Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern

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 ...

city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to

Region Sjælland 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 ...

. The city lies on

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

, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guldborg Strait'') waterway to 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 16,911 (1 January 2022). Including the

satellite town Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have muni ...

Sundby on the Lolland side, with a population of 3,065 the total population is 19,976.

Overview

Nykøbing Falster is the largest city on the islands of Lolland and Falster, and is often called "Nykøbing F." to distinguish it from at least two other cities in Denmark with the name of Nykøbing. Nykøbing Falster is the seat of state and regional authorities. Additionally, a city in Sweden is called

Nyköping Nyköping () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,759 inhabitants as of 2017. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County. Including Arnö, the locality on the ...

, which means exactly the same thing ("new market") in the closely related language. There is a long commercial district, walking street (''gågade'') on the Falster side of the city with a wide selection of shops. At the end of the street is a large plaza where special events are arranged. These include popular late-night events, which are held several times a year. It has a large central library in the center of town. The town receives many visitors during the summer, especially from Germany.

History

Early history

Nykøbing Falster was founded around a 12th-century

medieval 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle. At the end of the 12th century, fortifications were set up on a peninsula on Guldborgsund for protection against the

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 ...

, and these were later converted into Nykøbing Castle. The town of Nykøbing Falster grew up around these fortifications. After the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, the castle was the residence of widowed Danish queens. As several queens of German descent resided here, many Germans came to the town. Situated on a headland, the castle was protected from all sides. In its early days, the castle belonged to the

royal house A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in repu ...

. Medieval documents issued in this region reveal that the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

regularly visited the castle. This is the castle where Christopher II died (1332) and where Christian V was married (1667).

Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark Christian (10 April 16032 June 1647) was Prince-Elect of Denmark since 1610 and Heir Apparent to the Throne of the Kingdom of Norway since 1603. Dying in 1647, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Prince Frederik. Biography Early life ...

resided here. The castle was chartered in 1539
REF
The castle and the entire crown land on

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

were put up for sale in 1763 to help improve the poor state of government finances. The castle was sold for demolition, and only the modest ruin of one of the towers, Fars Hat (''Father’s Hat'' in Danish) is in existence today.

Recent history

From 1970 to 2006, Nykøbing was the administrative seat of the former county of Storstrøm as well as the Nykøbing Falster municipality. On 1 January 2007, the former Nykøbing Falster municipality merged with

Nysted Nysted is a town in Guldborgsund Municipality in Region Zealand on the southeastern coast of the island of Lolland in south Denmark. Nysted is located on the southern coast of Lolland, and has a population of 1,292 (1 January 2022).

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

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 municipal reform, ''Kommunalreformen'', created a municipality with an area of and a total population of 63,533 (2005) and will belong to the new

("Zealand Region"). The former Nykøbing Falster municipality covered an area of with a total population of 25,483 (2005).

Main sights

The city has a few noteworthy buildings, including a wooden house from 1580 and ''

Czarens Hus Falsters Minder (literally Falster's Memories) is the city museum of Nykøbing on the Danish island of Falster. It is housed in the 17th century half-timbered building known as Czarens Hus (the Czar's House).Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

of Russia, who stayed there in 1716. The most noteworthy attraction is the city's old water tower, Nykøbing Vandtårn, which was built in 1909 and remains an icon of the city and the surrounding areas. Today, the water tower houses a small cultural center holding art exhibitions and cultural events. Other attractions include: * the City Museum (''Bymuseet'') * the Middle Ages Center (''

Middelaldercentret Middelaldercentret () is an experimental living history archaeological open-air museum in Denmark, which depicts the middle ages in the Denmark of the late 14th and early 15th centuries. It is located in Sundby Lolland, some 4 km northwest ...

''), located in Sundby * Ejegod Windmill with its toy museum * The

abbey church A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...

founded in 1419. * Guldborgsund Zoo."Guldborgsund Zoo"
Zoos.dk. Retrieved 21 December 2012. (formerly "The People's Park") *The fire fighting museum
Brandmuseet

Transportation

Nykøbing Falster has a railway station operated by Danish State Railways. It is the terminus for regular local passenger-train services from

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 ...

via

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...

and

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...

. International trains operating between Copenhagen and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

(via the

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train f ...

between

Rødby Rødby is a town, with a population of 1,983 (1 January 2022),Puttgarden is a ferry harbour and a village on the German island of Fehmarn. It lies on an important route between Germany and Denmark known as the Vogelfluglinie which crosses the strait, the Fehmarnbelt, to Rødby on the island of Lolland. Overview ...

) also call at the station. 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 ...

also operates a rail service to

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

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Nykøbing Falster is twinned with: *

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

, Poland

Notable residents

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 14 October 1631) was Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King Christian IV of Denmark and Anne of Denmark. She was Regent of Schl ...

(1557–1631 in Nykøbing Falster) Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to

Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1559 until his death. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Frederick began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway at the age of ...

