Esbjerg (, ) is a

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

peninsula in southwest

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 ...

. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of

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

. With an urban population of 71,698 (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 ...

it is the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in West Jutland. Before a decision was made to establish a

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

(now the second largest in Denmark) at Esbjerg in 1868, the area consisted of only a few farms. Esbjerg developed quickly with the population rising to 13,000 by 1901 and 70,000 by 1970. In addition to its fishing and shipping activities, it also became an important centre for agricultural exports. Over the years, many of the city's visitors have arrived by ferry from

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England, but this service closed in September 2014 having run since 1875. The harbour facilities are being expanded to answer the needs of the wind-turbine industry and

container shipping Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers and ISO containers). Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the pro ...

traffic. Esbjerg is served by

Esbjerg Airport Esbjerg Airport ( da, Esbjerg Lufthavn) is a small airport located 5 nautical miles (9.2 km) northeast of Esbjerg, Denmark. The airport was opened on April 4, 1971. The primary use of Esbjerg Airport is as a heliport for flying offshore out ...

with flights to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland and

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, Norway. The town has several notable museums and entertainment venues, including Esbjerg Art Museum, Esbjerg Museum and the privately owned Fisheries and Maritime Museum. The Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre was completed in 1997 to designs by

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

and Jørn Utzon. When approached by sea, the '' Man Meets the Sea'' is one of the prominent monuments, consisting of four 9-metre-tall (27 feet) white-coloured men, overlooking Sædding Beach. The sculpture was designed by

Svend Wiig Hansen Svend Wiig Hansen (20 December 1922 – 15 March 1997) was a Danish sculptor and painter. Biography Wiig Hansen was born in Møgeltønder. He was initially undecided about his career, working as a circus clown and a singer until a job requiring hi ...

and installed in 1995. Esbjerg hosts branches of the University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University, and is increasingly recognized for its university facilities and sporting activities. It is home to the Danish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club

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. Foun ...

, who play their home matches at

Blue Water Arena The Esbjerg Stadium ( da, Esbjerg Stadion), known as the Blue Water Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium located within Esbjerg Idrætspark in Esbjerg, Denmark. It is the home ground of Esbjerg fB and has a capacity of 16,942, of w ...

, and also has an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

division called

Esbjerg Elite Ishockey The Esbjerg Energy is a Danish professional ice hockey team based in Esbjerg, Denmark, playing in the Metal Ligaen, the top tier of Danish ice hockey. The club was founded in 2005 and play their home games in the Granly Hockey Arena which has a ca ...

, which plays at the

Granly Hockey Arena Granly Hockey Arena (also known as ''Esbjerg Skøjtehal'') is an ice hockey arena located in Esbjerg, Denmark. The arena opened in 1974 and has a capacity of 4,200 people. Its primary tenant is Esbjerg IK. The arena has been home to the ice hockey ...

History and economy

The town itself was not established until 1868 when it was built as a replacement for the harbour in Altona, which had previously been Denmark's most important

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

port but came under German control after the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...

in 1864. At the time, Esbjerg consisted of only a few farms. Developed under royal decree from 1868 until 1874, the

was officially opened in 1874, with rail connections to Varde and to Fredericia, an important hub on the east coast of

. Initial planning of the town was conducted by chartered surveyor H. Wilkens in 1870 with streets laid out in the form of a rectangular grid. The

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. From only 400 inhabitants at the beginning of the 1870s, the town and its population grew rapidly, with 1529 residents mentioned in 1880, and 4,211 in 1890. Esbjerg May 1945 (10308508233)

