Hedehusene is a suburban town located on the rail line between
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
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
in the
Capital Region
A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
of
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
...
. It has absorbed the villages of ''Baldersbrønde'' and
Fløng
Fløng is a small town in Denmark located on Zealand, situated between Copenhagen and Roskilde. The city has approximately 4,000 inhabitants.
Notable people
* Mikael Pedersen (1855 in Fløng - 1929) a Danish inventor of the Pedersen bicycle, a ...
and almost merged with Roskilde's eastern Trekroner neighbourhood to the west and
Høje Taastrup to the east. To the south is the large recreational area
Hedeland
Hedeland is a 15-square-kilometre recreational area located between the towns of Hedehusene, Tune and Vindinge, some 20 km west of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The undulating landscape has emerged as a result of comprehensive extraction of g ...
. As of 1 January 2022, the town had a population of 13,663. A large development project, NærHeden, created as a collaboration between Høje-Taastrup Municipality and
Realdania
Realdania is a private association in Denmark which supports projects in architecture and planning. It was established in 2000 following the sale of Realkredit Danmark to Danske Bank, when a fund of approximately 20 billion kroner (EUR 2.7 billio ...
, will expand the town to the southeast with a new sustainable neighbourhood.
History
The flat and fertile moraine landscape between Roskilde,
Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...
and Copenhagen was since the Middle Ages known as ''Hedeboegnen'' or simply Heden ("The Heath"). The name was merely a reference to the flat and open character of the landscape at a time when much of Denmark was covered by forest while it was not covered by
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
in the ecological sense of the word. Villages in the area included
Fløng
Fløng is a small town in Denmark located on Zealand, situated between Copenhagen and Roskilde. The city has approximately 4,000 inhabitants.
Notable people
* Mikael Pedersen (1855 in Fløng - 1929) a Danish inventor of the Pedersen bicycle, a ...
, Kallerrup, Baldersbrønde and Marbjerg.
A road had since the 13th century connected Copenhagen and Roskilde. In 1641,
Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
ordered the construction of a new, private road, Roskilde Kongevej, a so-called ''kongevej'', which was completed in 1642. A house known as Kongens Hedehus ("The King's Heath House"), often referred to simply as Hedehuset ("The Heath House") built for a
Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
(''foged'') who was responsible for overseeing that only royalty or people authorized by the king used the road. He was instructed to prosecute trespassers and shoot their horses. A special key was made for the gate at the Heath House and another one for the gate at Røde Port ("Red Gate") in Roskilde. The house was located where Tværvej 1 in Hedehusene is today.
In 1658, the Heath House was converted into an inn after the road was opened to other travellers at the end of the
Swedish Wars. It was joined by two more inns at the site in 1682 and 1702. They initially operated
without licenses since they were located too close to Roskilde to obtain a royal privilege. From 1733, they were licensed on condition that all beer and
Akvavit
''Akvavit'' or ''aquavit'' (; also ''akevitt'' in Norwegian; ''aquavit'' in English) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. ''Akvavit'' is distilled from grain or potat ...
was purchased in Roskilde and that they paid a tax of 4
rigsdaler to the city. Roskilde Kongevej gradually fell into despair and two of the inns had to close when the new
Roskildevej
Roskildevej is a road between Copenhagen and Roskilde in the Danish capital area. The direct continuation of Vesterbrogade, which begins at Copenhagen's City Hall Square, the road begins at Pile Allé and continues through Frederiksberg, Valby, Rà ...
opened in 1776.
Hedehusene Station opened when the
Copenhagen–Roskilde Railway Line was inaugurated in 1847. The station was only built because the steam locomotives had to make frequent stops for water. In 1892, one of the local farms, HedehusgÃ¥rden, was purchased by an engineer who established several gravel pits on the land. Hedehus Brickyard was founded by
F. L. Schmidt in 1896. Danmark closed in 1970 and Hedehus Brickyard in 1980.
From the 187+s, considerable redevelopment of the area has taken place with housing.
NærHeden development project
A new neighbourhood, Nærheden, is planned in the southwestern outskirts of Hedehusene. It is the result of a collaboration between Høje-Taastrup Municipality and
Realdania
Realdania is a private association in Denmark which supports projects in architecture and planning. It was established in 2000 following the sale of Realkredit Danmark to Danske Bank, when a fund of approximately 20 billion kroner (EUR 2.7 billio ...
and will consist approximately 4,500 homes. The competition to design the masterplan was won by a team led by
Arkitema Architects in 2014. The plan includes a number of varied housing clusters and public spaces arranged along a recreational loop.
