Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 36,489 (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 ...

History

The town arose at a ford by the creek, and later a bridge was erected. The name probably derives from ''holdested ved broen'' (lit, "a resting place by the bridge"). Holstebro was first mentioned in a letter from Bishop Thyge of Ribe in 1274. A large fire in 1552 destroyed many of the town's old buildings. On 11 February 1962 parts of Holstebro were hit by a high-end F3/T7 tornado. This was the most devastating tornado in Denmark's history. The tornado travelled 13 km with a max width of 500 meters. Buildings and their roofs were badly damaged, some buildings nearly entirely collapsed. Well-constructed brick apartments had their roof torn off and large parts of their third storey destroyed. On 10 August 1975, Holstebro recorded a temperature of , which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Denmark.

Modern Holstebro

The town is a trading, industrial and cultural center in western Jutland. Industries include the manufacture of processed food, iron and machinery, wood and furniture, textiles and chemicals. Holstebro has a large network of pedestrian walkways (''gågader'') in the town centre either side of the River Storå. This area has a varied shopping environment, enhanced by outdoor sculptures and picturesque buildings, including the town church and the Town Hall. The first sculpture purchased by Holstebro Municipality was

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...

's sculpture "Maren on vehicle" purchased in 1966. Holstebro has a rich and varied cultural life. Between 1997 and 2009 it hosted the internationally recognized ballet company

Peter Schaufuss Ballet Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and the town still hosts the performance art theatre Odin Teatret. Several museums, including the Holstebro Art Museum with its collection of Danish and international contemporary art, and the Holstebro Museum can be found in the town. The town holds an annual culture festival, the Holstebro Festive Week, in late summer. The Holstebro Hall, rebuilt in 1966, houses a music theatre, the Holstebro Convention and Culture Center (1991) and provides space for theatre presentations, concerts, exhibitions and conventions. More than 100 cultural events occur here every year, and the hall is visited by more than 100,000 people annually. The Jutland Dragoon Regiment (''Jydske Dragonregiment''), which can trace its history back to 1679 in the times of King

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

, has made Holstebro its home since 1953. The regiment is Holstebro's largest place of work with more than 1,800 employees.

Transport

Holstebro is served by Holstebro railway station. It is located on the Vejle-Holstebro and Esbjerg-Struer railway lines and offers direct InterCity services to Copenhagen and Struer and regional train services to Fredericia and Skjern.

Sport and leisure

Team Tvis Holstebro TTH Holstebro is a men's handball club from Holstebro, Denmark. The team is playing in the Danish Primo Tours Ligaen and play their home matches in Gråkjær Arena. History The club was founded in May 2000, when Holstebro Håndbold 90 and ...

was founded in 2000 and play

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

, representing Holstebro in the men's Danish Handball League and the

Danish Women's Handball League The Danish Women's Handball League ( da, Damehåndboldligaen) is the top professional league for Denmark, Danish women's Team handball, handball clubs. It is administered by the Danish Handball Federation, and the winners are recognized as Danish ...

. The women's team has won the Women's European Handball Federation cup twice, in 2012–2013 and 2014–2015 and were runner's up in 2010–2011. The team's best placing in the domestic league was 2nd in 2012–13 and, as a result, they competed in the qualification rounds of the 2013–14 EHF Women's Champions League, the highest level competition in Europe. The men's handball team won the

Danish Handball Cup The Danish Men's Handball cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen i håndbold for herrer) is the nationwide cup tournament for men's handball teams in Denmark. It’s also known as Santander Cup for sponsorship reasons. The competition has been played ann ...

in 2008 and have finished third in the domestic league three times, most recently in 2008. They achieved third place in the men's

2012–13 EHF Cup The 2012–13 EHF Cup was the 32nd edition of the EHF Cup and the first edition since the merger of the EHF Cup with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup. The EHF Cup final four tournament was played in Nantes, France, between 18 and 19 May 2013. Qualifi ...

. Both teams play at

Gråkjær Arena Gråkjær Arena is a sports center in Holstebro, Denmark. It has room for 3,250 spectators and is used primarily as home of the handball club Team Tvis Holstebro. History On 10 November 2009 did the former mayor Arne Lægaard, the former culture ...