In 1893, Esbjerg became a municipality in its own right (initially known as Esbjerg Ladeplads), receiving the status and privileges of a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in 1899 and incorporating the parish of Jerne (east of the centre) in 1945. A number of institutions and facilities were soon established, including the courthouse and town hall (1891), the gas and waterworks (1896) and the power plant (1907). From the beginning of the 20th century, Esbjerg prospered not only as a fishing port but became one of the country's major export centres. Established in 1895 by nine local dairies, the butter-packaging factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employed some 150 workers until 1920, packing and dispatching butter for the London market. It was later extended to include egg marketing under the name Dansk Andels Ægeksport. Ultimately, it handled produce from 140 dairies spread across the whole of Jutland. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the town developed several agricultural industries, especially meat processing and packaging with a plant employing over 300. The slaughterhouse and meat packaging facility, Esbjerg Andels-Slagteri, established in 1887, became Denmark's sixth largest by 1962. It later became part of Vestjyske Slagterier in 1986, and in 2001, it was acquired by Danish Crown. Once Denmark's principal fishing port, the Port of Esbjerg is still a driving force for the town's economy. While it has a long history of ferry services to England, the town is by no means a tourist destination. ''

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...

'' remarked that "nobody comes to Esbjerg for a holiday, in fact, as with many industrial ports, most visitors rush through as quickly as possible". Esbjerg is the main town for Denmark's oil and offshore activities, with companies like

Maersk (), also known simply as Maersk (), is a Danish shipping company, active in ocean and inland freight transportation and associated services, such as supply chain management and port operation. Maersk was the largest container shipping line a ...

Ramboll Rambøll Group A/S (also known as just "Ramboll") is a Danish consulting engineering group. History Rambøll was founded in October 1945 as "Rambøll & Hannemann" in Copenhagen. In 1991 the company merged with "B. Højlund Rasmussen A/S" into ...

, Stimwell Services, ABB,

Schlumberger Schlumberger Limited (), doing business as SLB, is an oilfield services company. Schlumberger has four principal executive offices located in Paris, Houston, London, and The Hague. Schlumberger is the world's largest offshore drilling compa ...

COWI COWI A/S is an international consulting group, specialising in engineering, environmental science and economics, with headquarters in Lyngby, Denmark. It has been involved in more than 50,000 projects in 175 countries and has approximately 7,300 em ...

and

Atkins Atkins may refer to: Places in the United States * Atkins, Arkansas, a city * Atkins, Iowa, a city * Atkins, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Nebraska, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Virginia, a census-designated place * ...

all having offshore-related activities in the town. Halliburton has an office in Esbjerg. The port has served the Danish offshore industry since

oil and gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

were first extracted from the

in the early 1970s. More recently, it has become a centre for shipping

offshore wind turbine Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of c ...

s. In addition to handling 65 percent of all Danish wind turbines, which supply of offshore wind power, components have been shipped to various British wind farms. In order to cope with enormous future increases in Danish offshore wind power, 12 companies, including

DONG Energy Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), princes ...

and Bluewater Energy Services are already planning the establishment of a Green Offshore Centre in Esbjerg. In connection with this, in June 2013, the port was significantly expanded with the opening of the Østhavn (East Harbour), covering an area of . Historically, in addition to its success as a fishing port, Esbjerg established its position as one of the country's major export centres. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, there was a large butter factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employing some 150 workers while after the war the town developed agricultural industries, especially for meat processing and packaging with a plant employing over 300. Latterly owned by Danish Crown and employing 500, the plant closed in May 2012. More recently, Esbjerg has grown into an important centre for education with campuses belonging to the University of Southern Denmark (1998) and Aalborg University (1995). The town holds an annual music festival spanning two weekends (nine days) in mid-August. It is focused around the central Torvet Square which hosts the main stage. The music includes everything from church concerts to opera and pop.

Geography

The town is situated on the southwestern coast of Denmark, and is a port on the

. By road, it is west of Kolding, southwest of

, west of

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 ...

and southwest 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 ...

