Vrå is a railway town in Hjørring municipality, Denmark. It was the former municipal seat of the abolished Løkken-Vrå municipality. As of 1 January 2022, Vrå has a population of 2,509.

History

In 1370, the town's name was documented as ''Wra'', with later iterations of ''Vraa'', ''Wraa'', and ''Vro''. In Danish, "Vrå" means ''nook'' or ''corner''. Despite its long history, Vrå was only a small farming community until the late 19th century, when a station was constructed on the Vendsyssel railway line. The station building was erected in 1870 and the railway opened in 1871. The town largely grew up around the railroad, and most buildings were constructed after its completion. The town's population grew rapidly following the construction of the railroad; in 1850 the population had been 691, and by 1901 had grown to 1,594. The city is divided by the railway, the majority of the town's commercial buildings are on the east side. The town is home to Vrå Højskole, a folk high school. It was originally founded in 1872 in the small town of Stenum, 7 kilometers southwest of Vrå. As the school grew, proposals were made to move it closer to the central railway in the region. In 1890, it officially relocated to Vrå. The school originally taught language, mathematics, and agricultural courses, catering to the local agricultural community. Since the mid 1900s, it has focused on the creative arts. The school collaborates with Kunstbygningen, an exhibit for art. Its exhibitions began in 1942, then primarily showing works donated by its founder,

Svend Engelund 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 p ...

Religion

Vrå church (Danish: ''Vrå Kirke'') is located 9 kilometers north of

Brønderslev Brønderslev is a city in Denmark with a population of 12,549 (1 January 2022). The city is the largest urban area in Brønderslev Municipality and is the municipal seat. It is the fourth largest city of Vendsyssel within the North Jutland Region ...

. It operates as a parish church within the Diocese of Aalborg of the Church of Denmark. The nave was originally constructed from the late 12th to early 13th century in the romanesque style. Other later additions, including the tower, of the church are gothic. The interior of the church has a preserved

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

from –. Vrå Congregational Church (Danish: ''Vrå Valgmenighedskirke'') was founded in 1900. The church was established following an incident which saw the rejection of a priest's application to lead the parish, despite support from the community. Today the congregation has approximately 350 members. The church follows Grundtvigian theology, and is affiliated with the Church of Denmark. There is also a

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

and an Inner Mission in Vrå. File:VRAA KIRKE 13 ubt.JPG, Vrå Church (''Vrå Kirke'') File:Nordenskirker Vraax32.jpg, Fresco at Vrå Church File:Valgmenighedskirken i Vraa 20180616 142848 ubt.jpg, Vrå Congregational Church (''Vrå Valgmenighedskirken'')

Transport

Vrå is served by Vrå railway station, located on the Vendsyssel railway line between

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

and Frederikshavn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vra Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Hjørring Municipality