Hjørring () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

on the

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Vendsyssel-Thy The North Jutlandic Island (), Vendsyssel-Thy, or Jutland north of the Limfjord (''Jylland nord for Limfjorden''), is the northernmost part of Denmark and of Jutland. It is more common to refer to the three traditional districts Vendsyssel, Hanh ...

at the top 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 northern

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 is the main town and the administrative seat of

Hjørring Municipality Hjørring Municipality is a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in North Jutland Region on the west coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , making it t ...

in the

North Jutland Region 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 ...

. The population is 25,644 (according to an official census carried on 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 also one of Denmark's oldest towns, having celebrated its 750th anniversary as a market town in 1993. Hjørring is centrally located in a sparsely populated area and serves as an urban center for large parts of especially the western and central

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. ...

History

Middle Ages

Although, archaeological discoveries show that the area was already populated 10,000 years ago, it cannot be determined exactly when an actual urban community arose. However, the town is undoubtedly Vendsyssel's oldest

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 ...

, and has been significant throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Around 1147–1150, coins were minted in the town. A found

bracteate A bracteate (from the Latin ''bractea'', a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewelry that was produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age (including the Vende ...

bears the inscription ''Heringa'', which is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name for Hjørring. Throughout the Middle Ages, the

thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...

(assembly) for the syssel of

met in Hjørring. The town also became a meeting place for the clergy, and there are many indications that the

bishop of Vendsyssel A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

resided in the town at least in the 12th century. Already in the early Middle Ages, three churches were established in the town: Saint Hans', Saint Olaf's and Saint Catherine's. The oldest known

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

granting the city status as a

were issued by King

Eric IV of Denmark Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny ( da, Erik Plovpenning), ( – 10 August 1250) was king of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers. Early life E ...

on 31 March 1243. The status was confirmed by new chartes issued on 19 April 1484, 30 October 1505 and 23 September 1514. The charter of 1505 gives an impression of the extent of the city: the medieval urban settlement was still located around the three churches at the top of the hill on which central Hjørring lies. The sysselting and assemblies of the clergy have at periods brought many people to the town and thus provided trade to the town's merchants and artisans.

Early modern period

The

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

was a period of decline for Hjørring. The activities of the Sysselting ceased sometime in the 1520s. Also the

Count's Feud The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of relig ...

, a

war of succession A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim the Order of succession, right of successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are typic ...

that raged in Denmark from 1534 to 1536 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark-Norway became expensive for Hjørring, as it forced the citizens to pay heavy ransoms and compensations. As a consequence of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

the nearby rich

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Børglum Abbey Børglum Abbey was an important Premonstratensian abbey of medieval Denmark, located in Børglum parish, in the commune of Hjørring, approximately five kilometers east of Løkken in north central Jutland (Region Nordjylland) from the 12th centu ...

and Vrejlev Priory disappeared which undoubtedly had business relations with the town. A comparison of

tax levies A tax levy under United States federal law is an administrative action by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under statutory authority, generally without going to court, to seize property to satisfy a tax liability. The levy "includes the power ...

from the towns in Vendsyssel shows that both

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skagen is ...

and

Sæby Sæby () is a town and seaport located on the east coast of the historical region of Vendsyssel in the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The town is located in Frederikshavn municipality in Region Nordjylland. It has a population of 8,838 ...

in this period were richer and larger than Hjørring. In 1548-53, Hjørring was once again the bishop's residence, and in 1549, the town had its own

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

. Around 1570, a fierce fire probably ravaged the city. In 1602 the town was hit by the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

, and during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, imperial troops were housed in the town in 1627-29. In 1644, during the

Torstenson War The Torstenson war, Hannibal controversy or Hannibal War ( no, Hannibalsfeiden) was a short period of conflict between Sweden and Denmark–Norway from 1643 to 1645 towards the end of the Thirty Years' War. The names refer to Swedish general L ...

, the city was occupied by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

troops, and after the war, Danish soldiers were housed. In 1647 another violent fire broke out, destroying 17 farms, and in 1657-58, during the

Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...

, the town was again occupied by enemy troops, who starved the population through discharges and lodging. Radhus_Hjørring

A major fire burned down much of the town in 1819.