, mother of King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

Anne Palles Anne Palles (1619 – 4 April 1693) was an alleged Danish witch. She was the last woman to be legally executed for sorcery in Denmark. Background In 1692, the cunning woman Karen Gregers Madsens from Lommelev was accused of poisoning. She wa ...

(1619–executed for sorcery in 1693) an alleged witch, hired in Nykøbing Falster by a woman to drug and murder her abusive and violent husband * Ludvig Grundtvig (1836–1901) a Danish photographer and portrait painter * Ingeborg Tolderlund (1848–1935) a Danish women's rights activist and suffragist *

Christian Blangstrup Christian Blangstrup (29 October 1857, Nykøbing Falster – 1926) was a Danish encyclopedist. Born in Nykjobing, he was editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper ''Berlingske Tidende'' from 1902 to 1912. He later edited the volumes 1–21 of the s ...

(1857–1926) a Danish

encyclopedist An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

* Peter Freuchen (1886–1957), a Danish Arctic explorer, author, journalist and anthropologist *

Gert Petersen Gert Verner Petersen (19 August 1927 – 1 January 2009) was a journalist and politician who helped found and represent the Socialist People's Party in Denmark. He was born in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark, as the son of the factory worker Kar ...

(1927–2009) a journalist and politician who helped found the Socialist People's Party *

Claus Meyer Claus Meyer (born 27 December 1963) is a Danish entrepreneur, cook and television host. He is often accredited as the founder of the New Nordic Cuisine philosophy. Projects Claus Meyer has been engaged in a plethora of projects and has been ...

(born 1963) a culinary entrepreneur, food activist, cookbook author and TV host *

Martin Geertsen Martin Raahauge Borreskov Geertsen (born 16 March 1970 in Sakskøbing) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. He entered parliament in 2018 after Søren Pind resigned his seat. He was previously ...

(born 1970) Venstre party politician * Pilgrimz (1998–2013) a local rock band

Sport

* Carl Andersen (1879–1967) a gymnast at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

and later an architect. *

Henrik Danielsen Henrik Danielsen (born 23 January 1966) is a Danish-Icelandic chess grandmaster. He was Icelandic Chess Champion in 2009. Chess career Born in 1966, Danielsen earned his grandmaster title in 1996. In 1993, he finished joint first in the Poli ...

(born 1966) a Danish-Icelandic chess grandmaster and Icelandic Chess Champion in 2009. * Jørgen Nielsen (born 1971) a Danish former football goalkeeper, 340 club caps * Michael Hansen (born 1971) a Danish former professional football player, over 460 club caps *

Claus Jensen Claus William Jensen (born 29 April 1977) is a Danish professional football manager, and former player who is the manager of Danish 1st Division club Nykøbing FC. During his active playing career, he played as an attacking midfielder. Jensen ...

(born 1977) a former footballer, 310 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 ...

Esben Hansen Esben Hansen (born 10 August 1981) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made his international debut for the Denmark national team in a game against Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Princ ...

(born 1981) a Danish former football midfielder, 230 club caps *

Anders Due Anders Due Hansen (born 17 March 1982) is a retired Danish footballer who currently is the assistant manager of Nykøbing FC. He played as a left midfielder and is the cousin of Danish national team and former Bolton, Charlton and Fulham midfie ...

(born 1982) a Danish footballer, 270 club caps *

Johanna Rasmussen Johanna Maria Baltensperger Rasmussen (born 2 July 1983) is a former Danish professional Association football, footballer who last played for Linköpings FC in the Damallsvenskan and the Denmark women's national football team. She played as a Fo ...

(born 1983) a Danish professional footballer, 152 caps for

* Sara Petersen (born 1987) a Danish hurdler, silver medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

* Mikkel Rygaard Jensen (born 1990) a Danish footballer with over 300 club caps *

Mikkel Mac Mikkel Mac Jensen (born 18 December 1992 in Nykøbing Falster) is a Danish racing driver. Career Like many other racing drivers Mac began his racing career in karting. He remained in karting until 2008. In 2009 he began his formula racing caree ...

(born 1992) a Danish racing driver *

Mikkel Michelsen Mikkel Michelsen (born 19 August 1994) is a Danish speedway rider. Career Born in Nykøbing Falster, Michelsen took up speedway at the age of 6, and went on to win the Junior World Cup in both 2008 and 2009.Laursen Brock, Jeppe (2013)Speedwaytale ...

(born 1994) a Danish speedway rider. *

Rikke Sevecke Rikke Læntver Sevecke (born 15 June 1996) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Everton in the FA WSL. In 2016, she won her first cap for the senior Denmark national team. Club career Nykøbing Falster-born Seve ...

(born 1996) a Danish women's football defender

References

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

External links

*
Nykøbing Falster Tourist Information website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nykobing Falster Municipal seats of Region Zealand Municipal seats of Denmark Former municipalities of Denmark Cities and towns in Region Zealand Port cities and towns in Denmark Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Guldborgsund Municipality Falster