Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the

Langeland Belt Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446.

(''Langelandsbælt'') that runs between the islands of

and Langeland. Nakskov Fjord is a wildlife reserve, known for its bird life.

History

Nakskov is in the inner part of the Western

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

of Lolland, one of the agriculturally richest of the Danish islands. The area was settled during the neolithic period and has been continuously inhabited since. The town received trade privileges in 1266, during the reign of king Erik V Glipping. Once the export center of western Lolland, Nakskov thrived on trade, commerce and industry. This changed gradually as overland traffic was enabled by a railway to the neighboring island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

in 1875. The connection to Sjælland and Copenhagen over the Storstrømsbroen bridge in 1937 shifted goods from the port of Nakskov. Although traditionally a center of manufacturing and industry, when Denmark joined the

EEC The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

and the subsidies were dismantled, causing the industrial boom in shipbuilding to end, Nakskov has turned to commerce and trade. Nakskov is one of the most environmentally conscious and cleanest towns of Denmark. Technological and environmental enterprises replace heavy industries. In recent years, local government has restored the town.

Transport

Nakskov is connected to Nykøbing Falster and the rail network by the

Lollandsbanen A/S Lollandsbanen was a Danish railway company operating the Nykøbing F–Nakskov line mostly on the island of Lolland. Established in 1954, it was based on the remains of Det Lolland-Falsterske Jernbane-Selskab (LFJS). The company received fun ...

line. Boats run from Nakskov to the islands of Nakskov Fjord ( Slotø, Vejlø, Enehøje, and Albuen). A

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

connects the Nakskov through the Langeland Belt to Spodsbjerg on the island of Langeland. Bus runs within the town and to neighbouring areas. Bike routes follow the levees encompassing Lolland.

Economy

Denmark's largest sugar factory is located in Nakskov. It processes about 12,000 tons of

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

per day and belongs to the German group

Nordzucker Nordzucker AG, headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, is Europe’s second largest sugar manufacturer. The production of sugar, liquid sugars and other specialities for the application in the nutrition, beverage and sweets industry as well as ...

Nakskov municipality

Until 1 January 2007, "Nakskov" was also the name of a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') covering an area of 33 km², and with a total population of 14,745 (2006). Nowadays Nakskov is integrated into, and encompassed by, Lolland municipality. The last mayor of Nakskov was Flemming Bonne Hansen, a member of the Socialist People's Party (''Socialistisk Folkeparti'') political party. Nakskov municipality ceased to exist as the result of ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with Holeby, Højreby, Maribo, Ravnsborg, Rudbjerg and Rødby municipalities to form the new Lolland municipality. This new municipality consists of an area of 892 km² and a total population of 48,634 (2007).

Attractions

Nakskov Church Nakskov Church ( da, Sankt Nikolai Kirke) is the largest church in Nakskov on the west coast of the Danish island of Lolland. As Nakskov was mentioned in Valdemar's Census Book in the 13th century, the church probably dates to the same period. Hi ...

, dating to the early 13th century, has carved works from the Baroque period including the pulpit (1630) by Jørgen Ringnis and the altarpiece (1656) by Anders Mortensen.Kirsten Weber-Andersen, Otto Norn, Aage Roussell, Gertrud Købke Knudsen, "Nakskov Kirke"
''Danmarks kirker: Maribo amt, Volume 8'', 1951, Nationalmuseet, pages 89-126. Retrieved 14 July 2013. Large parts of the wetlands around Nakskov were drained in the 19th century. The

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

along the southern shore of the fjord allows to travel by foot or on a bicycle to

Langø Langø is an island in Denmark. It is situated in the Ulvsund between Sjælland Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larg ...

. Another attraction of Nakskov is the Danish sugar museum (sukkermuseum). The town also used to display an ex-Soviet submarine designated S-359 or U-359.

Notable people

* Jørgen Ringnis (birth date unknown, died 1652 in Nakskov) a Danish woodcarver of altarpieces and pulpits *

Martin Severin From Martin Severin Janus From (8 April 1828 – 6 May 1895) was a Danish chess master known for creating From's Gambit. From's Gambit is a sharp response to Bird's Opening, requiring precision from both players. Personal life Born in Nakskov, From ...