Industrialization

Economic growth really took off around 1850, and by 1900 the population had more than quadrupled. The street network was expanded, and on 15 August 1871, the

Vendsyssel railway line The Vendsyssel railway line ( da, Vendsysselbanen) is a long standard gauge single track railway line in Denmark which runs through the historical region of Vendsyssel between Aalborg and Frederikshavn in North Jutland. It constitutes the north ...

between

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 ...

and

Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...

was opened, after which exports went over this city. New iron foundries and

machine factories A machine factory is a company, that produces machines. These companies traditionally belong to the heavy industry sector in comparison to a more consumer oriented and less capital intensive light industry. Today many companies make more sophistic ...

were set up in addition to

spinning mill Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

s and garment factories. In 1883 the Vendia Brewery began, in 1890 a

tobacco factory The Tobacco Factory is the last remaining part of the old W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory site on Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. It was saved from demolition by the architect and former mayor of the city George Ferguson (architect), George ...

was opened, and in 1891 the

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

was established. A

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

opened in 1896.

Post-war period

After

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 ...

, Hjørring continued its population growth. At the same time, there was further growth in the suburban settlements outside the city. Thorough urban redevelopment in the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

led to a complete demolition of the neighborhood around Fiskerbakken and Bassingade south of Sankt Olai Church in favor of parking spaces. As a consequence of the state's regional development policy, the Army Materiel Command moved to the city in 1971. On the eastern outskirts of the city, a large industrial area emerged, which for the most part is characterized by the metal industry.

21st century

With the opening of the motorway between Hjørring and Brønderslev in 2002, the city was connected to the rest of the European motorway network.

Geography

Cityscape

Sankt Catharinæ Kirke (Hjørring), den 30 april 2008, billede 9

Hjørring has been changing in recent years, with new shops and franchises opening mainly outside the city center. The most recent addition to Hjørring is the new city shopping centre, Metropol, which has led to a change in the city centre as one of Hjørring's main streets, Østergade, has been closed to vehicular traffic and is now open only for pedestrians and bicycles. Metropol which was inaugurated in March 2008, is located on Østergade and also houses the city's public library.

Arts and culture

Museums

Hjørring holds the headquarters of the regional museum of

Vendsyssel Historical Museum The Vendsyssel Historical Museum (VHM) is a regional museum, preserving and exhibiting the history of the region of Vendsyssel in Denmark. The museum works as an umbrella organization for a total of five departments and six exhibitions in Vendsys ...

. It is located in the city center in Museumsgade. Apart from the exhibitions and museum itself, there is a small, publicly accessible park and garden area, that facilitates

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

Vendsyssel Art Museum is the main art museum in the province, located in a former textile factory in the city center. It has a considerable collection of artists influenced by the landscapes and surroundings of Northern Denmark, but also presents changing exhibitions of mostly contemporary art.

Performing arts

The town is home for the Hjørring Revue (''Hjørring revyen''), a summer

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

that has been a part of Hjørring's entertainment life since the 1920s and one more revue, the Lundergaard Revue (''Lundergaard Revyen''). The latter revue celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. The revue has about 5000 guests a summer over.

Festivals and events

Dana Cup The Dana Cup, one of the world's largest football tournaments, takes place every year in the North Jutland town of Hjørring in Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , ...

, one of the world's largest

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 ...

tournaments, takes place in Hjørring at the end of July, with 20,000 footballers from all around the world. The tournament celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006.

Education

There are good educational opportunities in the town including a gymnasium (the Danish equivalent of a high school or pre-college), a business and technical college and a nursing school. One of the two branches of Profession School University College North Jutland (Danish: Professionshøjskolen University College Nordjylland) can be found in Hjørring. See also

EUC Nord EUC Nord is the fusion of the technical schools in Hjørring and Frederikshavn, in Vendsyssel in Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , ...

Transportation

Rail

Hjørring railway station is the principal railway station of the town. It is located on the

between Aalborg and Frederikshavn and is the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the

Hirtshals railway line The Hirtshals railway line ( da, Hirtshalsbanen) is a long standard gauge single track railway line between Hjørring and Hirtshals, Denmark. The railway links the fishing and ferry port of Hirtshals with the Danish rail network. The railway ...

. It offers direct

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 ...

services to

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 ...

regional train Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster servi ...

services to

and

local train Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster servi ...

services to

Hirtshals Hirtshals is a town and seaport on the coast of Skagerrak on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe. It is located in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland. The town of Hirtshals has a p ...

. The town is also served by the

railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

s Hjørring East, Kvægtorvet, Teglgårdsvej, Herregårdsparken, and Vellingshøj.