. By sea, it is situated roughly northeast of Harwich, England. As a result of planned development, the older sections of the town look like a chessboard with long, wide streets with rectangular corners. The high ground of Esbjerg stretches along the east coast of the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

(now a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

) between the rivers of Varde and Sneum, encompassing the coastal area of

Ho Bugt Ho Bay ( da, Ho Bugt) is a Danish bay with an approximate area of . It constitutes the northern end of the Wadden Sea, and lies between Skallingen in the southwest, Ho in the west, Oksbøl to the north and Hjerting to the east. At the northeaster ...

and the seaside district of

Hjerting Hjerting is a district of Esbjerg in southwest Jutland, Denmark, some north of the centre. As of 2011, it has 7,289 inhabitants. With a history as a fishing village going back some 700 years it is now an exclusive suburb with views over the sand ...

to the north. Opposite Esbjerg, across Fanø Bay, is the island of Fanø, , with Nordby as its principal settlement, connected to Esbjerg by ferry. To the west of Esbjerg, the town boundary is defined by a number of small streams. The highest point is some above sea level. The town is located on top of steep slopes leading down to the flatlands of the harbour area. The built-up area itself is not very hilly but there are considerable differences in terrain. Apart from the cliff in the town park overlooking the harbour, the valley of Fourfelt Bæk, in length, is the main feature of the landscape, resulting in differences of up to with the surroundings.

Climate

Esbjerg experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb in the Köppen classification; Do in the Trewartha climate classification) due to its geographical location, being next to the

. Due to the presence of the sea's temperate marine currents, the city sees warm summers and rather mild winters, moderating the weather in all seasons to be mild. Unlike Denmark's eastern portion (which consists of islands), the city hardly sees any continental influences to its weather.

Demographics and administration

As of 1 January 2019, Esbjerg has a population of 72,168, making it the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in west Jutland. Until the harbour was developed in the 1860s, the area was sparsely inhabited with just a few farms. Thereafter, it grew rapidly: by 1880, there were some 1,500 inhabitants, rising to some 13,000 by 1901 when it was already larger than neighbouring Varde and Ribe. By the end of the 1950s, with almost 60,000 inhabitants, it had become Denmark's fifth-largest city. By 1970, Esbjerg had seen a fivefold increase in population since 1901, reaching some 70,000. After 1970, the increase in population slowed, reaching a maximum of 18,023 in 1998. Esbjerg HarbourfromWatertower

In contrast to Denmark's four largest cities (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense) where there were substantial increases in population between the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014, Esbjerg Municipality experienced an increase of only 44 inhabitants (from 115,051 to 115,095) over the same period. In May 2014, Esbjerg was noted to be one of the least attractive of Denmark's top 20 cities for house purchases and apartment rentals, dropping to 19th place, along with

Herning Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)Venstre, Liberal Party of Denmark and nine, Social Democrats. The mayor, also from the Venstre, Liberal Party, is

Johnny Søtrup Johnny Søtrup (born 21 July 1949) is a Danish politician. A member of Venstre, Denmark's Liberal Party, he has been mayor of Esbjerg since 1994. Career as Esbjerg's mayor In 1994, against all expectations, Søtrup was elected mayor of Esbjerg in ...

, who has been mayor of both the former municipality in the period 1994 to 2006 and subsequently in the expanded municipality since the beginning of 2007. There are also eight special committees which prepare the work of the council covering the areas of finance, labour market, health, children & family, culture & leisure, planning & environment, social services, and technology & supply.

Mayors of Esbjerg since 1898

Mayors of Esbjerg since 1898:

Landmarks

The old

Courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

on the main square was designed by Hans Christian Amberg and completed in 1892 when the town had only 4,000 inhabitants. The red-brick building with

stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a ...

s, round-arched windows and a tower reaching 30 m (98 ft) in height resembles a medieval castle. After comprehensive renovation work in 2010, it is now used as a venue for weddings and houses the tourist office. '' Man Meets the Sea'' (''Mennesket ved Havet'') is a monument of four 9-metre-tall (27 feet) white-coloured men located to the west of Esbjerg, overlooking Sædding Beach. One of the area's major tourist attractions, the sculpture was designed by

and installed on 28 October 1995. It was funded by the Esbjerg Municipality authorities, the Kunstfond arts foundation and private sponsors to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the municipality in 1994. The monument can be seen by ferry leaving or entering Esbjerg. Esbjerg

