Aars or Års, () is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

town with a population of 8,474 (1 January 2022)BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark ( da, Danmarks Statistik) is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing and which reports to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating st ...

Himmerland Himmerland is a peninsula in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. It is delimited to the north and the west by the Limfjord, to the east by the Kattegat, and to the south by the Mariager Fjord. The largest city is Aalborg; smaller towns include Hobro, A ...

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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Administratively, Aars is the municipal seat of Vesthimmerland Municipality and biggest town of Vesthimmerland Municipality,

Region Nordjylland The North Jutland Region ( da, Region Nordjylland), or in some official sources, the North Denmark Region, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform, which abolished the tra ...

since 2007 and it was also the seat of the mayor in the now abolished

Aars Municipality Aars Municipality was formed by Kommunalreformen in 1970, which made the parishes into municipalities. Before the Municipalities of Denmark#Municipal Reform 2007, ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipality Reform") of 2007, it was a municipality (Dan ...

. The town was founded in the 14th century. It is one of the four principal towns of Vesthimmerland, the other ones being Farsø, Løgstør and

Aalestrup Aalestrup is a town in Vesthimmerland Municipality with a population of 2,780 (1 January 2022) in Region Nordjylland in Denmark. Facilities Aalestrup School has 294 students, divided into 0.-6. Class stage, as well as the SFO Kvisten. After grade ...

. Aars is a former railway town. It is currently the 76 largest city in Denmark just behind Ribe but in front of Helsinge on Zealand, Sjælland. It is the 11th biggest town/city in

in front of Skagen but just behind Sæby. The town has the nickname

Cimbri The Cimbri (Greek Κίμβροι, ''Kímbroi''; Latin ''Cimbri'') were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic people (or Gaulish), Germanic people, or even Cimmerian. Several ancient sources indicate that ...

's town (Danish: Kimbrenes by).

History

Name

The name Aars first appears in 1345. The site name researcher Svend Aakjær's statement was that it originates from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

/ Old English word árr or ármadr (Ar in old English). Which in Danish means the king's ombudsman or

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

. Another explanation is that it comes from the man name Aar / Ar.

Aars stone

At the church in Aars there is a rune stone with the following inscription: (front) Asser put this stone after his lord Valtoke, (backside) The stone proclaims that it will stand here for a long time, it should mention Valtoke's varie. Valtoke full name was

Valtoke Gormsson Toke (also known as Valtoke) was said to be Earl of Vendsyssel and even King or Earl of Scania. He has a rune stone in Aars near Aars church which is called the Aars stone which reads: (Front) Asser placed this stone in memory of Valtóki, his lo ...

but he was also called

Toke Gormsson Toke (also known as Valtoke) was said to be Earl of Vendsyssel and even King or Earl of Scania. He has a rune stone in Aars near Aars church which is called the Aars stone which reads: (Front) Asser placed this stone in memory of Valtóki, his lor ...

, and he was son of Gorm the old (Danish: Gorm den gamle). He died in the Battle of Fýrisvellir and the stone was raised near Aars because he was Earl of

Vendsyssel Vendsyssel () is the northernmost traditional district of Denmark and of Jutland. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island, but the name often used informally for the entire island. ...

which is not too far from Aars, but how it ended up in Aars is not known. The rune stone was rediscovered in Aars in 1654. It is believed to have originally stood north-east of the church, probably as part of a memorial assemblage comparable to the Jelling stones.

Års Herred

A herred is a form of

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. Års herred is known to have existed in 1345 and is believed to have come out of Hornum herred and Slet herred. From 1660, it was a part of Aalborghus Amt, but from 1970 to 2007, it was a part of

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

Amt until

Amt melted together with Hjørring Amt and created Nordjyllands Amt (English: North Jutland amt).

Railway town

In 1875, there were 782 residents in

Aars parish Aars or Års, () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 8,474 (1 January 2022)Hobro / Viborg via

to Løgstør. In 1899, Aars became

's railroad junction. The private railway Aars-

Nibe Nibe is a town with a population of 5,433 (1 January 2022),Svenstrup (-Aalborg) got a terminal here and was extended in 1910 from Aars to

Hvalpsund Hvalpsund is a ferry port in Himmerland with a population of 649 (1 January 2022), located 20 km west of Aalestrup, 12 km southwest of Farsø and 25 km southwest of Aars. The town belongs to the municipality of Vesthimmerland Municip ...

