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In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Jens Bang’s Stone House, Christian IV's Guild organized two jubilee inductions—at both events, more than forty people became new members of Christian IV’s Guild.
Both inductions started with a bang, as the Aalborg Cannon Guild saluted the “Danish Signal” with three consecutive shots that echoed across Nytorv. All guests and Benchers were commanded outside Jens Bang’s Stone House to witness this, and if anyone was not awake, they certainly were after that. The sound of the joyful salutes carried down into the cellar, where there was a lively and cheerful atmosphere as the Chief Bencher and Benchers entered the rooms. As usual, the induction began with the Toastmaster encouraging a toast among the Benchers and guests—though the guests had nothing in their glasses and could only watch as the Benchers refreshed themselves.
The Chief Bencher welcomed everyone and briefly spoke about the occasion, highlighting the 400th anniversary of the Stone House and then how the Guild was formed during World War II, now having occupied the Stone House for eighty-two of those four hundred years.
Following this, the Benchers were introduced to the guests, who were then educated on the Guild’s history and informed about its laws and regulations before finally being called to the main table for their formal induction.
Afterward, the guests were given a chance to get a feel for the city of Aalborg with a tour, this time along an alternative route for practical reasons.
It was checked that the key provided for the door to the Secret Passage worked, and once everyone was gathered back in the cellar, they were allowed to taste the ancient divine drink, mead.
Then it was time for the Guild’s jubilee brunch, and especially to taste the “potato juice,” consisting of Rød Aalborg. Afterward, the Guild’s two-man band entertained the guests, and they sang beautiful songs about community and the value of togetherness.
The importance of this to the Guild is emphasized by the fact that the Guild has inducted more than 8,000 people from 105 nations over the years.
Everything comes to an end, including the good times at such an induction.
We are pleased to congratulate Jens Bang’s Stone House on its 400th anniversary.
See the pictures here
As usual, the day included an induction ceremony into Christian IV's Guild, and this year the event was significantly larger, with a total of thirty-six people inducted.
Rumor must have spread beforehand, as the Benchers entered the room to take their places around the high table with the necessary solemn tone but interspersed with many cheerful smiles and hearty greetings of "Hallo and good day." So, the mood was lively from the start.
Chief Bencher Niels Voss began in the usual manner with “our thirst first” and then “caps off.”
The 4th of July induction has been a longstanding tradition, involving the induction of individuals connected to the event. This has led to Christian IV’s Guild counting countless celebrities among its members, including Danny Kaye, Victor Borge, and Walt Disney, as well as many politicians such as Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, and numerous other famous actors.
This year also featured notable speakers, including astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who was the main Danish speaker. Already a member of the Guild, we were pleased to see him again. The main American speaker was Dr. Rachelle Kick, president of the only remaining college or university in the USA founded by Danish immigrants. Since her appointment in 2022 at Grand View University, she has shown great interest in the school's Danish roots and continues to promote its relationship with Denmark. The youth speaker from the USA, Jay Cannon, was born and raised in North Carolina and now lives in Denmark, where he has started an online media outlet reporting US news in Danish. Also, Fidelma McGinn, president of the Scan Design Foundation, who has consistently focused on creating partnerships and relationships, was among the new inductees into the Guild, as was the honorary mayor for a day, Lisa Steen Riggs.
As usual, all new inductees were taken on a tour of both the old and new parts of Aalborg, though due to time constraints, it was the shorter version of the tour.
All thirty-six new inductees were in high spirits, which only increased when the Guild's splendid dinner was served, especially when the Guild Troubadours played, encouraging everyone to join in the songs from the Guild's songbook.
The next item on the agenda for everyone was the Tent Lunch in Rebild.
This year's Tent Lunch saw over seven hundred attendees. Here, too, Christian IV's Guild is a tradition, as the Guild customarily has a segment during the lunch where various individuals are honored with a C4 tie or a C4 scarf.
After the Tent Lunch, it was off to the hills to listen to the speakers of the year and the musical entertainment.
A note on the weather for this year’s 4th of July celebration: recent years have seen formidable rainstorms, and in one year, the event was postponed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain. This year was different; from around noon, it was dry and sunny until about half an hour into the program in the hills, when rain made its appearance. However, it was not a total downpour, so weather-wise, the day saw improvements. Let’s hope this trend continues to improve next year.
See the photos HERE
Photo: Private
Jens Bang's impressive stone house on Nytorv in Aalborg has stood for 400 years this year. The remarkable building, which was almost Aalborg’s first 
skyscraper at its inception, has been bustling with life and activity throughout the years.