The

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

from 1895 was designed by

Christian Hjerrild Clausen Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

who had been inspired by

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

's medieval Nassauer Haus. Standing at the top of a cliff, it commands excellent views of the city and the harbour from its platform which is open to the public. The imposing old Courthouse Building on the central square with its tall tower and

s has recently been fully renovated. A bronze equestrian statue of Christian IX, the founder of Esbjerg, stands at the centre of the square. The largest hotel in Esbjerg is Hotel Britannia. Other hotels in the city center includes Cabinn and Hotel Ansgar in Skolegade. Danhostel Esbjerg in a former high school is located about to the northwest of the city along Gammel Vardevej near sports facilities. An equivalent distance North are hotel and conference facilities at ECH Park. Most of the restaurants in Esbjerg are to the east of Torvet. Of particular note are ''Sand's Restaurant'' which serves

Danish cuisine Danish cuisine ( da, det danske køkken) originated from the peasant population's own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques developed in the late 19th century and the wider availability of goods during and after the Industrial Rev ...

such as

smørrebrød (; originally , "butter and bread") smørbrød "butter bread" (Norwegian language, Norwegian), is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisine of Denmark, cuisines of Denmark, Cuisine of Norway, Norway and Cuisine of Sweden, Sweden that usua ...

meatballs A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types ...

, smoked eels and the fried beef patty '' pariserbof'', and the ''Paddy Go Easy'' Irish pub near the main square. Housed in a listed building on the main square, '' Dronning Louise'' serves everything from full meals to sandwiches and occasionally offers live music.

Churches

The first church to be built in Esbjerg was the red-brick

Church of Our Saviour Church of Our Saviour (or Savior), Church of the Savio(u)r, Church of Our Merciful Savio(u)r, or variations thereof, may refer to many Christian churches dedicated to Our Saviour (Our Lord), including: Americas United States (by state) * Church ...

designed by Axel Møller, which was completed in 1887. In 1896, it was expanded with transepts and galleries on either side of the nave, doubling the seating capacity. Several more churches were established after the Second World War when there was a marked increase in the city's population. The first of these, the yellow-brick Trinity Church with its large triangular

stained-glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

, was designed to accommodate a large congregation while offering additional facilities for both young and old. Breaking with tradition, its square-shaped nave was built directly adjacent to lower ancillary buildings including a hall with a stage, meeting rooms and a kitchen. The bell tower stands alone, quite separate from the church. Sankt Nikolaj Kirke Esbjerg

St Nikolaj is a Roman Catholic church, built in 1969. Unusual for a church, it is built of aerated concrete. Its innovative square-shaped design by

Johan Otto von Spreckelsen Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 — 16 March 1987) was a Danish architect, best known for designing the Grande Arche of La Défense in Puteaux, near Paris. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark. Life He was b ...

served as a basis for his

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

in Paris. The dimensions of the inner cube of St Nikolaj Church are very close to those of the "holy of holies" in

Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...

as described in

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...

40:5. The modern red-brick

Grundtvig's Church Grundtvig's Church ( da, Grundtvigs Kirke) is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its originality, it is one of the best known churches in the city. History ...

, southeast of the town centre, was designed by Ole Nielsen. With its strangely shaped, red-tiled roof, it was completed in 1969. Inside, the large wall surfaces are broken only by 12 narrow windows on the east side, creating a contrast with the much brighter tower room which opens into the chancel with light entering from a window high on the east side of the tower. Designed by Inger and Johannes Exner,

Sædden Church Sædden Church ( da, Sædden Kirke) is a Church of Denmark church in Esbjerg in the southwest of Jutland, Denmark. Designed by Inger and Johannes Exner, the almost cube-shaped building with a tall, free-standing bell tower was completed and conse ...

with wave-like folds in its red-brick walls was inaugurated in 1978. Daylight focusing on the altar is supplemented by 803 electric light bulbs. Gjesing Church, a red-brick building north of the city centre, was completed 1983. Like many other modern churches in the area, it has a free-standing bell tower as well as a church hall and meeting rooms. Other churches include Zion's Church and Jerne Church. Also built in a style akin to the

Neo-Gothic architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

of churches, the Bethania Mission House opposite the Church of our Saviour was completed in 1906 by Clausen.