. The Great Rail Act of 1918 even opened the possibility that there should also be a Himmelland crossroads Aars-Arden-Bælum-Øster Hurup, but this course was never brought, like most projects in this law.

Railway was closed in 1969. As early as 1966, DSB's passenger traffic at Aars Station was terminated. The freight traffic Viborg-Løgstør continued with the expedition station in Aars, but ended in 1999. The station has been demolished, the track was taken up in 2006 and the former railway station is now shopstores. It will be used by the Himmerlands path to Viborg and Løgstør. Nature trail

Nibe Nibe is a town with a population of 5,433 (1 January 2022),Hvalpsund Hvalpsund is a ferry port in Himmerland with a population of 649 (1 January 2022), located 20 km west of Aalestrup, 12 km southwest of Farsø and 25 km southwest of Aars. The town belongs to the municipality of Vesthimmerland Municip ...

uses the railway line to Nibe, but follows Løgstørvej in the first 2 km towards Havbro.

Aars Municipality

was formed by Kommunalreformen in 1970 which made the Parishes into municipalities and in the Aars municipality the town of Aars was the head city/capital/municipal seat of the municipality. The municipality covered an area of 223 km² and had a total population of 13,284 in 2005. But in 2007, Aars Municipality ceased to exist and was merged with the former Farsø, Løgstør, and

municipalities to form the new Vesthimmerland Municipality, with an area of 768.08 km² (2013) and a total population of 38,277 (2008). The reason behind the merge was ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007) which merged many of the now former municipalities into bigger municipalities. Aars Municipality also had what is called a Municipality shield which was a Cimbrian bull (Danish:cimbrertyren) with a red background. The bull symbolized that the

were present in what was the area in Aars Municipality. Even though Aars Municipality is a thing of the past, the municipality shield can still be found around the city, for example in manhole covers and in the city entrance sign.

Excavation

The construction of a new bypass revealed 4000 year-old buildings. The archaeologists from Vesthimmerland Museum in Aars found a collection of houses they estimated to be around 4000 years old. However, there are only staggered tracks and other tracks, but overall, the findings show that the Aars area has been populated, and probably also densely populated for several thousands of years. They have found traces of more houses. They assume that at least five of the houses are simultaneous. There is a trace of the

plow A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

type called an ard. Other things have also been found at the old houses. There have been found remains of an

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

, ceramic cut, Flintafslags and two axes, a mountain axe and a single-grave axe.

Buildings

The church

Aars Church Aars Church ( da, Aars Kirke) is a Lutheran church in Aars, Vesthimmerland Municipality, North Denmark Region, Denmark. History and description The original church on the site, the church of the mediaeval Aars parish, was a Romanesque granite bu ...

is a Lutheran church. It was the church of the medieval . The original Romanesque building was extensively remodeled and was transformed into a cruciform church of considerable size in 1921. The oldest part is from around 1200. In 1937 Christian Andersen made the baptismal font.

The museum

Aars is renowned for the Vesthimmerlands Museum, with various exhibits on important regional cultural history and art. The museum was initiated in 1920 by

Johannes V. Jensen Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (20 January 1873 – 25 November 1950) was a Danish author, known as one of the great Danish writers of the first half of 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944 "for the rare strength and fert ...

, and eventually built in 1935. In 1999 the native artist

Per Kirkeby Per Kirkeby (1 September 1938 – 9 May 2018) was a Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor. Biography By the time Kirkeby completed a masters degree in arctic geology at the University of Copenhagen in 1964, he was already part of the ...

and architect Jens Bertelsen designed the new extension buildings and the museum has some of Per Kirkeby's artwork on display.

Water tower

The tower is called Aars water tower since it is located in Aars city. The tower is built right in the middle of a very old water tank from where the city's original water supply went out. As it sounds, it was Aars's water tower. The building has many beautiful handicrafts. In the past, the tower used to have a neon logo on top showing the

Cimbrian bull ''Cimbrian Bull'' ( da, Cimbrertyren) is 1937 bronze sculpture by Anders Bundgaard. located in central Aalborg, Denmark. It has become a symbol of the city of Aalborg as well as of the Himmerland region of northern Jutland. Sculpture The sculptu ...

from Aars and

coat of arm/shield, but it was taken down. The tower was also a shop where you could buy yarn and many other things like tea cups. But the shop moved away from the tower.