(1828–1895) soldier, civil servant and Danish chess master * Hans Niels Andersen (1852–1937) a shipping magnate, businessman, founded the

East Asiatic Company The EAC Invest A/S, formerly known as the Santa Fe Group and East Asiatic Company ( da, italic=yes, Det Østasiatiske Kompagni or ''ØK'') is a multinational holding and investment company, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. History The East Asiat ...

Ludovica Levy Ludovica Magdalena Marie Levy (née Dysten, from 1896 to 1906 Levy-Lavik; 7 September 1856 – 20 October 1922) was a Danish actress, theatre director and theatre critic. She toured with theatres in Denmark and Norway, and worked as instructor for ...

(1856–1922) a Danish actress, theatre director and theatre critic * Johan Jensen (1859–1925) a Danish mathematician and engineer *

August Enna August Enna (13 May 1859 – 3 August 1939) was a Danish composer, known mainly for his operas. Enna was born in Nakskov, Lolland, Denmark, but his ethnic origins lay in Sicily. His first major success as a composer was ''The Witch'' (1892), whi ...

(1859–1939) a Danish composer, known mainly for his operas * Johannes Wilhjelm (1868–1938) a Danish painter of bright, colourful landscapes * Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (1878–1964) a Danish engineer and industrialist * Paul Hagen (1920 – 2003 in Nakskov) a Danish film and television actor IMDb Database
retrieved 11 June 2020 * Per Mollerup (born 1942) a Danish designer, academic, and author * Ole Kiehn (born 1958) a Danish-Swedish neuroscientist and academic * Stefan Wenzel (born 1962) a German politician for the Alliance '90/The Greens * Helle Helle (born 1965) a widely translated Danish short story writer and novelist *

Lisbeth Zornig Andersen Lisbeth Malene Zornig Andersen (born 12 February 1968) is a Danish economist, activist, and author. She is a debater in the area of social policy, and her focus is on marginalized people, especially children. She has been involved in a variety o ...

(born 1968) a Danish economist, activist and author * Blak (born 1989) a Danish rapper and songwriter; stage name of ''Henrik Blak''

Sport

Mette Jacobsen Mette Jacobsen (born 24 March 1973 in Nakskov) is a former freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Denmark who competed in five consecutive Summer Olympics for her native country, beginning in 1988. She won a total of 32 individual medals in int ...

(born 1973) a Danish freestyle and butterfly swimmer, competed in five consecutive Summer Olympics from 1988 *

Lee Rochester Sørensen Lee Rochester Sørensen (born 30 April 1994) is a Danish former professional footballer of Jamaican descent, who played as a forward. Career Rochester, who is of Danish-English parentage and has roots in Jamaica, started his career in the youth ...

(born 1994) a Danish-Jamaican footballer

Gallery

File:Nakskov st.JPG, Nakskov station File:Nordic-sugar-Nakskov-1.JPG, Entrance of the sugar factory in Nakskov File:NakskovCirka1657.JPG, Nakskov and surrounding area (up = south) as depicted by the Swedish king's cartographer during the siege of Nakskov in 165

File:MedievalNakskov.JPG, Copper plate illustration of the town of Nakskov, Denmark, probably 17th century, seen from the south across the strait separating the inner and outer portions of the fjord. File:NakskovFjordAlbuenFromLangoeJuly2006.jpg, View from Langø in Nakskov Fjord toward the peninsula of Albuen and the island of Langeland in the west File:Nakskov - U-359 Ubådsmuseum.jpg, The formerly Soviet submarine U-359, Soviet submarine S-174/U-359 in Nakskov harbor.

References

External links

Lolland municipality's official website (Danish only)
*Municipal statistics
NetBorger Kommunefakta
delivered fro
KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
* Municipal mergers and neighbors
Eniro new municipalities map
{{Authority control Nakskov Former municipalities of Denmark Cities and towns in Region Zealand Viking Age populated places Lolland Lolland Municipality