Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg municipality,

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 , establish ...

. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj Sø and the swampy boglands of Eskebæk Mose. Just north of the town on the other side of Expressway E45, is the archaeologically important Illerup Ådal. Over time, the town has grown into a suburb of Aarhus to the north east, connected by the urban areas of Stilling, Hørning and Hasselager. Skanderborg is home to a population of 19,963 (1 January 2022),BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark. out of Skanderborg municipality's total population of 61,974 (2019).

History

Skanderborg is an old town and the area have revealed traces of human settlements, dating from the earliest Nordic Stone Age. A seasonal camp from the

Ertebølle culture The Ertebølle culture (ca 5300 BCE – 3950 BCE) () is the name of a hunter-gatherer and fisher, pottery-making culture dating to the end of the Mesolithic period. The culture was concentrated in Southern Scandinavia. It is named after the ...

, was found here in the 1930s for example, near the former Ringkloster (English: ''Ring Abbey'') on the southern brinks of Skanderborg Lake. The town sprawled around the former Skanderborg Castle, founded at some point during the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and in 1583 Skanderborg was granted a

municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

.Skanderborg Castle Chapel
The National Museum of Denmark. Danish text with English summary available (p.6263).

Religious orders

The town of Skanderborg has attracted several religious communities over the years, especially in the early

. The long gone

Ring Abbey Ring Abbey (''Ringkloster'') was a Benedictine nunnery in Skanderborg Municipality, Denmark. It was in operation from the 12th-century until the Danish Reformation. It was a large landowner and functioned as a girl school for daughters of the n ...

founded by

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

nuns in the 12th century, was once situated on the southeastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake. The last buildings burned down in 1715 and now there is a mansion at the site. There also used to be a Dominican monastery on the small islet of Kalvø in the middle of the lake.Skanderborg Lake
Danish Agency for Culture. The monastery was founded by the Black Friar Order in the first half of the 12th century, along with a small harbour, but in 1168 there were only two monks left and the

Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

took over. The Cistercians came here after they had failed in founding a proper monastery at several nearby locations since 1165. In that year, they embarked on a mission from Vitskøl Abbey in Himmerland, to found a daughter community in the

diocese of Aarhus In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

and tried at Sabro, at Sminge near

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Sminge Abbey), and then near the village of Veng ( Veng Abbey). The Cistercians eventually felt too isolated on the small isle of Kalvø, often cut off from the mainland for days and weeks even when the weather was harsh, and after just four years, they gave up here, too, and moved to Rye between Mossø and Gudensø, a few kilometres west of Skanderborg. Here they founded

Øm Abbey Øm Abbey (''Øm Kloster'') was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1172 in the Diocese of Aarhus near the town of Rye, between the lakes of Mossø and Gudensø in central Jutland, Denmark. It is one of many former monasteries and abbeys in the ...

in 1172.

Buildings and structures

Skanderborg Castle

The royal residence of Skanderborg Castle was arguably the most important and influential building in the history of Skanderborg, but it was demolished stone by stone during the 18th century. Founded at some point in the early Middle Ages around 1200, King Frederik II had the old medieval castle radically rebuilt and expanded around 1570. His project was grandiose in scale. An entirely new large

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

palace was erected and the deer park of Skanderbrog Dyrehave was constructed nearby, amongst other undertakings. Stones from the demolished

west of Skanderborg were used as construction materials. Many of the original structures survived the project and were incorporated into the new buildings, amongst these the old castle chapel. In the 12th-16th centuries, Skanderborg Castle functioned as the traditional hunting retreat of the Danish kings.

Demolition

In the years of 1717–22, King Frederik IV began demolishing the old original medieval structures and replaced the former fortifications with terraced gardens. Only the bell tower of the still existing castle church remained. In turn however, Skanderborg Castle saw a decline in popularity and attention by the royal family, and in 1767, the castle with associated gardens was sold at auction. Commoner Hans Lauritzen bought the royal property for the sum of 3004 Rigsdaler, while the castle church with furnishings and bells was granted to the town of Skanderborg. In April 1768, the demolishing of Skanderborg Castle began and nothing remains of it today, except the old castle church.

Present buildings and structures

The town of Skanderborg has a total of three churches, and Skanderborg Castle Church used to be part of the former Skanderborg Castle. The cultural centre of Kulturhuset, located in Byparken (the city park) in the center of Skanderborg, was designed by native architectural firm

Kjær & Richter Kjær & Richter is a Danish architectural practice founded in 1967 by Werner Kjær (1924–1998) and Johan Richter (1925–1998). The company is an extension of the practice ''Richter & Gravers'' established by Johan Richter and Arne Gravers in ...

and built in 1998. It houses the former library of the town, theatre and concert halls, a cinema, a three-story foyer with changing exhibitions and a café. Surrounding the buildings, are a

Greek theatre Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

with 500 seats, a playground and a beach volley field, amongst other facilities, as the city park itself is perceived as part of the cultural centre. The square of Højvangens Torv, in the northeastern parts of the town, is the center of the educational campus known as Campus Højvangen. The campus is the site of educational institutions such as a public school, a

business college A business college is a school that provides education above the high school level but could not be compared to that of a traditional university or college. Unlike universities and even junior and community colleges, business colleges typically ...

