LEGO Founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen's Early Life Detailed
The early years of LEGO Group founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen are detailed, from his childhood home to his apprenticeship and travels.
The formative years of Ole Kirk Kristiansen, born April 7, 1891, and the eventual founder of the LEGO Group, have been documented.
Kristiansen grew up in modest surroundings in Omvraa Mark, northwest of Billund, as one of 12 siblings. From the age of seven, he contributed to the household by herding livestock and working on nearby farms. He later apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner under his brother, Kresten Bonde Kristiansen, in Give, receiving his journeyman's certificate in 1911.
Following his apprenticeship, Kristiansen completed military service in Copenhagen and embarked on a traditional tradesman's journey through southern Jutland and the island of Als. He attended Haslev Technical School and was set to return to Give when World War I began in 1914. After a brief period of service, he traveled to Norway to work in a wood products factory, returning to Denmark in 1915.
These experiences precede Kristiansen's later success as a maker of wooden toys and his pivotal role in the development of the plastic interlocking bricks that made LEGO a global phenomenon.