The following lists events that happened during 2008 in Denmark.

Incumbents

* Monarch –

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent fema ...

* Prime minister –

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 24th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became CEO of polit ...

Events

February

* 16 February – The Royal Playhouse on

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

's waterfront is inaugurated with the play

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, featuring

Nicolas Bro Nicolas Bro (born 16 March 1972) is a Danish actor born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Background Bro grew up in a family of actors; his mother is Danish actress Helle Hertz and father is the actor Christoffer Bro. His brother Anders Peter Bro is a ...

in the title role.

May

* 1 May – Han Kjøbenhavn is founded. * 24 May – Prince Joachim marries Marie Cavallier in

Møgeltønder Møgeltønder () is a small town in Denmark, located in Møgeltønder Parish and Tønder Municipality in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland 5 kilometres north of the Danish-German border and 4 kilometres west of Tønde ...

June

* 2 June – A suicide bomber strikes outside the Danish embassy in the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

i capital

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

with at least eight people dead. * 4 June – al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the 2008 Danish embassy bombing stating it was revenge for the

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamma ...

October

* Realfiction company is founded in Copenhagen.

Date unknown

* The 25 øre coin is demonetised as the lowest-denomination coin in the country. It has been in circulation since 1874, when it was introduced on the decimalisation of the krone.

The arts

Architecture

* 27 June –

Lundgaard & Tranberg Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter is a Danish architectural firm, based in Copenhagen Denmark. It is most noted for the Tietgenkollegiet student housing in Ørestad from 2006 and the Royal Danish Playhouse on the Copenhagen harbourfront from 2008 ...

's Royal Playhouse in Copenhagen wins a 2008 RIBA European Award at the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

' annual awards ceremony in London. * 23 October – Schmidt hammer lassen's Performers House in

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).5th LEAF Awards in London.

Film

* September –

Per Fly Per Fly Plejdrup (born 14 January 1960) is a Danish film director, generally credited simply as Per Fly. He has made many films and television shows broadcast on Danish television. Per Fly's awards includes the Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize ...

's film '' Manslaughter'' wins the 2005 Nordic Council Film Prize.

Literature

Media

* 8 February – Erik Refner from ''

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

'' wins 1st prize in the Sports Features Stories category in the 51st

World Press Photo Contest World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...

for a photo series of exhausted runners in

Copenhagen Marathon The Copenhagen Marathon is an annual marathon that takes place on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in 1980, it is held in May and has around 10,000 participants. It is a World Athletics Bronze Label race. The course is a mos ...

Music

* 19 November –

MGP Nordic 2008 Melodi Grand Prix Nordic 2008 was the fourth Nordic Melodi Grand Prix, a Scandinavian song contest for children aged 8 to 15. The contest was held on November 29, 2008 in Aarhus, Denmark and the participating countries were Norway, Sweden, Denmark ...

is held in

Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

Sport

* 8–24 August – Denmark participates at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China: two gold medals, two silver medals, two bronze medals.

Badminton

* 9 March – Tine Rasmussen wins gold in women's singles at the All England Open badminton tournament. * 16–20 April – The 21st European Badminton Championships are arranged in Herning, Denmark. With three gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals, Denmark finishes as the best nation.

Football

* 1 May – Brøndby IF wins the

2007–08 Danish Cup The 2007–08 Danish Cup was the 54th version of the Danish Cup. The first round were played about August 7 and the final was played on May 1. The winner qualified for the UEFA Cup. Fixtures and results The team listed to the left, is the home t ...

by defeating

Esbjerg fB Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the Danish football league system. Found ...

3–2 in the final. * 6 September –

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

draws 0–0 in an away game against

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. * 10 September – Denmark defeats

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

3–2 in Lisbon in the second round of World Cup qualification. * 11 October – Denmark defeats

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

3–0 at

Parken Stadium Parken Stadium, also known simply as Parken and as Telia Parken (2014–2020), is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (''Inner Østerbro'') district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990 to 1992. The stadium, which features a retractable ...

, Copenhagen, in the third round of qualification.

Handball

* 27 January –

wins the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship, arranged in Norway, after defeating

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

in the final.

