Hjørring () is a town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality 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.

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, and has been significant throughout the Middle Ages. Around 1147–1150, coins were minted in the town. A found bracteate bears the inscription ''Heringa'', which is the Latin name for Hjørring. Throughout the Middle Ages, the thing (assembly) for the

syssel A syssel is a historical type of country subdivision in Denmark and elsewhere in Scandinavia. The mediaeval Danish ''sysler'' may be compared to the '' fylker'' of Norway, the '' landskaps'' of Sweden and Finland, the shires of England and Scotlan ...

of Vendsyssel 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 granting the city status as a market town 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 The 1520s decade ran from January 1, 1520, to December 31, 1529. References {{DEFAULTSORT:1520s ...

. Also the Count's Feud, a war of succession that raged in Denmark from 1534 to 1536 and brought about the

Reformation in Denmark-Norway 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 ...

became expensive for Hjørring, as it forced the citizens to pay heavy ransoms and compensations. As a consequence of the Reformation the nearby rich monasteries of

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 Vrejlev Priory (''Vrejlev Kloster'') is a former Danish priory which dates back to the 13th century. The priory located at Vrejlev, near Vrå, Region Nordjylland, Denmark. Between 1165 and the Protestant Reformation, it was operated as a Premonst ...

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 o ...

from the towns in Vendsyssel shows that both Skagen and Sæby 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. 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, imperial troops were housed in the town in 1627-29. In 1644, during the Torstenson War, 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 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 was opened, after which exports went over this city. New iron foundries and machine factories were set up in addition to spinning mills 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

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 opened in 1896.

Post-war period

After World War II, 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 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, 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 , m ...

Transportation

Rail

Hjørring railway station is the principal railway station of the town. It is located on the Vendsyssel railway line between Aalborg and Frederikshavn and is the terminus of the Hirtshals railway line. It offers direct InterCity services to Copenhagen, regional train services to Frederikshavn and

and local train services to Hirtshals. The town is also served by the

railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a Rail transport, railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passenger train, passengers, freight rail transport, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one r ...

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

Air

The nearest airport with scheduled national and international flights is

Aalborg Airport Aalborg Airport ( da, Aalborg Lufthavn) is a dual-use (civilian/military) airport located in Nørresundby, Aalborg Municipality, Denmark, which is northwest of Aalborg. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea level. It h ...

45 km south of Hjørring.

Healthcare

Hjørring also has a large hospital.

Notable people

Hans Gram Hans Gram may refer to: * Hans Christian Gram (1853–1938), Danish scientist who invented Gram staining * Hans Gram (composer) (1754-1804), Danish-American composer and musician * Hans Gram (historian) Hans Gram (28 October 1685– 19 February ...

(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, USA *

Niels Peter Bornholdt Niels Peter Anton Bornholdt (3 April 1842 in Hjørring – 17 May 1924 in Riga) was a Danish shipping agent and landowner, father of Magnus Creagh-Bornholdt and Vera Lalitia Bornholdt, who was married to Count Hieronim Mohl. Early life Bornholdt ...

(1842–1924) a Danish shipping agent and landowner *

Aksel Mikkelsen Aksel Mikkelsen (14 August 1849 in Hjørring – 19 October 1929 in Korsør) was a Danish educator who introduced the Swedish system of sloyd Sloyd (Swedish ), also known as educational sloyd, is a system of handicraft-based education star ...

(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 Benedicte Marie Wrensted (February 10, 1859 – January 19, 1949) was a notable Danish-American photographer, who emigrated to the United States after running a studio for a few years in Horsens, Denmark. She was an obscure photographer who is ...

(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 *

Johan Kjær Hansen Johan Kjær Hansen (7 April 1907 – 29 June 1944) was a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power. Biography Hansen was born in Hjørring on 7 April 1907 as son of deceased bicycle manufacturer Hans Christian Joh ...

(1907–1944) a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power *

Axel Borup-Jørgensen Axel Borup-Jørgensen (22 November 1924 – 15 October 2012) was a Danish composer. He was born in Hjørring in Denmark, but grew up in Sweden. He died in Birkerød. He studied piano at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. As a com ...

(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 Hanne Kjærholm (24 May 1930 in Hjørring – 22 June 2009) was a Danish architect who also taught at the Danish Academy, where she became a professor in 1989. Kjærholm did much to overcome the barriers to women's architecture. She was one of ...

(1930–2009) a Danish architect, taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts *

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 Hanne-Vibeke Holst (born 21 February 1959 in Hjørring, Denmark) is an author. She has an education as a journalist and has worked on the Danish newspapers ''Berlingske Tidende'' and ''Søndags B.T.'' She is the daughter of authors Knud Holst And ...

(born 1959) an author and journalist *

Ann Eleonora Jørgensen Ann Eleonora Jørgensen (born 16 October 1965) is a Danish film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her television work in ''Taxa'' (1997–1999) and '' The Killing'' (2007), and for her film roles in ''Italian for Beginners'' ...

(born 1965) a Danish film, television and stage actor *

Morten Middelfart Morten Middelfart (born October 2, 1970) is an American serial entrepreneur, inventor, and technologist. He is known for inventing the Lumina Analytics Radiance AI platform, as well as the TARGIT Business Intelligence, TARGIT software for busines ...

(born 1970) a Danish entrepreneur, inventor and technologist; designed

TARGIT Business Intelligence TARGIT A/S is a Danish business intelligence (BI) and analytics software developer based in Aalborg, Denmark, with American subsidiary TARGIT US Inc., based in Tampa, as well as international offices. History TARGIT was founded in 1986 by ...

software * Kasper Bai (born 1974) a Danish songwriter, composer, arranger and guitarist

Sport

Ellen Osiier Ellen Osiier (13 August 1890 – 6 September 1962) was a Danish foil fencer. Osiier was born in Hjørring, Nordjylland, Denmark. The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris was the first Olympic Games to feature women's fencing. Osiier, then 33, wo ...

(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 (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 ...

(born 1963) a Danish retired professional football goalkeeper, 654 pro appearances * Jannik Pohl (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 Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

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