The Jutland Racecourse (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

: Jydsk Væddeløbsbane) is a public racecourse in Aarhus,

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The racecourse is situated on ''Observatorievejen '' adjacent to the Aarhus Sports Park in the

Aarhus C Aarhus C is a postal district in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, consisting of the Inner city, Vesterbro, University of Aarhus, Frederiksbjerg, Langenæs and Aarhus Ø, with postal code 8000. The district is commonly defined as the area enclosed ...

district north of

Højbjerg Højbjerg is a postal district of Aarhus, Denmark. Højbjerg originated as a coastal suburb to the south of Aarhus, but has now completely merged with the city. Højbjerg is located 5 km from the city centre and had a population of 22,000 ...

History

The first horse races in Aarhus were held around 1898 on ''Marselisborg Mark'' or ''Skejby Mark''. Races were almost all

gallop The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait pos ...

apart from a few exceptions in the 1910s. There was no tradition in Aarhus for horse racing and the only areas large enough to accommodate it as a

spectator sport A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are ...

were two hilly. In April 1923 local organizations requested Aarhus city council some of the newly acquired Marselisborg estate to establish a proper racecourse for horse racing.

Aarhus Stadium Aarhus Stadium ( Danish: Aarhus Stadion) is an association football stadium in Aarhus, Denmark which has been the home ground of Aarhus Gymnastikforening since the 1920s. With a current capacity of 19,433, it is the third largest football stadi ...

had been completed in the area in 1920 and a majority in the city council felt that the two facilities would complement each other. The racecourse was approved in 1924 and granted a loan of 20000 Danish Kroner and on 29 June 1924 the racecourse was inaugurated. The racecourse was initially a 1200 meter long grass lane and one lane with four fixed obstacles for steeplechase races. Additional facilities included betting booths, tribunes and a restaurant. In the 1930s the racecourse was expanded and renovated a number of times, frequently with public funds from job creation projects initiated during the Great Depression. The first expansion took place in 1935. In 1938 the largest expansion took place and the course was evened out so the difference in height was reduced from 9 meters to 4 meters. In 1939 large concrete tribunes were built with offices and betting booths underneath and private spectator boxes.

References

External links

* * Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jydsk Væddeløbsbane {{DEFAULTSORT:Jutland Racecourse Sport in Aarhus Horse racing venues in Denmark Sports venues in Denmark