, a 3,250 capacity hall which can also be used for concerts. The arena is located to the north of the town center.Guidet tour i Gråkjær Arena
Gråkjær Arena, Holstebro Kommune. Retrieved 2015-12-06.

Holstebro Idrætspark Holstebro Idrætspark is a multi-use stadium in Holstebro, Denmark. It is currently used mostly for association football matches and is the home stadium of Holstebro Boldklub Holstebro Boldklub (; also known as ''HB'') is a football club bas ...

, located to the north-east of the town centre, is a multi-use sports complex. A stadium on the site is home to Holstebro BK, the town's football club who play in the 4th tier of Danish football, the

Denmark Series The Denmark Series ( da, Danmarksserien) is the fifth tier in the Danish football league system. Teams are divided into four groups of ten. The top team in each group is promoted to the Danish 3rd Division. The bottom three teams in each group are ...

. The site also features playing fields, beach volleyball courts and a sports hall. A tennis centre, including an indoor hall and seven outdoor courts, adjoins the site and is the home of Holstebro Tennis Club.Holstebro idrætspark go stadionhal
Holstebro Kommune. Retrieved 2015-12-06. Holstebro RK play rugby union in the town. Canoeing and

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ing on the nearly long Storåen is popular during the summer and early autumn. It is allowed between 15 June and 31 October.Canoe
Visit Holstebro. Retrieved 2015-12-06.

Jamboree Denmark 2012

A Danish national Scouting Jamboree took place near Holstebro in July 2012. Over 37,000

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

s and Guides attended the event.Fakta om Spejdernes Lejr 2012
SN.dk, 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2015-12-06.

Notable people

The Arts

* Karl Jensen (1851 in Holstebro – 1933) a painter of landscapes of northern Zealand * Knud Agger (1895 in Holstebro – 1973) a self-taught painter, visionary and strongly existentialist * Knud Hvidberg (1927 in Holstebro – 1986) a Danish painter and sculptor * Henning Stærk (born 1949 in Holstebro) a Danish singer and musical-performer * Thomas Søndergård (born 1969 in Holstebro) a Danish conductor *

Anne Fortier Anne Fortier (born 1971) is a Danish-Canadian writer who has lived in the US and Canada since 2002. Works Fortier submitted her first manuscript for publication at the age of 13. Since then, she has written the novels ''Hyrder på bjerget'' ( ...

(born in 1971 in Holstebro) a Danish / Canadian writer, lives in Quebec *

Mikael Simpson Mikael Simpson (born 1974 in Holstebro) is a Danish songwriter, singer, film composer, musician and radio host. He began his musical career as a guitarist for the indie band Luksus, which disbanded in 2001. Since then, he has released four ...

(born 1974 in Holstebro) a songwriter, singer and film composer * Iben Dorner (born 1978 in Holstebro) a Danish actress and voice artist *

Simon Lynge Simon Lynge (born 22 January 1980) is a singer-songwriter who was raised in Greenland and Denmark. Lynge is the first solo musical artist from Greenland to have an album released across the United Kingdom, and the first Greenlander to play the U ...

(born 1980 in Holstebro) a singer-songwriter, raised in Greenland *

Elias Ehlers Elias Ehlers (born 15 December 1985, Holstebro, Denmark) is a Danish stand-up comedian. He was the winner of DM in stand-up 2006, TV2 Zulu Comedy Fight Club in 2007, and he has repeatedly appeared in Stand-up.dk and Comedy Aid. His acts often ...

(born 1985 in Holstebro) a Danish stand-up comedian IMDb Database
retrieved 21 May 2020

Public thinking & Public Service

Charles Christian Lauritsen Charles Christian Lauritsen (April 4, 1892 – April 13, 1968) was a Danish/American physicist. Early life and career Lauritsen was born in Holstebro, Denmark and studied architecture at the Odense Tekniske Skole, graduating in 1911. In 191 ...

