Erna Juel-Hansen facts for kids

Erna Juel-Hansen was a pioneer in education and women's rights.

Erna Emilie Louise Juel-Hansen (1845–1922) was a Danish writer and an early champion for women's rights. She helped bring gymnastics into schools and co-founded Denmark's very first kindergarten.

Erna's Early Life and Education

Erna Emilie Louise Drachmann was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 5, 1845. Her father, Andreas Georg Drachmann, was a doctor, and her mother was Vilhelmine Marie Stæhr. She was the older sister of the famous poet and writer, Holger Drachmann, and they were very close.

Erna wanted to be a doctor like her father, but at that time, women were not allowed to go to medical school. Instead, she became very interested in gymnastics, just like her father. She studied it deeply and even traveled to Paris in 1866 to learn more. Later, she became a schoolteacher after studying at N. Zahle's School.

Pioneering Education

In the late 1860s, Erna taught at a gymnastics school for girls that her father had started. Around this time, she met Niels Juel-Hansen, who was studying to be a lawyer but also cared a lot about education. They were both inspired by Friedrich Fröbel's ideas about how to teach young children.

In 1871, Erna and Niels created Denmark's very first kindergarten, using Fröbel's ideas. They got married soon after. In 1876, they opened a school for both boys and girls. However, their new teaching methods were not popular with parents. Because of money problems, they had to close the school in 1883.

Erna had hoped for a happy marriage where both parents shared the work of raising their four children. But her marriage also faced difficulties, and she and Niels separated in 1894. This made Erna very sad.

After the kindergarten closed, Erna started a new project. In 1884, she founded a gymnastics college. She used the important ideas of Pehr Henrik Ling, who was a pioneer in physical education in Sweden.

Becoming a Writer

Erna also began to write books. She wrote about the challenges young people faced growing up. She also wrote about the difficulties women experienced in married life, often based on her own experiences.

Her first novel, Mellem 12 og 17 (Between 12 and 17), came out in 1881. She used the pen name Arne Wendt for this book. In 1888, she published En ung Dames Historie (A Young Woman's Story), which was a more exciting and powerful story about a woman's first experiences with love. Her later novels, Terese Kærulf (1894) and Helsen & Co. (1900), explored the problems adult women faced as they got older. Parts of these books were based on her own life.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Erna Juel-Hansen was also very active in promoting women's rights. In 1883, she became an important member of both the Danish Women's Society and the Studentersamfundet (Students Union). In 1905, she was one of the first women to join the board of Copenhagen's Liberale Vælgerforening (Liberal Voters Association).

Erna Juel-Hansen passed away in Hornbæk, Denmark, on November 39, 1922.