Motorsports

* 19 July –

wins the

2008 Speedway World Cup The 2008 FIM Nordicbet Speedway World Cup (SWC) is the 8th FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on July 19 2008 in Vojens, Denmark. The tournament was won by host team Denmark (49 pts) and they beat defending champion Poland (46 pt ...

final in

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Nicki Pedersen Nicki Pedersen (born 2 April 1977) is a Danish motorcycle speedway rider. He has won the World Championship in 2003, 2007 and 2008 and was a World Cup winner with Denmark in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014. His brother, R ...

becomes world champion in speedway by winning the

2008 Speedway Grand Prix The 2008 Speedway Grand Prix was the 63rd edition of the official World Championship and the 14th season in the Speedway Grand Prix used to determine the Speedway World Champion. It was the second under the promotion of IMG. Event format The fo ...

series.

Other

* 13–24 March

Lotte Friis Lotte Friis (born 9 February 1988) is a Danish competitive swimmer from Allerød Municipality. Career Friis was born in Blovstrød. Finishing third in the 1500 metre freestyle competition at the European Championships 2008 in Eindhoven she wo ...

wins a bronze medal in 1,500 m freestyle at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships. * 8 June –

Matti Breschel Matti Breschel (born 31 August 1984) is a Danish retired professional road racing cyclist, who competed between 2005 and 2019 for the , , and teams. Career Junior career Born in Ballerup, Breschel got his breakthrough with small Danish Tea ...

wins the

Philadelphia International Championship The Philadelphia International Championship was an annual bicycle race held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was described as "America's top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Euro ...

in cycle racing. * 15 June –

Tom Kristensen Tom Kristensen (born 7 July 1967) is a Danish former racing driver. He holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine, six of which were consecutive (from 2000 to 2005). In 1997, he won the race with the Joest Racing te ...

wins Le Mans for the 8th time when he wins the

2008 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was atte ...

with Audi Sport North America. * 29 September –

wins bronze in men's road race at the

2008 UCI Road World Championships The 2008 UCI Road World Championships took place in Varese, Italy, between September 23 and September 28, 2008. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women and men under 23. Qualification Participating nations Cyclists fro ...

in Italy. * 2 November –

Søren Kjeldsen Søren Kjeldsen (; born 17 May 1975) is a Danish golfer who plays on the European Tour. Professional career Kjeldsen turned professional in 1995. Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included his first victory as a ...

wins the 21st and final Volvo Masters at Valderrama Golf Club in

Andalucia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

at eight under par.

Births

* 29 June – Prince Aristidis-Stavros of Greece and Denmark, youngest child of

Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece ( el, Παύλος; born 20 May 1967) is the eldest son and second child of Constantine II, the last King of Greece from 1964 to 1973 and his wife, Anne-Marie of Denmark. He was heir apparent to the throne of G ...

, and Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece

Deaths

* 16 January – Otto Steen Due, classical philologist (born 1939) * 10 February –

Inga Nielsen Inga Nielsen (2 June 1946 – 10 February 2008) was a Danish soprano who had an active international opera career from 1971 to 2006. A child prodigy, Nielsen performed on American radio during the 1950s, beginning at the age of six, and also ...

, opera singer (born 1946) * 26 February – Bodil Udsen, actress (born 1925) * 28 February – Ove Guldberg, politician (born 1918) * 27 March – Hans Chr. Ægidius, actor, writer and filmmaker (born 1933) * 29 March – Mette Koefoed Bjørnsen, author, conciliator and economist (died 1920) * 29 April – Claus Nissen, actor (born 1938) * 11 May – Ole Fritsen, footballer (born 1941) * 21 May – Ernst Meyer, actor (born 1932) * 1 July – Mogens Glistrup, politician (born 1926) * 5 July – Thomas Winding, author, radiohost and television producer * 10 July –

Jakob Ejersbo Jakob Ejersbo (6 April 1968, in Rødovre – 10 July 2008, in Aalborg) was a Danish journalist and writer. His work is considered modern and neorealistic. Authoring the immensely popular novel, '' Nordkraft'', which sold more than 100,000 copies, ...

, journalist and author (born 1968) * 16 August – Otto Leisner, television presenter (born 1917) * 11 September – Preben Møller Hansen, writer, cook, politician, and trade unionist (born 1929) * 20 September – Kamilla Bech Holten, television presenter and actress (born 1972) * 1 November – Eric Danielsen, news anchor (born 1920) * 16 November – Hilmer Hassig, musician (born 1960) * 28 November –

Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...

, architect (born 1918)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008 In Denmark

Years of the 21st century in Denmark 2000s in Denmark