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 the 1 ...

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 town is the seat of

Slagelse Municipality Slagelse Municipality is a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in Region Zealand on the west coast of the island of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjælland'') in Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 571 km². The municipality borders Kalundborg ...

, 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 Bel ...

, 16 km north-east of

Skælskør Skælskør () is a town in Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Skælskør was the seat of Skælskør Municipality. The town is located 17 km southwest of Slagelse and 12 km southeast of Korsør. Skæls ...

, 33 km south-east of

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The population is 7,999 (2022).

History

Slagelse has been inhabited since at least the Viking Age, where it was a

Pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

site.

Trelleborg Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of December 31, 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian peninsula. It is one of the mo ...

, a

ring castle A Viking ring fortress, or Trelleborg-type fortress, is a type of circular fort of a special design, built in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Collectively, they may also be known as trelleborgs. These fortresses have a strictly circular shape ...

, 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 Antvorskov Monastery (Danish: ''Antvorskov Kloster'') was the principal Scandinavian monastery of the Catholic Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, located about one kilometer south of the town of Slagelse on Zealand, Denmark. It served as the Scand ...

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 Church, Catholic Military ord ...

. Slagelse was granted the status of a

market town A market town is a 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 market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in 1288 by Eric V. 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 Georg Hendrick Carl Koës (1782–1811) was a Danish philologist of the early 19th century. Koës was born in Antvorskov, the third son of Anna Mathea Falch and Georg Frederik Koës, and was christened on 4 February 1782 in St Peter's, Sla ...

(1782–1811), philologist *

William Christopher Zeise William Christopher Zeise (15 October 1789 – 12 November 1847) was a Danish organic chemist. He is best known for synthesising one of the first organometallic compounds, named Zeise's salt in his honour. He also performed pioneering studies ...

(1789–1847), chemist *

Jørgen Peter Frederik Wulff Jørgen Peter Frederik Wulff (6 April 1808 – 8 March 1881) was a Danish naval officer. Early life Wulff was born on 6 April 1808 in Slagelse, the son of Peter Frederik Wulff and Hanne Henriette Wulff née Weinholdt (1784-1836). His paternal ...

(1808–1881), naval officer *

Anna Laursen Ane (Anna) Marie Laursen née Christensen (1845–1911) was a Danish schoolteacher and women's rights activist. In 1891, she became headmistress of the realskole in Aarhus which was later known as Fru Laursens Skole (Mrs Laursen's School). Founded ...

(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 dif ...

(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. B ...

Hilmar Baunsgaard Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920, Slagelse – 30 June 1989) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He wa ...

(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 centra ...

from 1968–1975 * Villum Christensen (born 1954), politician and MF * Kim Christiansen (born 1956), politician and MF * Stén Knuth (born 1964), politician and MF *

Louise Schack Elholm Louise Schack Elholm (born 26 October 1977 in Slagelse) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. She was elected into parliament at the 2007 Danish general election. She is currently serving as mi ...

(born 1977), politician and MF *

Rasmus Horn Langhoff Rasmus Horn Langhoff (born 8 October 1980 in Slagelse) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Social Democrats political party. He was elected into parliament in the 2011 Danish general election. Political career Langhof ...

(born 1980), politician and MF

Art

Johan Jacob Bruun Johan Jacob Bruun (30 November 1715 – 4 January 1789) was a Danish painter. Often working in gouaches, he is most known for his topographic prospects which herald the development of a Danish landscape painting. Biography He was born in Slag ...

(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 priva ...

(1835–1867), landscape painter * Ludvig Abelin Schou (1838–1867), painter *

Hans Egede Budtz Hans Egede Budtz (8 August 1889 – 29 June 1968) was a Danish people, Danish stage and film actor. Early life and education Born in Slagelse, Zealand, he was the son of Carl Budtz and Alvida Marie Budtz (''née'' Svendsen). He studied at th ...

(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 studie ...

(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 Hardy Rafn (17 September 1930 – 23 January 1997) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 34 films between 1956 and 1997. He was born in Slagelse, Denmark and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * ''Father of Four in the City'' (1956) * ...

(1930–1997), actor *

Stig Brøgger Stig Brøgger (8 December 1941 – 8 February 2021) was a Danish artist who worked with sculpture, painting, installations and photography. His aims have always been to show how art contributes to man's experience of life and his understanding of t ...

(born 1941), artist * Torben Lendager (born 1951), singer * Kirsten Siggard (born 1954), singer and 3-time participant of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

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 involve ...

(born 1955), director, writer and animator * Elle Klarskov Jørgensen (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') i ...

(born 1992), pop singer *

Alex Høgh Andersen Alex Høgh Andersen (born May 20, 1994) is a Danish actor, model and photographer. He is mostly known for the role of Ivar the Boneless in the historical drama television series ''Vikings'' (2016–2020). Personal life Andersen was born on 20 M ...

(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) (1886–1976), fencer *

Poul Toft Jensen Poul Christian Toft Jensen (14 August 1912 – 18 January 2000) was a Danish amateur association football player, who played 13 games for the Denmark national football team from 1935 to 1938. Born in Slagelse,

(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) were ...

(1916–1979), gymnast * Villy Moll Nielsen (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 (born 1935), former sports shooter *

Vagn Bangsborg Vagn Bangsborg (born 28 May 1936) is a former Danish cyclist. He competed in the team time trial at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ...

(born 1936), former cyclist * Ole Ritter (born 1941), former cyclist * Bo Braastrup Andersen (born 1976), football manager and former goalkeeper * Martin Kristjansen (born 1977), boxer *

Joachim Persson Joachim Persson (born 23 May 1983) is a badminton player from Denmark. Career Persson was born in Denmark but his family moved to Germany in his early years. He began to playing badminton in Trittau, Germany together with his parents. As Germa ...

(born 1983), badminton player *

Buster Juul Buster Juul (born 31 March 1993) is a Danish handball player for Aalborg Håndbold and the Danish national team. He made international debut on the Danish national team in April 2016, against Faroe Islands. Achievements *EHF Champions Leagu ...

(born 1993), handball player *

Niklas Larsen Niklas Larsen (born 22 March 1997) is a Danish professional track and road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He rode in the men's team pursuit at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships winning a bronze medal. Major r ...

(born 1997), cyclist

References

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