Nykøbing , often referred to as Nykøbing Sjælland or Nykøbing Sj to destinguish it from

Nykøbing F Nykøbing means "new city". It may refer to several towns: * Nykøbing Falster, on the island of Falster, Denmark * Nykøbing Mors, on the island of Mors, Denmark * Nykøbing Sjælland, on the island of Sjælland, Denmark See also * Nyköping, a l ...

and Nykøbing M, is a seaside town in

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 ...

, located in

Odsherred Odsherred is a peninsula in the north-western part of the island Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark. Odsherred stretches from the Sjællands Odde in the north-west to the now drained Lammefjord in the south, covering an area with a wide range of the ...

on the northwestern part of

Zealand 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 larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. Located on the

Isefjord Ise Fjord ( da, Isefjorden) is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island Zealand. From its relatively narrow entrance from the Kattegat at Hundested and Rørvig, branches of Ise Fjord stretch 35 km inland and divide the norther ...

, it has a population of 5,002 (1 January 2022). It is located in Odsherred municipality which is part of

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 town is a popular seaside resort.

History

Nykøbing Sjælland is one of the oldest market towns in Zealand, first mentioned in the last part of the 13th century, although the local church dates from the first half of the 13th century. The town was destroyed by followers of Marsk Stig in 1290, and it has since been swept by several fires. The town and surrounding land was pawned by the crown to the

Diocese of Roskilde The Diocese of Roskilde ( da, Roskildes Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The seat of the Bishop is Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde. History The Diocese of Roskilde was formed in 1922 when the Diocese of Zeala ...

in 1370 but was redeemed by Queen

Margaret I Margaret I may refer to: * Margaret I, Countess of Flanders (died 1194) * Margaret I of Scotland (1283–1290), usually known as the Maid of Norway * Margaret I, Countess of Holland (1311–1356), Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland * Ma ...

. In the Middle Ages, the town was known for its harbour and its role in herring fishing. It received a charter in 1443, after which commerce replaced fishing as the main occupation. A school teaching in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

was established in 1590, and replaced by a school which taught in

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 ...

by 1740. At this time, the population was a mere 350, making it one of Zealand's smallest towns. The local courthouse was erected in 1868 on ''Holtets Plads'' near the church. This building also served as a city hall and prison. It has been a protected structure since 1991 and is now the home of ''Restaurant Madkunsten''. In 1915 the Hospital for the Insane (in Danish "Sindsygehospitalet") was opened in Nykøbing Sjælland. After changing the name several times, the final name, The Psychiatric Hospital in Nykøbing Sjælland, was given in 2000. In addition being a general Psychiatric hospital it also contains Denmark's first (founded 4 November 1915) and to date only ''closed psychiatric ward (Sikringen) for the criminally insane'' and particular dangerous psychotic patients. Psychiatric Hospital had its own Chapel and cemetery, both now part of the Nykøbing Sj. Psychiatric Museum, known as "The Brainless Cemetery".

The Brainless Cemetery

The name "The Brainless Cemetery" (i.e., ''de hjerneløses kirkegård)'' was not a name out of disrespect for the patients buried there. Between 1945 and 1982 an estimate of up t
2,000 brains were removed from patients prior to being buried
in the cemetery. After the removal, the brains were sent t
Psychiatric Hospital in Risskov (Aarhus, Denmark)
to be used in research. The removal was done in the hospital's Chapel that also contains a room used for dissections. The removal of the brains was carried out by the nursing staff which besides their normal nursing care of psychiatric ill patients had had this additional task. During the period that the removals were carried out, relatives to the patients were not asked for permission either were they informed. Most if not all of the patients buried at the cemetery have been buried without their brains.

Culture

The local ''Odsherred Museum'' was located in ''Kirkestræde'' till 2004, but has since been relocated to modern buildings near "Hempels Glas Museum" (formerly ''Annebjerggaard Museum''), approx. 2 km south of town. The latter museum holds Northern Europe's largest privately owned collection of antique glass. A third local museum was dedicated to detective fiction and Sherlock Holmes. This is now closed. Forth, Nykøbing Sj. Psychiatric Museum was established in 1988. It showcases the history of

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...

throughout the past 100 years. The town has a section of the regional library
Odsherreds Bibliotek
It is located in the "Pakhuset" building, which is also the venue for concerts, art exhibitions and the like. Further, the town has a soccer team, "Nykøbing IF", and a stadium dimensioned for 3,500 people.

Infrastructure

Nykøbing Sjælland is connected with Holbæk and the Danish rail network by the

Odsherred Line The Holbæk Line ( Danish: Holbækbanen) is a long standard gauge single track local passenger railway line linking Holbæk with the town of Nykøbing Sjælland in the northwestern part of the island of Zealand some fifty km west of Copenhagen, ...

operated by the

railway company A railway company is a company within the rail industry. It can be a manufacturing firm or an rail transport operations, operator. Some railway companies operate both the trains and the track, while, particularly in the European Union, operation ...

Lokaltog Lokaltog A/S ( en, Local Trains Ltd) is a Danish railway company responsible for train operation and related passenger services on nine local railways on the islands of Zealand, Lolland and Falster in Denmark. The company was formed on 1 July 201 ...

. Nykøbing Sjælland railway station is the northern

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the

and functions as the principal

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

of the town, which is also served by the

railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

Nyled.

Notable people

* Signe Toksvig (1891 in Nykøbing, Sjælland – 1983) a Danish writer, emigrated with her family to the United States age 14, the great aunt of

Sandi Toksvig Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British writer, comedian and broadcaster on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She has written ...

* Anna Grue (born 1957 in Nykøbing Sjælland) crime fiction writer *

Morten Frost Morten Frost or Morten Frost Hansen (born 4 April 1958) is a former badminton player and later coach, who represented Denmark. As a player, he spent twelve years in the top three of the world rankings. Badminton career During his career, Frost w ...

(born 1958 in Nykøbing, Sjælland) a former badminton player and later coach, who represented Denmark * Stine Andersen (born 1985 in Nykøbing, Sjælland) a Danish sports shooter, competed in the Women's 10-metre air rifle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Gallery

Image:Tinghuset i Nykøbing Sjælland.JPG, Court house Image:Nykøbing Sjælland Kirke.JPG, Nykøbing Sjælland Church Image:Denmark Nykobing Sjaelland.jpg, Main street "Algade" (pedestrian, shopping)

References

External links

Odsherred Turistbureau

Annebjerggaard Museum, now "Odsherreds Museum"
(link 404 on 5 August 2015)
Hempel Glas Museum (formerly: Anneberg Samlingerne)

Nykøbing Sj. Psykiatriske Museum

Museum Vestsjælland
(12 sections; one is "Odsherreds Museum") {{DEFAULTSORT:Nykobing Sjaelland Cities and towns in Region Zealand Odsherred Municipality