Museums and theatres

The municipality has a number of museums, libraries and music and drama venues. The Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre (''Musikhuset Esbjerg'') is a complex with two auditoriums. Its concert hall, with seating for over 1,100, can also be adapted for theatrical productions. Completed in 1997 to designs by

Jan Utzon Jan Utzon (born 1944) is a Danish architect. The son of Jørn Utzon, with whom he worked closely on several prestigious projects, he has completed a number of fine works of his own including the Performing Arts Centre in Esbjerg.

and

his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

, it hosts classical concerts, opera, family shows and drama productions. Located in the City Park close to the harbour, it forms part of a complex which includes the Esbjerg Art Museum (''Esbjerg Kunstmuseum'') displaying works from artists including Asger Jorn. The museum also regularly hosts temporary international exhibitions. The privately owned Fisheries and Maritime Museum, which opened in 1968, consists of a saltwater aquarium and a seal tank as well as indoor and outdoor exhibitions on Danish fisheries and shipping. Esbjerg Museum in the city centre has permanent collections covering the history of the city and the surrounding region. It includes displays from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and the

Viking Period The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

as well as a large exhibition of

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 ...

. The Printing Museum traces the history of the art of printing from the beginning of the 20th century until it was replaced by modern technology. The collection includes a variety of machines and equipment used to print books and newspapers, mainly from Germany and Denmark. The Lightship Museum (''Museumsfyrskib'') in the harbour is open to the public on board the ''Horns Rev'' lightship. Dating from 1912, the ''Horns Rev'', also known as ''Motorfyrskibet Nr. I'', is the world's oldest and best preserved motor lightship. It houses an impressive exhibition of life and work on board.

Education and sport

Esbjerg is used to name a section in one of the prestigious Academy in asia which is MAAP and the ESBJERG 2020 is the best section of all time. Esbjerg is one of the towns hosting the University of Southern Denmark. It also houses a branch of Aalborg University and IT Academy West. The main branch of Profession School – University College West (Danish:

Professionshøjskolen University College Vest West Jutland University College ( da, Professionshøjskolen University College Vest) was one of eight new regional organizations of different study sites in Denmark ( da, professionshøjskoler) offering bachelor courses of all kinds in the western ...

) and the Esbjerg section of the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, housed in a former power station, are also located in the city. The town is served by the Southwest Jutland Hospital (Sydvestjysk Sygehus) which also has a branch in

Brande Brande is a railway town with a population of 7,449 (1 January 2022)football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club

, established in 1924 and known as EfB for short. The club has won the Danish Championship five times, in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1979. Esbjerg fB play their home matches at

. Esbjerg also has an

division called

which plays at the

. Granly Hockey Arena was built in 1976 and has a seating capacity for 3417 people. In 2011 the arena was the venue for the

2011 Capital One World Women's Curling Championship The 2011 World Women's Curling Championship (branded as Capital One World Women's Curling Championship 2011 for sponsorship reasons) was held in Esbjerg, Denmark at the Granly Hockey Arena from March 19–27, 2011. The Swedish rink skipped by Anett ...

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

in Esbjerg is represented by Esbjerg RK, who play at Guldager Idrætscenter. Esbjerg also has its own

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

team, which were crowned Danish League Champions in 2012.

