Songs, poetry and art
We asked Elmer, a teacher, project leader and musician, to share his thoughts on the connection between Tvindkraft and the arts.
As a member of the first team at DNS, The Necessary Teacher Training College, that started its programme in 1972, he was not directly involved in the construction of the windmill. However, the building of Tvindkraft was an open “project in development,” and everyone chipped in however they could. Everybody in Tvind were invited to participate actively in the groundbreaking event, for example, to mark the start-up of the construction of the world’s tallest wind turbine.
A source of inspiration
Elmer recalls being part of a band during his time at Tvind, and he remembers writing a song about Tvindkraft, which they played all the time, ”Møllen i Tvind” – “The windmill at Tvind”. The song eventually developed into some sort of folk dance that demonstrated the height of the windmill: 45 people would line up in a row, and that would approximately demonstrate the height of the windmill. Many other songs, poems, and art pieces inspired by the windmill were created in those times.
When asked why Tvindkraft inspired so many artists, Elmer explains that the windmill is an art piece in itself. Nobody knew exactly how to build a windmill, back then: some people thought that it could have two, four or five ”wings”, for example. But Tvindkraft ended up beautiful and harmonious in its basic shape and proportions, and it looks nice in the landscape. And with the colourful design, which was added later, it looks really iconic.
A people’s windmill
However, there’s another reason why it inspired so many artists: it is because it represents some strong elements. Tvindkraft is the “people’s windmill”, because so many contributed to making it happen, and because the technology has always been open-source. It is the materialisation of people’s power – a fantastic example of how people, together, can solve a problem. There’s also a poem inspired by the windmill. The poem compares the windmill to the tower of Babel: unlike it, Tvindkraft doesn’t divide and confuse people, but it unites.
There’s a poem inspired by the windmill. The poem compares the windmill to the tower of Babel: unlike it, Tvindkraft doesn’t divide and confuse people – it unites.
To celebrate Tvindkraft’s 25 year anniversary in 1999, architect Jan Utzon created a bold pop art design, perhaps inspired by Tintin’s rocket.
Windmill songs
WHAT ELSE
A visit by the Nature Now team
The Nature Now team from DRH Lindersvold came to visit Tvind in the autumn of 2023. The team kindly shared this report about their experiences as visitors to the Tvindkraft and the Tvind Climate Centre.
Tvindkraft at Naturkraft
Naturkraft is an event park where you can learn about the forces of nature. Here, you can find a riveting exhibition chronicling the history of modern wind power in which Tvindkraft is showcased.
European Solar Prize Winner
In 2008, the schools in Tvind received the prestigious European Solar Prize in the “Education and vocational training” category for their “cutting-edge wind turbine as educational project”.
Tvindkraft’s present role
Tvindkraft's present roleWhat do our windmill keepers think about Tvindkraft, wind energy, windmills in Denmark and the environmental crisis? Britta, who has been looking after the windmill for over 20 years, was asked for her thoughts on these complex and current...
A new nacelle back-end
Since Tvindkraft has stood tall for almost five decades, it is always in need of repairing, revising, and rethinking. During the autumn of 2022, we got a brand new cone for the back-end of the nacelle to substitute the original, 45-year old piece.
Volunteers with a cause
Volunteers with a causeSpeech by Mette Bryndum at the 40 year anniversary celebration of Tvindkraft.Translated, abbreviated & lightly edited for clarity. During Christmas in 1974 the teachers’ group in Tvind decided to build the windmill. It was a...