![Hvidovre from highrise](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Hvidovre_from_highrise_%22Store_Hus%22_in_Aved%C3%B8re.jpg)
Hvidovre is the main town in
Hvidovre Municipality
Hvidovre Kommune is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden near Copenhagen on the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 22 km2, and has a total population of 53,416 (1 Januar ...
,
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
...
. The town, a
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
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 ...
, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...
.
History
Hvidovre has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In 1929, a 3,500-year-old sword from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
was excavated in Hvidovre.
A farm, Ovre (Aworthe), was located in the area in about 1170 when
Esbern Snare
Esbern Snare, also known as Esbern the Resolute, (1127–1204) was a '' høvding'', or chieftain, royal chancellor and crusader. His family were members of the powerful Hvide clan. In 1192, during the Crusades and after the fall of Jerusalem, he ...
gave it to
Sorø Abbey
Sorø Abbey was the preeminent and wealthiest monastic house in all of Denmark during the Middle Ages. It was located in the town of Sorø in central Zealand.
After Denmark became Lutheran in 1536, the abbey was confiscated by the Crown. The ab ...
that later passed it on to
Bishop Absalon. A church was built during the Romanesque period. The name Hvidovre, meaning White Ovre, refers to the colour of the church, which was built in white chalk, as opposed to the one in
Rødovre
Rødovre is a town in eastern Denmark, seat of the Rødovre Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden. The town's population 1 January 2019 was 39,907, and in addition 145 persons had no fixed address, which made up a total of 40,052 in the municip ...
, Red Ovre, which was built in red brick.
Hvidovre did not become a real village until the mid 1600s. In 1682 Hvidovre consisted of 18 farms and 14 houses without any agricultural land. Back then only a few crops were grown in the area. In 1635 it consisted of the following: 12% rye, 58% barley and 30% oat.
Some of the land closest to the border with Copenhagen was converted into allotments in the 1920s. At the end of World War One, Copenhagen suffered from a severe housing shortage. Many of the farmers in Hvidovre saw it as an opportunity to make a substantial profit by selling their land off in small lots. 3,226 out of the 3,899 lots that existed in Hvidovre in 1924 had been sold off since 1918.
[ The buyers were typically workers from Copenhagen and the houses often built out of ]Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
or Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
boxes, which had been used in the shipping of car parts from America. The boxes were cheap and delivered on the site.[ Others lived in already existing summer houses. The settlement was not legal but by 1923 accounted for 34% of the population in the municipality.][
In May 1945, a few days before the end of ]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 ...
, a gun fight took place on the street of ''Hvidovrevej'' between Resistance fighters
Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation to propaganda, hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns. In many countries, r ...
and members of the HIPO Corps
The HIPO Corps (Danish: HIPO-korpset) was a Danish auxiliary police corps, established by the German Gestapo on 19 September 1944, when the Danish civil police force was disbanded and most of its officers were arrested and deported to concentrat ...
.
Population
At the turn of the 20th century, Hvidovre was still a quiet rural community. In 1901, the parish still only had a population of 500. But It quickly began its growth from there. In 1930 Hvidovre had a population of 6,523. It had then nearly doubled in 1940 to 12,014 people just 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 ...
. Fortunately, Hvidovre did not stop growing because of 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 ...
. It again doubled its population in just 10 years with just over 23,000 people in 1950. In 1960 Hvidovre had a population of 38,411. From there Hvidovre stopped its fast growth, as did much of the rest of the country. And now in 2020 Hvidovre has a population of 53,527.
Urban development planning
The progressive urban development also had an impact on urban planning. When the so-called "Finger Plan" - Sketch proposal for Regional Plan for Greater Copenhagen - was published in 1947 with its proposal to gather the future urban development in the capital area along railway lines, it was also assumed that Hvidovre could grow and in the long term form a cohesive suburban area together with Avedøre and Brøndbyøster. The finger plan led to the adoption of the Urban Regulation Act in 1949, which presupposed the establishment of an urban development committee for the Copenhagen area to plan the future urban development in the Greater Copenhagen area in the form of a so-called urban development plan.