Transport

The port town of Esbjerg is a large transport hub for both rail and road traffic, and an important port for Danish North Sea oil offshore activity. It is also served by

with flights to Aberdeen and Stavanger, while the nearby Billund Airport offers additional travel options. Esbjerg - Hauptbahnhof3

Esbjerg Station is operated by

Danish State Railways DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goo ...

. The station is the western terminus of

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

trains from

(operating once an hour), with a journey time of about three hours. DSB also operates local trains to Fredericia. Arriva operates the Vestbanen with local trains travelling south to Ribe and

Tønder Tønder (; german: Tondern ) is a town in the Region of Southern Denmark. With a population of 7,505 (as of 1 January 2022), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the Tønder Municipality. History The first mention of Tønder might ...

and north to Struer.

Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

services connect Esbjerg via Ho Bugt to Nordby on the island of Fanø via

Danske Færger Danske Færger (English language, English. Danish Ferries), styled as Færgen (English: The Ferry) was a Denmark, Danish ferry company. It was created on 1 October 2011 through the merger of Bornholmstrafikken and Scandlines' internal Danish activ ...

. From 1875 until 2014 a passenger service operated over the North Sea to the English port of

via DFDS Seaways, formerly Scandinavian Seaways. The '' MS Winston Churchill'' began service between the two ports in 1967, and served until 1978 when it was transferred to the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

service. The crossings were discontinued at the end of September 2014 although a freight service is still available on the route from Esbjerg to

Immingham Immingham is a town, civil parish and ward in the North East Lincolnshire unitary authority of England. It is situated on the south-west bank of the Humber Estuary, and is north-west from Grimsby. The region was relatively unpopulated and un ...

. DFDS cited "dwindling demand and high costs" as the chief reasons for the closure of the route.

Esbjerg Harbour The Port of Esbjerg on the southwest coast of Jutland is a competitor to Aarhus and Hamburg for freight. Built by the State in 1868, it was once Denmark's principal fishing harbour but today has become Europe's leading port for shipping offshore ...

is the second largest harbour in Denmark (after

). It serves

Maersk Drilling Maersk Drilling is a drilling-rig operator based in Lyngby, Denmark. Established in 1972, the company is a Nasdaq Copenhagen–listed company with the ticket name 'DRLCO'. In November 2021, it was announced that Maersk Drilling will merge with No ...

headquarters, and the regional commuter Esbjerg–Fanø–Esbjerg. For those arriving by pleasure craft, there is a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

along Pier No. 1 with 198 mooring places. The Østhavn (“East Harbour”) opened in June 2013, while construction of a new freight terminal in the Sydhavn section of the harbour is scheduled for 2014.

Notable people

* Hieronymus Georg Zeuthen (1839–1920), mathematician * Henry Dunker (1870–1962), Swedish businessman and industrialist *

Harald Salling-Mortensen Harald Søren Salling-Mortensen (1902–1969) was a Danish architect who mainly worked in an around Aarhus in the first half of the 20th century. He designed several important buildings in the city and his style reflects the development of Danish ...

(1902–1967), architect *

Else Christensen Else Christensen (1913–2005) was a Danish proponent of the modern Pagan new religious movement of Heathenry. She established a Heathen organisation known as the Odinist Fellowship in the United States, where she lived for much of her life. ...

(1913–2005), proponent of

modern Paganism Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

and Heathenry in the USA * Camma Larsen-Ledet (1915–1991), politician, Mayor of Aabenraa 1970–1986 * Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (born 1943), Prime Minister of Denmark 1993–2001 *

Birte Siim Birte Siim (born 1945) is a Danish political scientist specializing in gender studies. From 2004 to 2018, she was professor at the Institute for Culture and Global Studies at Aalborg University where she managed FREIA, the Centre of Gender Resear ...

(born 1945), political scientist specializing in

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

(born 1949), politician *

Finn Nørbygaard Finn Nørbygaard (born 8 March 1952, Esbjerg) is a Danish actor, entertainer, musician and psychotherapist. Nørbygaard was originally educated as a school teacher but had his breakthrough in a TV role as a bus conductor with Jacob Haugaard wherei ...

