Ingeborg in Smoke and Struggle

Author Lis Mikkelsen presents her new book Ingeborg in Smoke and Struggle, a portrait of the passionate pioneer Ingeborg Refslund Thomsen (1891-1972).

Ingeborg fought for women's rights and for the Danish minority in Sønderjylland. As a member of the Radical Left party, she became the first woman elected to the Foreign Policy Committee. She grew up near the community centre Folkehjem in Aabenraa and left her mark on local society - among other things by personally ringing doorbells to encourage women to run for the municipal council. Today she is one of the few women portrayed in the picture gallery at Folkehjem.

Lis Mikkelsen writes and communicates Sønderjylland history and received the Language Association's Language and Culture Prize 2026, where she was described as "farmer's wife, passionate communicator and spiritual revitalizer."