Viby, often referred to as Viby

Sjælland Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising ...

(usually styled Viby Sj) to distinguish it from

Viby J Viby J (or just Viby) is a former town and now a district, in the southwestern part of Aarhus in Denmark. The district has almost 30,000 inhabitants. The "J" stands for Jutland, as there is another town called Viby on the island of Zealand (Denmar ...

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

, is a satellite and

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, located 8 km south of Roskilde, in Roskilde Municipality, some 30 km west of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. The original village, now ''Gammel Viby'' ("Old Viby"), is located in the northern part of town while the modern district has formed around Viby railway station which opened on the Danish Main Line between Copenhagen and western Denmark in 1854. The village of Dåstrup is now also an integrated part of Viby. As of 1 January 2025, Viby had a population of 5,113.

History

The name Viby is first documented in 1257 as ''Wicby'' (Vigby 1315). In the Middle Ages, Viby consisted of 12 farms. Most of these were owned by various

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

s associated with the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

in Roskilde while one was owned by Our Lady's Abbey. The farms' land was located to the south. Viby was located in the southernmost part of the parish of Syv. Syv in the northern part of the parish consisted of two villages: Syv Kirkeby in the west, with the church, rectory and two farms, and Øster Syv in the east with eight farms in 1682. The area between Syv and Viby was owned by Vibygård, a manor house located on the eastern outskirts of Viby. A short distance to the west of Viby was the village of Dåstrup. The first railway in Denmark was built between Copenhagen and Roskilde. Viby Station opened ten years later when the railway was extended to

Korsør Korsør is a town in Zealand (Denmark), 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 thr ...

. A new district gradually developed around the station which was located to the south of the old village. In the 1960, Viby was expanded with new neighbourhoods of

single family detached home A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...

s. In 1970, the town was selected as seat of the new Ramsø Municipality. In 2007, Ramsø was merged with Roskilde Municipality.

Facilities

Søndergade is the main shopping street. There are three primary schools, two public and one private: Peder Syv's School in Viby, Dåstrup School in Dåstrup and Viby Friskole (private) in Gammel Viby.

Landmarks

Vedbygård's current main building dates from 1857. The estate is farmed organically. Syv Church mostly dates from about 1500. The current church replaced a smaller Romanesque church. The northern section of the wall that surrounds the church cuts through a burial mound. There is also a church in Dåstrup.

Transport

Viby railway station is served by

regional rail Regional rail is a public transport, public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connectin ...

s between Copenhagen and . The travel time is seven minutes to and 38 minutes to

Copenhagen Central Station Copenhagen Central Station (, ; abbreviated ''København H'', colloquially usually referred to as ''Hovedbanegården'' or simply ''Hovedbanen'') is the Central station, main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station ...

. Viby is located 2.5 km east of Danish national road 7 which links

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

on the coast north of Copenhagen with

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish 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 (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

on the coast south of Copenhagen by way of

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Bryan Rice Brian Risberg Clausen, better known as Bryan Rice (born 29 May 1978 in Dåstrup, near Viby, Roskilde, Denmark), is a Danish pop singer and songwriter. He is best known for his debut single " No Promises" and for competing in the Dansk Melodi Gr ...

(born 1978 in Dåstrup), pop singer and songwriter *

Mette Schjoldager Mette Schjoldager (born 21 April 1977) is a Danish badminton player from Viby, Roskilde Municipality, on the island of Zealand. Career Schjoldager made her debut at the Olympic Games in 2000 Sydney. Teamed-up with Ann-Lou Jørgensen, they be ...

(born 1977), badminton player *

Peder Syv Peder Pedersen Syv (also spelled Siuf) or in Latin Petrus Petri Septimius (22 February 1631 – 17 February 1702) was a Danish Philology, philologist, folklore, folklorist, and priest, best known for his collections of Danish proverbs and folk s ...

(1631–1702), philologist, folklorist and priest,

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Roskilde Municipality