Risskov is the name of both a neighbourhood and a district in the city of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

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 ...

. The district of Risskov is sometimes referred to as Vejlby-Risskov, as it is a merger of the neighbourhood of Risskov and the neighbourhood of

Vejlby Vejlby is a north-eastern neighbourhood of Aarhus in Denmark. It is located 5km from the city centre and is administratively part of the district of Risskov. The neighbourhood of Vejlby was administratively merged with Risskov at the end of the ...

. The old neighbourhood of Risskov at the seaside of the

Aarhus Bay The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the w ...

, is one of the most affluent areas in

Etymology

The name of Risskov literally means ''The Forest of Riis'', as described on the memorial stone marking the entrance to the area and derives from the small local forest of

Riis Skov Riis Skov (''Riis' Forest'' or ''The Forest of Riis'') is a forest and park in Århus, Denmark. It is located south of the district of Risskov, along the Bay of Aarhus. History This small patch of forest, was formally presented to Aarhus in 1395, ...

. The southern parts of the forest was granted to the city of Aarhus by

Margaret I of Denmark Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...

as the first, Danish public forest. In 1542, Christian III of Denmark granted the northern part of the forest to Aarhus as well. From early on, the forest was used for leisurely activities, and during the 1800s, restaurants, entertainment parks and musical pavilions sprung up in different parts of the woodland. Today the forest is known for its sharp smell of

ramson ''Allium ursinum'', known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amary ...

in the spring and its abundance of

anemones ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family (biology), family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are Native plant, native to the Temperate climate, temperate and Subtropics, subtrop ...

. It is still a popular destination for families and couples. Supposedly the ramson was brought to Denmark by Spanish soldiers, who then brought it to the forest of Riis Skov in 1808, during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. In October 1951, a meteorite exploded in the atmosphere over Denmark and the largest piece of it, about the size of a clenched fist, was recovered in Riis Skov, where a memorial stone now commemorates the event.

Attractions

Today the neighbourhood of Risskov is an affluent suburban area, with many large

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

s and detached houses in connectivity with the sandy beaches of Bellevue and the woodland park of Riis Skov in the south. Notable sights in Risskov include: *

, the first public forest in Denmark. *

Den Permanente Den Permanente (lit: The Permanent) is a sea bath and a beach in Aarhus, Denmark. Den Permanente is situated below the woodland park Riis Skov north of the city centre and along the railway line of Aarhus Nærbane. Den Permanente is one of two ...

, a public seabath. *

Bellevue Beach Bellevue Beach (Danish: ''Bellevue Strand''), often simply referred to as Bellevue, is a beach at Klampenborg on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. With up to 500,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most popular beaches in the Copen ...

, one of four beach parks in Risskov. *

Åkrogen Åkrogen (lit.: River-nook) is an urban, public beach and park in the northern parts of Aarhus, Denmark. Åkrogen is situated in both the neighborhood of Risskov and the suburb of Egå on the Bay of Aarhus at Egå Marina. The beach park is div ...

beach park. A beach and recreational nature site, north of Bellevue at Egå Marina. Only the southern section belongs to Risskov. The beaches at Risskov, presents a beautiful panoramic view of the

Bay of Aarhus The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the w ...

, with

Samsø Samsø (Anglicized: "Samso" or "Samsoe") is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 3,724 inhabitants (2017) (January 2010:4,010) called ''Samsings'' and is 114&n ...

Helgenæs Helgenæs is a peninsula, approximately twenty square kilometres in size, stretching out from Mols in Denmark. Mols is itself part of the large peninsula of Djursland, in the middle of the Kattegat sea between Denmark and Sweden. West of ...

and

Mols Mols is a small Danish gathering of hilly peninsulas in the southern part of the larger peninsula of Djursland on the east coast of Jutland. The largest peninsulas of Mols comprise Skødshoved to the west, and Helgenæs to the east. Mols' l ...

visible on the horizon on most days. Footpath in Riisskov.JPG, Riis Skov forest Risskov skole 2006.jpg, Risskov public school Risskov park 01.jpg, Risskov Park overlooking the Aarhus Bay Murermestervilla.JPG, Larger parts of Risskov are residential areas with detached houses Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus-Grenaa) 01.jpg, Aarhus Lightrail Risskov Strandpark.jpg, Risskov Beachpark Bellevue Strand.jpg, Bellevue Beachpark Åkrogen (sti og udsigt).jpg, Åkrogen, southern section

Literature

Writer

Svend Aage Madsen Svend is a Danish and Norwegian given name that may refer to: * King Svend * Svend Aagesen (c.1145–?), Danish historian * Svend Asmussen (1916–2017), Danish jazz violinist known as "The Fiddling Viking" * Svend Auken (1943–2009), Danish ...

has written many stories about Aarhus and Risskov, where he resides himself. Writer and performer Jens Blendstrup grew up in Risskov, and some of his stories are set in this particular neighbourhood. Blendstrup's childhood memoirs (with fictional elements) from Risskov appears in his novel "''Gud taler ud''" (God speaks up), which was turned into a screenplay and movie by the same name in 2017 .

References

{{Authority control Neighborhoods of Aarhus Aarhus N