On 6 October 1949, an urban development committee for the Copenhagen area was set up, which on 2 May 1951 published "Report concerning Partial Urban Development Plan no. 2 for the Copenhagen area's urban development area". As Hvidovre was already partially developed and was directly adjacent to areas with S-train service to the north and south, the city was designated as one of the places that was suitable for urban development in terms of traffic, and under the impression that the area was developed in the form of sewerage, and that the urban development was assumed not to be in conflict with conservation and outdoor interests, as a green corridor around Harrestrup Å
Harrestrup Å is an approximately 20 km long stream through the western suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It rises at Harrestrup Mose in Vestskoven woodland on the border between Albertslund and Ballerup and flows through Damhus Lake and sever ...
was kept free and assumed to provide access to the coast at Køge Bay, the entire designated urban development area adjacent to Hvidovre was placed in the inner zone, that means it could be built on when and if, the municipal council wanted it.
The original urban development plan was later updated with "Report regarding Partial Urban Development Plan no. 9 for the Copenhagen area's urban development area" from 1972, which for Hvidovre, however, only confirmed the previous plan and urban development took place.
Sport
Football
The city is nationally well known for its achievements in sports especially for its 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 ...
team, Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Denmark, Danish professional association football, football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football league syste ...
. It is also the birthplace of Daniel Agger
Daniel Munthe Agger (; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Danish 1st Division club HB Køge. As an active player, he played as a central defender for Brøndby and Liverpool a ...
, Thomas Kahlenberg
Thomas Zeuthen Kahlenberg (; born 20 March 1983) is a Danish former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He started his career with Brøndby IF, winning two Danish Superliga championship, and played four seasons at French club Auxer ...
, Michael Krohn-Dehli
Michael Krohn-Dehli (; born 6 June 1983) is a Danish former professional footballer. He played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger.
A technically gifted player, Krohn-Dehli started his professional career in the ...
and Jannik Vestergaard
Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Leicester City and the Denmark national team.
Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs before joining S ...
.
The local football team Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Denmark, Danish professional association football, football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football league syste ...
has been the Danish Football champion multiple times, the first time in 1966 and most recently in 1981. The Football Club also won the Danish Cup
The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955.
The winner will quali ...
in 1980. In 1967 they made it to the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, they ended up beating the former champions FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, and ...
5–4. They sensationally then came up with a result of 2–2 at home in the next round against one of the biggest clubs in history, Real Madrid. But Hvidovre were unfortunately chance less against Real Madrid on the road and was beaten 5–1 in front of 90,000 fans. They're now in the Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...
.
Other sports
They also have a well-known curling club, ice hockey club, badminton club and a club for athletics.
Culture
A film-production camp Filmbyen Filmbyen (English: Film City) is a film studio complex located in Hvidovre just outside Copenhagen, Denmark.
Filmbyen is a former military base. It houses many film-related companies. Many films and TV-series have been shot there.
It was founded b ...
(founded by Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...
and Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Peter Aalbæk Jensen (born 8 April 1956 in Osted) is a Danish film producer who in 1992 with director Lars von Trier founded the Danish film company Zentropa and later its huge studio complex Filmbyen. His father was writer Erik Aalbæk Jensen.
...
's company Zentropa
Zentropa, or Zentropa Entertainments, is a Danish film company started in 1992 by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen. Zentropa is named after the train company Zentropa in the film ''Europa'' (1991), which started the colla ...
) is located in Hvidovre, which has been described as "a peculiar post-industrial filmmaking hub".
Geography
Hvidovre is located just above the 55th Northern Parallel and east of the 12th eastern meridian. It borders 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 ...
to the east, Køge Bay
Køge Bay ( da, Køge Bugt) is an approximately shallow Danish bay in the southern part of Øresund, between Greater Copenhagen area in the North (or more precisely the southernmost peak of Amager) and Stevns Klint in the South, and as a part ...
to the south, Brøndby to the west and Rødovre
Rødovre is a town in eastern Denmark, seat of the Rødovre Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden. The town's population 1 January 2019 was 39,907, and in addition 145 persons had no fixed address, which made up a total of 40,052 in the municip ...
towards north. Hvidovre is like the rest of the country, very flat. Its highest natural point is 25 m (68 ft). The tallest building in Hvidovre, Rebæk Søpark, reaches a height of just 53 m. Though the tallest structure is the nearly 150 m (492 ft) tall chimney of the Avedøre Power Station
The Avedøre Power Station ( da, Avedøreværket) is a combined heat and power station, located in Avedøre, Denmark, just south of Copenhagen, and is owned by Ørsted A/S. Avedøre Power Plant is a high-technology facility and one of the world' ...
.