Christian IV’s Guild was established in a dark time, in 1942 during World War II. The guild was housed in Duus Wine Cellar and aimed to create a sanctuary for true Danes and to help and support families in Aalborg during the war. Due to the Germans and a sabotage attack on the wine cellar, access to the guild was granted only to true Danes via “The Secret Passage,” which only members had the key to. To this day, the golden C4 key is the visible proof of membership in the guild and still works for the aforementioned “Secret Passage.”
After World War II, the guild believed it had fulfilled its mission, but Aalborg City Council encouraged the guild to continue its work, both in terms of charitable activities and as a DISTINCTIVE Aalborg event. Since then, the guild has annually inducted new members from both home and abroad.
Each year, the guild also distributes many donations to social, humanitarian, and cultural purposes to associations and individuals whose work the guild wishes to support, as well as to special events such as the birth of triplets or quadruplets and significant life-saving events.
All these activities are made possible through members’ fees for joining the guild.In celebration of Jens Bang’s Stone House’s 400th anniversary and having resided in the house for 82 years, Christian IV’s Guild offers inductions to all:
**Jubilee Inductions in Christian IV’s Guild**
- Saturday, August 10, 2024, at 09:30 AM or
- Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 09:30 AM
The inductions will take place as usual in Duus Wine Cellar, Østerå 9, 9000 Aalborg.
An induction typically lasts about 2 hours - the jubilee price per participant is DKK 400.00, which includes the induction itself with the presentation of the golden key, refreshments including 1 beer/water and 1 schnapps, and a golden C4 pin to wear on clothing.
Come and participate - but be aware that there are limited spaces, as only 30 people can be inducted at a time - a total of 60 people. Therefore, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis for registration.
If you would like to be a member of Christian IV’s Guild and thereby support the guild and its charitable activities - THEN REGISTER NOW AND NO LATER THAN August 2, 2024, with your name, phone number, and/or email to our Guild Cellar Master Ole Bech Kristensen at email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Aalborg Prize 2023 was awarded to the Psychiatry House.
The Psychiatry House emerged from a unique collaboration between the Municipality of Aalborg and the North Jutland Region, along with several user groups.
The prize was originally supposed to be presented at the Guild Assembly in February, but unfortunately, the leader Mette Holm Larsen was unable to attend.
On Tuesday, May 27, Vice Chief Bencher Jens-Christian Schmidt, Master of Ceremony Sv. Aage Suhr, Guild cellar master Ole B. Kristensen, and Chief Bencher Niels Voss Hansen, along with Mette Holm Larsen, gathered for a small ceremony in our Guild Room where the amount of DKK 5,000 was presented.
The inauguration was witnessed by several hundred citizens, including Mayor Per Bach Laursen, the director of "the real Rundetårn in Copenhagen," Jeanette Bursche, and the head of communication, Rasmus Agertoft.
The Rundetårn in Løgstør was established in honor of the relatively unknown Løgstør native, Peder Nielsen Horrebow. Born into a poor fishing family in Løgstør, Horrebow later became an astronomer and eventually the director of Rundetårn in Copenhagen.
The idea to honor Peder Nielsen Horrebow by constructing another Rundetårn was proposed by Jens Aa. V. Schultz, now a local resident in the Løgstør area. Schultz, with his past as Prior of the Aalborg Monastery and a member of the board of Christian IV's Guild, was aware of the Guild's possession of a royal costume of Christian IV, originally sewn at the Royal Theater’s tailor shop for the opera singer Ove Verner Hansen.
Thus, Jens commissioned a replica of Christian IV to participate in the inauguration of the new Rundetårn (the Jutland version).
As a result, Christian IV could participate alongside the brothers of Christian IV's Guild, contributing to a historical retrospective. Christian IV assisted the director of the Rundetårn (the one in Copenhagen), Jeanette Bursche, as she cut the red ribbon marking the inauguration of the new Rundetårn, which is an exact 1:10 scale replica.
The area where the tower stands will soon be transformed into a park, situated between the town and the fjord, where the Rundetårn is expected to attract visitors to the town. Additionally, the Rundetårn is anticipated to be beneficial for other events.
The tower was inaugurated on Peder Nielsen Horrebow’s 345th birthday.
The new Rundetårn was built by bricklayer Peter Høvring, a native of Løgstør.
Thus, Christian IV's Guild, with King Christian IV at the forefront, clearly contributed to giving the inauguration a historical touch and made the day a bit brighter.
See the pictures here
Photo: Private