(1892 in Holstebro – 1968) an American physicist *

Cathrine Fabricius Hansen Cathrine Fabricius-Hansen (born December 18, 1942)Kürschner, Wilfried. 1997. ''Linguisten-Handbuch''. Tübingen: Narr, p. 214. is a Danish-born Norwegian Germanist. She is a professor of German studies at the University of Oslo; she originally ta ...

(born 1942 in Holstebro) a Danish-born Norwegian

Germanist German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

* Else Marie Friis (born 1947 in Holstebro) a botanist, paleontologist and academic * Søren Gade (born 1963 in Holstebro) a politician, Minister of Defence 2004/2010 *

Charlotte Sahl-Madsen Charlotte Sahl-Madsen or Sahl-Madsen (born 26 August 1964) is a Danish politician and businesswoman. She was the Danish Minister of Science, Technology and Development from 23 February 2010 to 3 October 2011. She had previously led Ebeltoft Gla ...

(born 1964 in Holstebro) is a Danish politician and businesswoman *

Erik Poulsen Erik Edmund Poulsen (born August 3, 1964) is the former Washington State Senator and Washington State Representative from Washington's 34th Legislative District, a district that includes West Seattle, Vashon Island, and Burien. Before gett ...

(born 1967 in Holstebro) a Danish politician and

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

Claus Bundgård Christensen Claus Bundgård Christensen (born 1968) is a Danish historian and associate professor at Roskilde University known for his books related to collaboration and crime in Denmark during and following World War II. In 1998, he, and historians Niels Bo ...

(born 1968 in Holstebro) an historian and academic *

Ove Christiansen Ove Christiansen (born November 13, 1969, in Holstebro, Denmark) is professor of chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University (AU), Denmark. He is contributor to the DALTON program package and initiated the MidasCpp (Molecular I ...

(born 1969 in Holstebro) professor of chemistry at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

Jens Rohde Jens Rohde (born 18 April 1970) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Christian Democrats (Denmark), Christian Democrats political party. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2014 until 2019, as a ...

(born 1970 in Holstebro) a Danish politician and

(born 1980 in Holstebro) a singer-songwriter, grew up in Qaqortoq, Greenland

Sport

* Bo Hansen (born 1972 in Holstebro) a Danish former footballer, 237 club caps * Peter Heine Nielsen (born 1973) a chess grandmaster, five-time

Danish Chess Champion The Danish Chess Championship was organised by the Danish Chess Union ( DSU) and first held in 1910. A masterclass was first introduced in 1915. But it is only from 1922 that the title of Danish chess champion was introduced, this was the first year ...

. *

Jesper Damgaard Jesper Damgaard (born May 6, 1975) is a Danish retired ice hockey player who last participated at the 2010 IIHF World Championship as a member of the Denmark men's national ice hockey team. He was the first and so far only Danish player to have h ...

(born 1975) a retired Danish professional ice hockey player *

Carsten Svensgaard Carsten Svensgaard (born 3 January 1975 in Holstebro, Denmark) is a Danish curler, a three-time and a five-time Danish men's champion. He participated at the 2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic W ...

(born 1975 in Holstebro) a curler, competed at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

Claus Bech Jørgensen Claus Bech Jørgensen (born 27 April 1976) is a Faroese former professional footballer who is now a youth team coach at AaB. Born in Denmark, he represented the Faroe Islands national team between 2004 and 2006. He first established himself a ...

(born 1976 in Holstebro) a Faroese former footballer, over 340 club caps *

Morten Skoubo Morten Skoubo (; born 30 June 1980) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made six appearances for the Denmark national team scoring once. Career FC Midtjylland Born in Holstebro, Skoubo played for a number o ...

(born 1980 in Holstebro) a retired footballer, over 300 club caps * Jeppe Huldahl (born 1982 in Holstebro) a professional golfer, plays on the European Tour * Soren "Bjergsen" Bjerg (born 1996 in Holstebro) a professional video gamer, six-time LCS champion, plays for TSM

Twin towns – sister cities

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

References

{{Authority control Municipal seats of the Central Denmark Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Holstebro Municipality