Nysted is a town in

Guldborgsund Municipality Guldborgsund is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland in Denmark, created on 1 January 2007 from six (6) former municipalities on the two islands Lolland in the west and Falster in the east bordering the Guldborgsund strait. It ...

Region Zealand Region Zealand ( da, Region Sjælland) is the southernmost administrative region of Denmark, established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regi ...

on the southeastern 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 ...

in south

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 ...

. Nysted is located on the southern coast of Lolland, and has a population of 1,292 (1 January 2022).BY3: Population 1. January by rural and 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 and harbour originated during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

near Aalholm Castle and a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

. The town was a natural crossroads for commerce and traffic on account of its having the only natural harbour on the south coast of Lolland. During this time Lolland, and especially its southern coast, was vulnerable to attack by

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peopl ...

, its neighbors on the opposite side of the Baltic Sea. Proximity to the castle was a great advantage to the people who lived there, but protection also meant that they belonged to the castle. In 1409 they were liberated when

Eric of Pomerania Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1396 ...

gave Nysted merchant town status. This was re-established by King

Christian II Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...

in 1513. Like other merchant towns the citizens of Nysted joined in on Christian II's side in the

Count's Feud The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of religi ...

, which resulted in the capture of Aalholm Castle in 1534 when Jørgen von der Wisch was absent. The castle then was overtaken by Count Christoffer, who held it for two years. The town's coastal advantage as a natural harbour disappeared with the advent of the railroad.

Attractions

The massive Aalholm Castle (''Aalholm Slot ''), built ca. 1200, dominates the view from the harbour at Nysted. For over 1,000 years this stronghold has tried to protected the town's citizens. It is one of the oldest, preserved Middle Ages

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

es in Denmark. The castle has been enlarged several times, most recently in 1889. The castle was sold to the Raben-Levetzau family in 1725, who owned the property until 1995 when it was sold privately. It is owned today by the estate of the late Stig Husted Andersen. There is no entrance to the castle itself, but access is available to the park and forest via a path from the town. The Aalholm Automobile Museum (''Automobilmuseet'') is now closed, and all the cars are sold.

Former municipality

Until 1 January 2007 Nysted was the seat of the former Nysted municipality (

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 ...

, '' kommune'') in the former

Storstrøm County Storstrøms Amt (English ''Storstrøm County'') is a former county (Danish: ''amt'') on the islands of Zealand (''Sjælland''), Møn, Falster, Lolland and some minor islands in southeast Denmark. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising ...

. The municipality covered an area of 142 km², and had a total population of 5,417 (2005). Its last mayor was Lennart Andersen, a member of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

(''Socialdemokraterne'')

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

. Nysted municipality ceased to exist as the result of ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guldb ...

Nørre Alslev Nørre Alslev () is a town with a population of 2,379 (1 January 2022) ...

Sakskøbing Sakskøbing (), previously spelled Sakskjøbing, is a town with a population of 4,595 (1 January 2022).Stubbekøbing Stubbekøbing () is a town with a population of 2,268 (1 January 2022) ...

, and

Sydfalster Until 1 January 2007 Sydfalster was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the former Storstrøm County on the southern end of the island of Falster in south Denmark. Overview The municipality covered an area of 113 km², and had a total pop ...

municipalities to form the new

Guldborgsund municipality Guldborgsund is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland in Denmark, created on 1 January 2007 from six (6) former municipalities on the two islands Lolland in the west and Falster in the east bordering the Guldborgsund strait. It ...

. This created a municipality with an area of 907 km² and a total population of 63,533 (2005).

Notable people

Emil Aarestrup Carl Ludvig Emil Aarestrup (4 December 1800 in Copenhagen – 21 July 1856 in Odense) was a Danish physician and poet, who had just one single volume of poetry published throughout his lifetime, yet this gave him a lasting place in Danish literatu ...

(1800–1856) a Danish physician and poet, lived in Nysted from 1827 until 1838.

References

* Municipal statistics
NetBorger Kommunefakta
delivered fro
KMD
aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data) * Municipal mergers and neighbors
Eniro new municipalities map

External links

Guldborgsund municipality's official website (Danish only)

Nysted and the surrounding area committee
{{Authority control Former municipalities of Denmark Cities and towns in Region Zealand Guldborgsund Municipality Lolland