters with the unfamiliar – not just from books, but through real conversations and shared experiences.
Each semester, we welcome international students from all over the world. They bring new perspectives, questions, and experiences that enrich our community and broaden our horizons.
At the same time, our students travel out into the world – to places like Tanzania, South Korea, India and beyond – to meet people and cultures that challenge and inspire them.
A global outlook isn’t an add-on to folk high school life – it’s an integral part of it.
It’s through encounters with what’s different that we grow wiser about ourselves and the world we’re part of.
We believe these meetings foster understanding, empathy, and engagement – qualities that reach far beyond your stay at Silkeborg Højskole.