Air

The nearest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

with scheduled national and

international flight An international flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the departure and the arrival take place in different countries. Regular international passenger air service began in August 1919 with a flight going from Lond ...

s is Aalborg Airport 45 km south of Hjørring.

Healthcare

Hjørring also has a large hospital.

Notable people

* Hans Gram (1685 in Bjergby – 1748) a Danish academic and historian *

Lauritz Smith Lauritz Nicholaisen Smith (or Smidt) (October 5, 1830 – June 16, 1924) was an early Mormon leader and one of the founders of Draper, Utah, United States. Early life Smith was born October 5, 1830, in Hjørring, Denmark, to LutheranSmith, Laur ...

(1830–1924) an early Latter-day Saint leader and co-founder of

Draper, Utah Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah counties in the U.S. state of Utah, about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. As of the 2020 census, the population is 51,017, up from 7,143 in 1990. Draper is part of two metropolitan areas; ...

, USA * Niels Peter Bornholdt (1842–1924) a Danish shipping agent and landowner * Aksel Mikkelsen (1849–1929) an educator, introduced the Swedish system of ''

sloyd Sloyd (Swedish ), also known as educational sloyd, is a system of handicraft-based education started by Uno Cygnaeus in Finland in 1865. The system was further refined and promoted worldwide, and was taught in the United States until the early 2 ...

'' schools to Denmark *

Charlotte Eilersgaard Charlotte Juliane Sofie Eilersgaard née Jensen (25 March 1858–9 May 1922) was a Danish writer and editor who wrote short stories, plays and novels. From the beginning of the 20th century, she became increasingly involved in the women's movement ...

(1858–1922) a Danish writer and editor who wrote short stories, plays and novels, involved in the women's movement, especially women's voting rights * Benedicte Wrensted (1859–1949) a notable Danish-American photographer, emigrated to the US in 1894, photographed the

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

native people in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

* Johan Kjær Hansen (1907–1944) a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power * Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924–2012) a Danish composer *

Knud Sørensen Knud Sørensen (10 March 1928 – 26 September 2022) was a Danish writer, poet and novelist. Born in Hjørring, in 1958 Sørensen settled as a surveyor on Mors. He made his debut as a poet with ''Eksplosion'' in 1961.Hanne Kjærholm (1930–2009) a Danish architect, taught at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

Poul Anker Bech Poul Anker Bech (13 April 1942 – 7 October 2009) was a Danish painter. He started painting in the 1960s and studied at The Jutland Academy of Art in Aarhus, 1966–67. He quit his job in 1988 to become a full-time painter. Poul Anker Bech ...

(1942–2009) a Danish painter incorporating surrealistic elements * Hanne-Vibeke Holst (born 1959) an author and journalist * Ann Eleonora Jørgensen (born 1965) a Danish film, television and stage actor * Morten Middelfart (born 1970) a Danish entrepreneur, inventor and technologist; designed TARGIT Business Intelligence software *

Kasper Bai Kasper Bai (born 1974) is a Danish songwriter, composer, arranger and guitarist. He was born in Hjørring, studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, and now lives and works in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is ...

(born 1974) a Danish songwriter, composer, arranger and guitarist

Sport

* Ellen Osiier (1890–1962) an Olympic fencing foil champion, gold medallist at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

* Robert Larsen (1898–1981) a Danish boxer who competed in the

Victor Jörgensen Victor Jörgensen (12 June 1924 – 29 August 2001) was a boxer from Denmark. He competed for Denmark in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the welterweight event where he finished in third place. He was born in Hjø ...

(1924–2001) a boxer, bronze medallist at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

Mogens Krogh Mogens Krogh (; born 31 October 1963) is a Danish former professional football player who was most recently manager of Næstved BK. In his playing career, Krogh was the first choice goalkeeper of Ikast fS between 1981 and 1991 and of Brøndby f ...

(born 1963) a Danish retired professional football goalkeeper, 654 pro appearances *

Jannik Pohl Jannik Pohl (born 6 April 1996) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Icelandic club Fram Reykjavík. Club career AaB Pohl started his youth career in Hundelev and Vendsyssel FF (formerly FC Hjørring), and joined th ...

(born 1996) a Danish football player for

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...

Sister cities

Hjørring is twinned with:Twinning projects

Notes

References

Vores-Avis
- Avisen fra Hjørring, Nordjylland

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hjorring Municipal seats of the North Jutland Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Hjørring Municipality 1819 fires in Europe Fires in Denmark