This program is for those who are curious about the world around them, who want to step into the past and uncover the answers to how Europe became what it is today.
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in the past? What it might have been like to be a petty criminal in 18th-century Norway, a prostitute in Pompeii, or a farmer in medieval France? That’s exactly what we try to explore at the history program *Checkpoint Charlie* – Norway’s only history-focused line at a folk high school!
We seek out history in our local surroundings here in Southern Norway and expand our journey across the country and into Europe. History has happened everywhere, and we’re lucky to have a treasure trove of “crime scenes” right outside the school doors. Here’s just a small taste:
- Interrail with visits to several European capitals
- Learn about Norwegian pirates from the Napoleonic wars and “capture” a British trade ship
- Sleep over in a lighthouse keeper’s house and search for shipwrecks
- Visit the ship D/S Hestmanden, known from the film *War Sailor*
- Roast a leg of lamb in a Stone Age-style cooking pit
- Gain insight into queer history
- Cook historical meals and brew your own mead
- Learn the basics of genealogy and research your own family history
- Learn about the persecution of Jews in Kristiansand, in the former Gestapo headquarters “Arkivet”
- Visit the slave ship *Fredensborg* in Arendal to learn about Norway’s involvement and profit in the transatlantic slave trade
The liberal folk high schools are built on values that are not based on one particular belief. They encourage students with different interests and beliefs to apply.