Aars Cinema

Aars Cinema is the local cinema and the only one in Aars. It is a union-driven cinema, where the tasks are mainly performed by volunteers. The cinema is located in Aars hovedgade (English: Main street). The building has a man on the front of the building and other part of the building is painted with persons, some of the people painted are from '' Olsen-banden'' and it the 3 main characters Egon, Benny and Kjeld. It has two halls to show films in. Every weekend there are children's movies on the program in the afternoon.

House of music

The ''Vesthimmerlands Musikhus ALFA'' began in 1995, when

drew sketches for a house of music to be built in Aars. As the economic conditions for such a project were not present at that time, the sketches were put away for a number of years, but in 2006, an opportunity emerged to realize the project. An EU grant of DKK 11.5 million became vacant, because the fiddle plug for the Aalborg House of Music ''

Musikkens Hus Musikkens Hus (House of Music) is a venue in Aalborg, Denmark. It is located at Musikkens Plads (Music Square) by the Limfjord in the new cultural center area of the city. Opened in March 2014, the building contains a concert hall and practice r ...

'' project was waiting. In addition, the ALFA project received a grant of DKK 3.2 million from the EU. In 2008, Vesthimmerlands Musikhus ALFA (aka. Musikhuset) was finished, designed by architectural firm

Kjær & Richter Kjær & Richter is a Danish architectural practice founded in 1967 by Werner Kjær (1924–1998) and Johan Richter (1925–1998). The company is an extension of the practice ''Richter & Gravers'' established by Johan Richter and Arne Gravers in 1 ...

in collaboration with Per Kirkeby. The ALFA House of Music comprise a concert hall with room for 420 guests and several teaching facilities. ALFA is an acronym for

, Løgstør, Farsø and Aars, the four largest towns in the Vesthimmerland municipality, thus symbolizing the regional status of this cultural center.

Education facilities

Aars School

Aars skole or Aars school is one of two city schools located in Aars city. The school has 574 students divided into kindergarten class to 9th grade. The school has 57 teachers employed. The school also has a SFO. Aars school has a range of offers for children with special needs in relation to language and reading, learning or social contact with other children and adults.

Østermarkskolen

Østermarkskolen is one of two city schools located in Aars city. The school has 645 students divided into

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

class to 9th grade. There are 45 teachers employed, 3 kindergarten class leaders, 15 educators, 1 school inspector, 1 deputy school inspector, 1 SFO leader, 1 SFO deputy head, 2 secretaries, 1 service manager, 1 service employee (part-time), 1 person in 50-50 job order, 5 people in flexjob, 6 cleaning assistants. The school has a permanent psychologist associated with pedagogical psychological counseling. The school also has a healthcare provider attached. The school also has SFO that have the nickname vulkanen (English: The

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

). Because the SFO had a hill which looked like a

. The hill has since been kinda removed. Østermarkskolen har også en

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course that came in 2016 and it was the idea of two teachers from the school, it was Lars Kjølby who is a

math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

sport teacher and Christian Bunk Svane who is a sports and

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

teacher.

Vestermarkskolen

Vestermarkskolen teaches Students with

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Down's Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...

and Multi-Disabled. In addition, a large number of students are taught without proper diagnosis. The teaching is organized with focus on the individual student's needs and opportunities. The teaching is therefore arranged differently for the students. Vestermarkskolen was founded in 1966 in Aars. At that time it consisted of a number of pavilions on the corner of the school where the school now remains. Vestermarkskolen was founded as one of several schools around

that was called: "de grønne skoler"(English: The green schools). The architect behind the schools was Erik Ejlers. He expressed himself Thus about the schools: "The purpose of this work is to achieve harmony with the area in which the school is to be placed. The urbanization means that these schools will lie in gardens - in the best sense of the word." Since 1966, major improvements have been made to the buildings and the areas around the buildings. They are proud of their frameworks and, they receive much recognition for those of daily users and guests. The school has a SFO.

Events

''Kimbrerfesten'' (Cimbri festival) is an annual festival in Aars since 1946. Until 2016, the festival was arranged in ''Anlægget'' (the facility), but has changed location to the ''Messecenter'' (Exhibition center) building. The festival has many things to try and see like bumper car, Trout fishing at Skøjtesøen, Tour de Aars (cycling race) and many more rides. The ''Messecenter'' has many events throughout the year, including an agricultural show.

Media

Aars has its own

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

– Aars Avis (English: Aars newspaper). Aars Avis is the local newspaper of the region. Here, readers can follow what happens in Vesthimmerland via the editorial articles of the newspaper and ads from businesses, associations and private parties. Aars Avis was released for the first time in 1927.

