The Establishment of Round Table in Denmark

Round Table Denmark was the first Round Table organization to be set up beyond the shores of Great Britain and Ireland. This was an important step in testing the appeal of the idea and adapting the movement to different cultures while setting the stage for even more expansion. Tabling in Denmark has existed there since it was first introduced, making the story of how it was founded a key part of the foundation of Round Table as an international movement.

Two Concurrent Initiatives

The idea for a Round Table club in Denmark arose in two places concurrently—partly in Aarhus and partly in Copenhagen—where it had been brought back from England by sons of Rotarians.
In both cases, the club was helped into existence with the intervention of Rotary. In 1935, the Rotary Club of Copenhagen set up a committee consisting of Dr. Ivan Jantzen, shipowner Willie C.K. Hansen, manufacturer J.C. Hempel, director Børge Bülow-Jacobsen, and wholesaler Bent Olsen, with the task of investigating whether it was possible to start Round Table in Denmark. They got in touch with Marchesi, who at that time was the chairman of the English national organization. He arranged for the vice-chairman of Round Table London, Geoffrey Higgins, to meet with the Rotary committee during a visit to Copenhagen at the end of 1935. At an orientation meeting, the committee was introduced to the principles of Round Table and the organization’s operational methods, and they were provided with a set of English rules.
With a few changes, the materials provided became the basis for the founding of Round Table Copenhagen. The club was founded on March 5, 1936, with 15 members, and with Mogens Lichtenberg as chairman and BĂĽlow-Jacobsen as vice-chairman.
On February 21, 1939, Round Table Aarhus was founded by Aarhus Rotary. The initiative had been taken by postmaster Emborg, director Vagn Olsen, and engineer Haderup, after postmaster Emborg’s son, Erik Emborg, had been a guest member in England. The next step in the development of RT in Denmark was the debate about the establishment of a coordinating body in the form of a national board for Round Table Denmark.

National Association

In June 1940, the first concrete proposals for this national board’s operation were presented. According to these, the formation of new RT clubs would take place in accordance with the laws of Round Table Denmark (RTDK) and with RTDK’s approval. The national board was also tasked with promoting cooperation between the Round Table clubs in Denmark. At a general assembly on October 4, 1940, a national board for RTDK was established, and Børge Bülow-Jacobsen became the first national chairman from 1942 to 1944. The war was, of course, a difficult period for Round Table as well, but despite the difficulties, the number of clubs increased so that by the end of the war there were seven clubs. After the war, development accelerated, and Erik Emborg’s efforts to spread the idea must be particularly noted. In recognition of this contribution, Erik Emborg became RTDK’s first honorary member in 1958.

Continued Growth

From Denmark, the RT idea spread to Sweden, where the first club was founded in Helsingborg in 1943, and RTDK has actively contributed to the founding of Round Table in Norway, Finland, Germany, Canada and Czech Republic. Emblem of the Immediate Past President is the original first emblem donated to RTD by RTB&I. The rondel of RTD was the first rondel of all Round Table associations in the world that doesn’t have the king at the top. Instead, it has three waves which symbolizes the three seas around Denmark.

Today Round Table Denmark has around 2.400 members and 137 clubs, spanning across 8 areas covering the whole Kingdom of Denmark, with clubs in Greenland (RT112 Nuuk) and the Faroe Islands (RT136 TĂłrshavn).

Created by Jonas Midstrup 

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