Hvidovre is located next to plenty of water. Hvidovre has a coastline that is more 15 km long and also holds a small 20-km-long river that starts in Albertslund Albertslund is a Copenhagen suburb in Albertslund Municipality, Denmark. It is located west of central Copenhagen, with a population of around 30,000.
Albertslund is a planned community or new town mainly built in the 1960s and 1970s. The subu ...
, then flows through Damhus Lake
Damhus Lake ( da, Damhussøen or ') is a lake located just north of Roskildevej, between Rødovre, Vanløse and Frederiksberg, on the western outskirts of inner Copenhagen, Denmark. Damhus Meadow ( da, Damhusengen, links=no), once a part of the lak ...
and enters into Hvidovre from Rødovre
Rødovre is a town in eastern Denmark, seat of the Rødovre Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden. The town's population 1 January 2019 was 39,907, and in addition 145 persons had no fixed address, which made up a total of 40,052 in the municip ...
, which is where it later flows out into the sea. On that coastline you find both two small cozy harbors. Hvidovre Havn and Brøndby Havn. Most people may think that Brøndby Havn is in Brøndby, but it is actually part of Hvidovre Municipality, and therefore the city of Hvidovre.
Hvidovre is part of the Copenhagen Vestegn. It is a term used for the suburbs west of Copenhagen. Copenhagen's Vestegn is often seen as a more dangerous and less wealthy area of Copenhagen. While that's partly true there are also areas of Copenhagen's Vestegn, that are far above the country's average in terms of quality of living.
Climate
Hvidovre is in the Warm-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen: Cfb). Apart from slightly higher rainfall from October to December, precipitation is moderate. While snowfall occurs mainly from late December to early March, it is still a rare occurrence, as there's only just above 5 snowy days a year, for this reason it mostly rains even in winter, with average temperatures well above freezing point.
May is the sunniest month of the year with an average just below 10 hours every day. July and August are the warmest months with an average daytime high of 26 °C (79 °F). By contrast, the average hours of sunshine are less than two per day in November and only one and a half per day in December and January. In the spring, it gets warmer again with five to ten hours of sunshine per day from March to May. April is the driest month of the year. Rare weather conditions can bring as much as of snow to Hvidovre in a 24-hour period during the winter months while summer temperatures have been known to rise to heights of 33, 34, 35 and with the record being which occurred on 10 August 1975.
Because of Hvidovre's northern latitude, the number of daylight hours varies considerably between summer and winter. On the summer solstice, the sun rises at 05:26 and sets at 22:58, providing 17 hours 32 minutes of daylight. On the winter solstice, it rises at 08:39 and sets at 15:41 with 7 hours and 1 minute of daylight. There is therefore a difference of 10 hours and 31 minutes in the length of days and nights between the summer and winter solstices.
Notable people
* Johanne Pedersen-Dan
Johanne Agnete Theresia Pedersen-Dan née Betzonich (1860–1934) was a Danish actress, singer and sculptor. After performing in plays and operettas in Copenhagen until 1888, she devoted the rest of her life to sculpture, frequently exhibiting he ...
(1860–1934) a Danish actress, singer and sculptor; lived and worked in Hvidovre from 1912
* Lars Clemmensen Lars Bjørn Clemmensen (born October, 31st in Copenhagen) is a Danish Professor of Sedimentology in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University. Lars was born in Valby (Copenhagen) and grew up in Hvidovre, be ...
(b. ca. 1945) a Danish Professor of Sedimentology
Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, silt, and clay, and the processes that result in their formation (erosion and weathering), transport, deposition and diagenesis. Sedimentologists apply their understanding of mo ...
, grew up in Hvidovre
* Robert Hansen
Robert Christian Hansen (February 15, 1939 – August 21, 2014), known in the media as the Butcher Baker, was an American serial killer. Between 1971 and 1983, Hansen abducted, raped, and murdered at least seventeen women in and around Anchora ...
(born 1979) a Danish actor and TV host[ IMDb Database]
retrieved 29 July 2020
* Kashif Ahmad
Kashif Ahmad (born 1980) is a Pakistan, Pakistani-Denmark, Danish politician and former member of the municipal council in Hvidovre Municipality. He founded the National Party (Denmark), National Party with his brothers Aamer and Asif Ahmad.
In 2 ...
(b. 1980) a Pakistani-Danish politician and former Hvidovre Municipality
Hvidovre Kommune is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden near Copenhagen on the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 22 km2, and has a total population of 53,416 (1 Januar ...
councillor
* Manticora (formed in 1996) a heavy metal band from Hvidovre
Sport
* Gert Larsen
Gert Munch Larsen (born 9 February 1960 in Hvidovre) is a Danish curler and curling coach.