Mayors of Aars

Aars Municipality

Vesthimmerland Municipality

Notable people

Notable people from Aars parish include: *

Søren Gyldendal Søren Gyldendal (12 April 1742 – 8 February 1802) was a Danish bookstore owner who founded Gyldendal which became Denmark's largest publishing house. Biography Søren Jensen Gyldendal was born at Aars in Vesthimmerland, Denmark. Gyldendal ...

(1742 in Aars – 1802) a Danish bookstore owner who founded Gyldendal * Christen Christian Larsen (1816 in Stenildvad - 1891) a cripple and vagabond with enormous strength *

Børge Johannes Lauritsen Børge Johannes Lauritsen (22 October 1916 – 23 June 1944) was a merchant and member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power. Biography On 23 June 1944 Lauritsen and seven other members of the resistance were executed i ...

(1916 in Aars – 1944) a merchant and member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power *

Jørgen Rydder Jørgen Rydder (20 September 1923 – 23 June 1944) was a merchant and member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power. Biography On 23 June 1944 Rydder and seven other members of the resistance were executed in Ryvangen. ...

(1923 in Aars – 1944) a merchant and member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power. *

Per Pallesen Per Pallesen (born 30 April 1942) is a Danish actor. He has appeared in more than 35 films since 1967. Selected filmography * '' Onkel Joakims hemmelighed'' (1967) * '' Girls at Arms'' (1975) * '' Girls at Sea'' (1977) References External li ...

(born 1942 in Aars), actor and theater director *

Niels Holck Niels Holck, also known as Kim Peter Davy and Niels Christian Nielsen (born 1961 in Aars) is a Denmark, Danish activist, alleged terrorist and author known for his role in the Purulia arms drop case in India. He is author of the book ''De kalder m ...

(born 1961 in Aars) a Dane allegedly involved the

Purulia arms drop case The Purulia arms drop happened on 17 December 1995 when unauthorised arms were dropped from an Antonov An-26 aircraft in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The chief accused "Kim Davy" (real name Niels Holck, alias Niels Chris ...

in India

Sport

* Helle Simonsen (born 1976 in Aars) a Danish handball player *

Caroline Rask Caroline Rask (born 25 May 1994) is a Danish football midfielder who currently plays for PSV in the Netherlands. She has previously played for Fortuna Hjørring, and A.C. Milan and has also played for the Danish women's national team. Rask j ...

(born 1994 in Aars) a Danish football midfielder, plays for

Fortuna Hjørring Fortuna Hjørring is a women's association football team from Hjørring, Denmark. The club was formed in 1966 and play in green and white. Their biggest achievement in European football was reaching the 2002–03 UEFA Women's Cup final where they ...

Andreas Højsleth Andreas Højsleth, better known as Xyp9x (), is a Danish professional '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' player for Astralis. He became the first (along with three of his teammates) to win 4 majors in CS:GO, and to win 3 majors consecutively. ...

(born 1995) a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, brought up in Aars.

Twin towns and sister cities

* Skellefteå * Mo i Rana *

Lapinlahti Lapinlahti (; sv, Lapinlahti, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Northern Savonia region, located north of the city of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The populatio ...

Sigulda Sigulda (; german: Segewold, pl, Zygwold, russian: Сигулда) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Dev ...

Former twin towns and sister cities * Kopparberg (1945/46-2007)

Gallery

Image:AarsMuseum.jpg, Aars Museum. Image:Aars water tower.jpg, Aars water tower. Image:AarsErhvervsskolerne.jpg, Aars's vocational school. Image:AarsSkoleMMadsensVej.jpg, Aars school. Image:AarsVesthimmerlandsGymnasium.jpg, Vesthimmerlands Gymnasium.

Notes

References

External links

Vesthimmerlands Museum
Museumcentre Aars department for cultural history.
Vesthimmerland municipality's official website
* Municipal statistics
NetBorger Kommunefakta
delivered fro
KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
{{Authority control Municipal seats of the North Jutland Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Vesthimmerland Municipality Towns and settlements in Vesthimmerland Municipality

History

Name

Aars stone

Års Herred

Railway town

Aars Municipality

Excavation

Buildings

The church

The museum

Water tower

Aars Cinema

House of music

Education facilities

Aars School

Østermarkskolen

Vestermarkskolen

Events

Media

Mayors of Aars

Aars Municipality

Vesthimmerland Municipality

Notable people

Sport

Twin towns and sister cities

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links