Slagelse () is a town on

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 th ...

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 , establishe ...

. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of

Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great B ...

, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 km west of Sorø.

History

Slagelse has been inhabited since at least the Viking Age, where it was a Pagan site. Trelleborg, a ring castle, was built near the current location of Slagelse in 980, which made the location strategically important. A church was built at Slagelse's current location in the 1000s. Around this time, coins were minted in Slagelse. Antvorskov was built in the 1100s by Valdemar I, who had recently acquired Zealand. He built the monastery in an attempt to gain control and favor with the locals. The monastery was used by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. Slagelse was granted the status of a

market town A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...

in 1288 by

Eric V Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, t ...

. This gave the town a series of privileges, though eventually put it in competition with the neighboring market towns of Korsør and Skælskør. In the 1780s a road 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 ...

to Korsør was built, and this road ran through Slagelse.

Sights

Slagelse Park (Danish: ''Slagelse Lystanlæg'') is a park located centrally in Slagelse. It is a green recreational area, with lakes, playgrounds and a maze. Slagelse - parti af Slagelse Museum

Slagelse Museum is located centrally in Slagelse. The museum focuses mainly on trade and artisanry. It includes a reconstruction of a shop from the 1940-1950s, as well as sections on local history. A part of the museum is dedicated to H. C. Andersen, who went to school in Slagelse.

Antvorskov

The Antvorskov Monastery Ruins are located in southern Slagelse. They are the ruins of Antvorskov Monastery, a monastery built in 1164 by Valdemar I. It was the first

monastery in Denmark, and was used as monastery until 1536 when the crown took over ownership and turned into a castle. Frederik II used the castle between 1580 and 1584. After that it was used by fief lords until 1717, when it became a ''ryttergods'' - a location for the Danish cavalry. It was sold in 1774 and most of the castle was torn down in 1816.Destinationsjaelland.dk
"Antvorskov Klosterruin" Retrieved 23 August 2020

Notable residents

Public thought and politics

Ludvig Stoud Platou Ludvig Stoud Platou (28 March 1778 – 30 November 1833) was a Danish-Norwegian educator, historical and geographical writer, politician and State Secretary. Personal life He was born in Slagelse, Denmark as a son of curate Friderich Christian P ...

(1778–1833), historical and geographical writer * Georg Koës (1782–1811), philologist * William Christopher Zeise (1789–1847), chemist * Jørgen Peter Frederik Wulff (1808–1881), naval officer * Anna Laursen (1845–1911), schoolteacher and women's rights activist *

Niels Erik Nørlund Niels Erik Nørlund (26 October 1885, in Slagelse – 4 July 1981, in Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician. His book ''Vorlesungen über Differenzenrechnung'' (1924, reprinted 1954) was the first book on complex function solutions of diffe ...

(1885–1981), mathematician * Margrethe Nørlund Bohr (1890–1984), editor and transcriber for Danish physicist

Niels Bohr Niels Henrik David Bohr (; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 ...

* Hilmar Baunsgaard (1920–1989), politician and leader of the

Danish Social Liberal Party The Danish Social Liberal Party ( da, Radikale Venstre, , Radical Left) is a social-liberal political party in Denmark. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905. Historically, the centrist party has played a cent ...

from 1968–1975 *

Villum Christensen Villum Christensen (born 31 July 1954 in Slagelse) is a Danish politician, who was a member of the Folketing for the Liberal Alliance from 2008 to 2019. He entered parliament in 2008 after Gitte Seeberg resigned her seat. Political career Christ ...

(born 1954), politician and MF * Kim Christiansen (born 1956), politician and MF *

Stén Knuth Stén Knuth (born 15 December 1964 in Slagelse) is a Danish politician who is a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. He was elected into parliament in the 2019 Danish general election. Knuth has been in the municipal council ...

(born 1964), politician and MF * Louise Schack Elholm (born 1977), politician and MF * Rasmus Horn Langhoff (born 1980), politician and MF

Art

* Johan Jacob Bruun (1715–1789), painter * Andrea Krætzmer (1811–1889), ballet dancer *

Didrik Frisch Johan Didrik Frisch (4 May 1835 – 22 November 1867) was a Danish landscape and animal painter. Biography Didrik Frisch was born on a farm near Slagelse, Denmark. His father was a landowner. He began his education at the Sorø Academy; a priv ...