At the international level, he is a .
At the national level, he is a ten-time Danish men's champion curler (1979, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1 ...
(b. 1960) a Danish curler and curling coach; ten-time Danish men's champion curler
* Michael Harry
Michael Harry (born 23 May 1961 in Hvidovre) is a Danish curler and curling coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual thr ...
(b. 1961) a Danish curler and curling coach; seven-time Danish men's champion curler
* Lasse Lavrsen
Lasse Lavrsen (born 11 January 1963 in Hvidovre, Denmark) is a Danish curler and curling coach, a three-time and seven-time Danish men's champion.
He participated at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the X ...
(b. 1963) a Danish curler and curling coach; seven-time Danish men's champion curler
* Johnny Frederiksen
Johnny Frederiksen (born 31 July 1975 in Hvidovre) is a Danish curler from Copenhagen. He is the skip of the men's Danish national team.
Frederiksen skipped Denmark at three World Junior Curling Championships (1994, 1995, 1996), two European Cu ...
(b. 1975) a Danish curler and skip of the men's Danish national team
* Lars Krogh Jeppesen
Lars Krogh Jeppesen (born 5 March 1979) is a former Danish handball left back, who played for KIF Kolding and previous Danish national team. He has won the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship along with two bronze medals in 2004 and 200 ...
(b. 1979) a former Danish handball left back, who played over 200 club games and 123 for 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
...
* Thomas Kahlenberg
Thomas Zeuthen Kahlenberg (; born 20 March 1983) is a Danish former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He started his career with Brøndby IF, winning two Danish Superliga championship, and played four seasons at French club Auxer ...
(b. 1983) a former Danish footballer with 338 club caps and 47 for 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
...
* Daniel Agger
Daniel Munthe Agger (; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Danish 1st Division club HB Køge. As an active player, he played as a central defender for Brøndby and Liverpool a ...
(b. 1984) a Danish retired footballer with 252 club caps and 75 for 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
...
* Danny Olsen (b. 1985) a retired Danish footballer with over 300 club caps
* Henrik Kildentoft (b. 1985) a retired Danish footballer with over 250 club caps
* Kasper Lorentzen
Kasper Wellemberg Lorentzen (born November 19, 1985) is a Danish retired professional footballer, who played as a midfielder or forward and currently is the assistant manager of Brøndby IF's U15 squad.
He has represented various Danish youth nat ...
(b. 1985) a Danish retired footballer with 185 club caps and five for 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
...
* Lene Nielsen
Lene Nielsen (born 31 August 1986 in Hvidovre) is a Danish curling, curler. She was the skip of the 2014 Danish Olympic Curling Team.
Career
Nielsen played in her first international events in 2004, as an alternate for the Madeleine Dupont rink. ...
(b. 1986) a Danish curler, the skip of the 2014 Danish Olympic Curling Team
* Line Jørgensen
Line Anna Ryborg Jørgensen Myers (born 31 December 1989) is a former Danish handball player, who last played for Team Esbjerg and formerly the Danish national team.
She was given the award of ''Cetățean de onoare'' ("Honorary Citizen") of the ...
(b. 1989) a Danish handball player for Team Esbjerg
Team Esbjerg is a women's handball team based in Esbjerg, Denmark, that competes in the Bambusa Kvindeligaen and the 2022–23 Women's EHF Champions League. They play their home matches in Blue Water Dokken, which have capacity for 2,996 specta ...
and 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
...
* Jannik Vestergaard
Jannik Vestergaard (born 3 August 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Leicester City and the Denmark national team.
Vestergaard played for various Danish and German clubs before joining S ...
(b. 1992) a Danish footballer with 240 club caps and plays for Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home mat ...
, and has 16 caps for 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
...
References
* Elsaesser, Thomas. ''European Film Industries: Face to Face with Hollywood''. Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 2005.
Twin city: Rydułtowy
Rydułtowy (german: Rydultau) is a town in southern Poland, in the Wodzisław County of the Silesian Voivodeship. Rydułtowy is in the south-western part of the Silesian Highland, on the Rybnik Plateau, in the Oświęcim-Racibórz Valley.
A mini ...
Municipal seats in the Capital Region of Denmark
Municipal seats of Denmark
Copenhagen metropolitan area
Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark
Hvidovre Municipality
{{CapitalDK-stub