(born 1952), actor, entertainer and musician * Lene Buhl-Mortensen (born 1956), Dano-Norwegian marine biologist *

Søren Østergaard Søren Østergaard (born 11 May 1957, in Esbjerg) is a Danish film, television and stage actor. Selected filmography * '' Facing the Truth'' (2002) * '' Pain of Love'' (1992) Awards * Bodil Award for Best Actor for Pain of Love (1993) Exte ...

(born 1957), actor * Anne Lise Kjaer (born 1962), future narrator based in London * Gregers Brinch (born 1964), composer * Henrik Olesen (born 1967), artist *

Sonja Richter Sonja Richter (born 4 January 1974) is a Danish actress. She is best known for her performance in the 2002 film ''Open Hearts'' by Susanne Bier, for which she was nominated for both the Bodil Award and the Robert Award. In a career which has so ...

(born 1974), actress * Michael Noer (born 1978), film director

Sport

* Hvitfeldt Hansen (1890–1964), wrestler *

Jens Petersen Jens Petersen (22 December 1941 – 8 March 2012) was a Danish football player and manager. He was born in Esbjerg. During his playing career he played as a defender for Esbjerg fB and Varde IF in Denmark, Aberdeen in Scotland, SK Rapid Wien in ...

(1941–2012), football player and manager * Erik Gundersen (born 1959), motorcycle speedway rider *

Michael Schjønberg Michael Schjønberg Christensen (born 19 January 1967) is a Danish Association football, football manager, club official, and former player. He is currently in charge of Faroese club 07 Vestur. During his active career, he played more than 100 ...

(born 1967), football player and manager *

Peter Skov-Jensen Peter Skov-Jensen (born June 9, 1971) is a Danish former professional football player who was a goalkeeper. He among others played for the German club VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga championship. He works a goalkeeper coach at BK Avarta. Skov-Jense ...

(born 1971), footballer *

Allan Nielsen Allan Nielsen (born 13 March 1971) is a Danish former professional footballer whose most notable period of football was four years at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur with whom he won the 1999 League Cup, scoring the winning goa ...

(born 1971), footballer * Karina Lauridsen (born 1976), Paralympic athlete * Martin Jensen (born 1978), footballer *

Jerry Lucena Jerry Ruben Lucena (born 11 August 1980) is a retired Filipino footballer and currently the manager of the U19 squad of Esbjerg fB. He has represented the Philippines national football team at international level, having previously featured in ...

(born 1980), Filipino football player and manager *

Henning Bager Henning Bager (born 18 February 1981) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. Biography Bager was born in Esbjerg.motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

rider *

Niels Kristian Iversen Niels Kristian Trochmann Iversen (, born 20 June 1982 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is an international motorcycle speedway rider. He was part of the Danish teams that won the Speedway World Cup in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014. Early life ...

(born 1982), motorcycle speedway rider *

Søren Rieks Søren Krucov Rieks (; born 7 April 1987) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Malmö FF in Allsvenskan. He previously represented Esbjerg fB, NEC, and IFK Göteborg. A full international between 2009 and 2010, he has ...

(born 1987), footballer *

Philip Larsen Philip Elzer Gade Larsen (born 7 December 1989) is a Danish professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with Esbjerg Energy of the Metal Ligaen (DEN). He was originally drafted 149th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2008 NHL En ...

(born 1989), ice hockey player * Martin Braithwaite (born 1991), footballer * Stefan Nielsen (born 1994), British motorcycle speedway rider * Pernille Sørensen (born 1998), figure skater

Twin towns – sister cities

Esbjerg practices twinning on the municipal level. For the twin towns, see twin towns of Esbjerg Municipality.

References

;Bibliography * * * *

External links

*
Website of Esbjerg
* {{Authority control Esbjerg Municipality Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark Port cities and towns of the North Sea Port cities and towns in Denmark