(1835–1867), landscape painter *

Ludvig Abelin Schou Ludvig Abelin Schou, known as L.A. Schou (11 January 1838, in Slagelse – 30 September 1867, in Florence), was a Danish Romantic painter, the older brother of Peter Alfred Schou. Biography He was born to a family of merchants. When he was six, ...

(1838–1867), painter * Hans Egede Budtz (1889–1968), actor * Ella Ungermann (1891–1921), actress *

Vilhelm Lauritzen Vilhelm Lauritzen (9 September 1894 – 22 December 1984) was a leading Danish modern architect, founder of the still active architectural firm Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter. Biography Vilhelm Lauritzen was born in Slagelse, Denmark. He studi ...

(1894–1984), architect and founder of the

Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects (VLA) is an architectural firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded by Vilhelm Lauritzen, who headed the firm from its foundation in 1922 until 1969. Recent projects Completed * Daells Varehus, Copenhagen (193 ...

architectural firm * Hardy Rafn (1930–1997), actor * Stig Brøgger (born 1941), artist *

Torben Lendager Torben Lendager (born 23 April 1951, Slagelse, Denmark) is a Danish singer and composer. Lendager was the lead singer of the Danish band The Walkers, and is notable for composing hit songs "Little Kitty" and "Sha-La-La-La-La", which was covered ...

(born 1951), singer * Kirsten Siggard (born 1954), singer and 3-time participant of the Eurovision Song Contest *

Karsten Kiilerich Karsten Kiilerich (21 January 1955, Slagelse) is a Danish film and television director, screenwriter and animator. He is a co-founder of the Danish animation studio A. Film Production, for which he still actively works. Kiilerich has been involved ...

(born 1955), director, writer and animator *

Elle Klarskov Jørgensen Elle Klarskov Jørgensen (born 27 March 1958) is a Danish sculptor. Born in Slagelse, she attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts where she studied under Willy Ørskov and Hein Heinsen (1978–87). She has exhibited installations and mor ...

(born 1958), sculptor *

Simone Egeriis Simone Egeriis (born 28 January 1992), better known as simply Simone, is a Danish pop singer. She was born and raised in Slagelse, Denmark. She is known in Denmark for winning the Danish TV talent show '' Scenen er din'' ('The Stage is Yours') ...

(born 1992), pop singer * Alex Høgh Andersen (born 1994), actor

Sport

Fred K. Nielsen Fred Kenelm Nielsen (April 22, 1879 – January 12, 1963) was a Danish-American lawyer, diplomatic official, and college football coach. Nielsen served as the head football coach at the Maryland Agricultural College—now known as the University o ...

(1879–1963), college football coach *

Hans Olsen (fencer) Hans Olsen (21 January 1886 – 13 September 1976) was a Danish fencer. He competed in four events at the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( s ...

(1886–1976), fencer * Poul Toft Jensen (1912–2000), football player *

Gunner Olesen Gunner Olesen (22 December 1916 – 24 February 1979) was a Danish gymnast. He competed in eight events at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) wer ...

(1916–1979), gymnast *

Villy Moll Nielsen Villy Moll Nielsen (born 22 November 1927) is a Danish field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the ...

(1927), field hockey player * Poul Moll Nielsen (1930 - 1992), field hockey player * Torben Alstrup Jensen (1930 - 2007), field hockey player *

Willy Kristoffersen Willy Kristoffersen (born 18 October 1933) is a Danish field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the ...

(born 1933), field hockey player *

Ernst Pedersen Ernst Pedersen (born 8 October 1935) is a Danish former sports shooter. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural R ...

(born 1935), former sports shooter * Vagn Bangsborg (born 1936), former cyclist * Ole Ritter (born 1941), former cyclist *

Bo Braastrup Andersen Bo Braastrup Andersen (26 March 1976 - ) is a Danish football manager and former goalkeeper. He is currently managing Stavanger IF. Playing career Bo Braastrup Andersen played for Lyngby FC, Bristol City F.C., Djurgårdens IF, Viking FK, UD ...

(born 1976), football manager and former goalkeeper *

Martin Kristjansen Martin Kristjansen (born 12 November 1977) is a Danish lightweight boxer from Slagelse, Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_captio ...

(born 1977), boxer * Joachim Persson (born 1983), badminton player *

Buster Juul Buster Juul (born 31 March 1993) is a Danish handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball ...

(born 1993), handball player * Niklas Larsen (born 1997), cyclist

References

{{Authority control Municipal seats of Region Zealand Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in Region Zealand Slagelse Municipality