Economy
Hedehusene is home to several large companies.
Rockwool International
Rockwool A/S (or AS), also known as the ROCKWOOL Group, is a Danish multinational manufacturer of mineral wool products headquartered in Hedehusene, Greater Copenhagen, Denmark. The company's R&D unit, employing 100 people as of 2016, is co-locate ...
is a major manufacturer of
mineral wool
Mineral wool is any fibrous material formed by spinning or drawing molten mineral or rock materials such as slag and ceramics.
Applications of mineral wool include thermal insulation (as both structural insulation and pipe insulation), fil ...
. The logistics company
DSV moved its global headquarters to Hedehusene in 2014. It consists of a office building and a logistics terminal.
Landmarks
Churches
There are two churches in Hedehusene. Fløng Church dates from the middle of the 12th century and was built by members of the Snubbe family, a branch of the powerful Hvide dynasty residing at Bytteborg. The church originally consisted of chancel and nave under a flat roof. The tower was already added to its western end in approximately 1200. The height of the tower was increased with 19 metres in the 16th century. A
porch
A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
was also constructed on the north side and a new roof with cross vaults was added. The original chancel was torn down in about 1500.
Ansgar's Church in the modern part of Hedehusene was inaugurated in 1921. It was designed by Frederik Appel.
The Kallerup Stone
The cemetery at Ansgar's Church features the
Kallerup Stone, one of the oldest
runestone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones da ...
s found in Denmark. It dates from the early
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 ...
(c. 800 to 825) and was discovered by a stonemason on a field at Kallerup in 1869.
Hedeland
The vast recreational area
Hedeland
Hedeland is a 15-square-kilometre recreational area located between the towns of Hedehusene, Tune and Vindinge, some 20 km west of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The undulating landscape has emerged as a result of comprehensive extraction of g ...
has an area of 15 square kilometres. It is home to a wide selection of recreational facilities, including a golf course, a kart circuit, a vintage railway, equestrian centre, amphi theatre, ski hill and fishing ponds.
Transport
Hedehusene station is served by regional trains between Copenhagen and
Ringsted
Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name.
Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.
Tourism and transport
Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...
. Travel times by train are 20–23 minutes to
Copenhagen Central Station
Copenhagen Central Station ( da, Københavns Hovedbanegård , abbreviated ''København H'') is the main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station in Denmark. With more than 100,000 travellers every day, it is the se ...
and seven minutes to
Roskilde station
Roskilde Station is the principal railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport ...
.
The Holbæk Motorway (M11, part of
Danish national road 21
Danish national road 21 is a road going from Copenhagen, Denmark to Randers, Denmark.
it starts at in Copenhagen as a motorway and turns into an expressway west of Holbæk, to end in Randers close to .
*
* 1 Hvidovre
* Brøndby Helsingør
* ...
) runs north of Hedehusene and has exits at Baldersbrønde and Fløng. Hedehusene's main street, Hovedgaden, is part of Secondary route 159 (Roskildevej").
Cultural references
Dynamite-Harry is being followed by a helicopter on the main street in Hedehusene at 1:29:12 in the 1969 ''
Olsen-banden
The ''Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-banden, no, Olsenbanden, german: Die Olsenbande) is a Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's ...
'' film ''
The Olsen Gang in a Fix
''The Olsen Gang in a Fix'' ( da, Olsen-banden på spanden) is a 1969 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the second in the ''Olsen-banden''-series.
Plot
After yet another unsuccessful robbery Ego ...
''.
Notable people
* The painter
L.A. Ring (1854–1933) lived with his family in the old school in Baldersbrønde for 12 years.
*
Jørgen Kristensen
Jørgen Kristensen (born 12 December 1946), nicknamed ''Troldmanden'' (the Wizard), is a Danish former football player who played professionally for a number of foreign clubs and won the 1974 UEFA Cup with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He ...
(born 1946), nicknamed ''Troldmanden (the Wizard)'', is a Danish former football player, he played 19 matches and scored three goals for the Denmark national football team.
References
External links
SourceSourceKrystal & HealerHuset
{{coord, 55, 39, 17, N, 12, 11, 43, E, type:city(12000), display=title
Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark
Høje-Taastrup Municipality