(an HHX institution),

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

(an HTX institution under

Aarhus Tech AARHUS TECH (until 2011 Aarhus Technical School) is a technical school in Aarhus, which provides secondary education and vocational education. The college was founded as "Prinds Frederik Ferdinands Tegne- og Søndagsskole" in 1828. Since then, the ...

), an adult educational centre, Skanderborg Gymnasium etc., situated in a sculpture park. The gymnasium was designed by architectural firm

Friis & Moltke Friis & Moltke is a Danish architectural practice headquartered in Aarhus with branch offices in Copenhagen and Aalborg. Friis & Moltke has about 50 employees and is mainly active in the Scandinavian market. The firm was founded in 1955 by the arc ...

and built in 1973. The Village of Sølund is an accommodation facility and home for people with extensive physical and mental handicaps. It is located within the park of Skanderborg Dyrehave near the pond of Lillesø, close to town. The main buildings were erected in 1935 and designed by architectural firm C. F. Møller Architects. Skanderborg Museum has their headquarters at Adelgade 5, a former bailiff (Danish: ''foged'') house from the mid 18th century. The buildings are located in the oldest parts of the town, next to the pond of Lillesø. The Museum functions as an

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for several museums in and around the town of Skanderborg, including Museet på Adelgade, Øm Kloster Museum, Museet på Gammel Rye Mølle, Ferskvandsmuseet and Skanderborg Bunkerne. Skanderborg Bunkerne is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

museum, fitted out in the abandoned German

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s in Skanderborg Dyrehave. The German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

built their Danish headquarters here and one of the bunkers later found use as the command centre for the

civil defence Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...

agency during the cold war era. Øm Kloster Museum is located outside the town, at the old ruins of

on the northern brink of lake Mossø. Skanderborg Museum is the responsible organisation for

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

and archiving of the

cultural history Cultural history combines the approaches of anthropology and history to examine popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. It examines the records and narrative descriptions of past matter, encompassing the ...

within the municipality.

Nature

The deer park

In the southern part of the town is the deer park of Skanderborg Dyrehave, located within Skanderborg Forest. The deer park was established around 1580 by King Frederik II to facilitate his interest in hunting. The park area was fenced and

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s and rabbits were released.

Pheasants Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

, gray partridge and

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

s were raised and pools and fishing ponds were dug.

The lake

Skanderborg Sø (English: ''Skanderborg Lake'') was created during the last ice age and formed from a melting block of ice left behind; a so-called

kettle hole A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...

. The lake has an irregular shape divided into two larger lake-areas known as Hylke and Store Sø respectively, with a total surface area of 8.6 square kilometers. The lake has an average depth of 8 meters and up to 18.8 meters at the deepest spot. It holds approximately 49.3 million cubic meters of freshwater 23.5 meters above sea level and empties into Mossø, by the short stream of Tåning Å in the west. There are a number of small isles in the lake; Kalvø, Æbelø, Sct. Thomas and Sct. Helene.

Transportation

Rail

Skanderborg is served by Skanderborg railway station. It is located on the Fredericia-Aarhus and Skanderborg-Skjern

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

s and offers direct

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

services to

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 ...

, Aarhus, Aalborg and

Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town ...

and

regional train Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster servi ...

services to Aarhus,

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

, Herning,

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Skjern.

Events

Since 1980, the Skanderborg Festival, an annual music festival, has been held in August in Skanderborg Dyrehave. Every summer in June, Skanderborg also hosts a musical festival targeted specifically for people suffering from

arrested development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

. Organised by the institution of Sølund, it claims to be the largest festival in the world of its kind.

Notable people from Skanderborg

Public service and public thinking

* Morten Børup (1446 in Skanderborg – 1526) an educator, cathedral cantor and Latin poet. *

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

(1574 in Skanderborg Castle – 1619 in Hampton Court Palace) daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Queen consort by marriage to King

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

. * Carl Andreas Koefoed (1855 in Skanderborg – 1948) an agronomist active in Russia *

C. F. Møller Christian Frederik Møller (31 October 1898 – 5 November 1988), generally referred to as C. F. Møller, was a Danish architect, professor and, from 1965 to 1969, the first rector of the Aarhus School of Architecture. His former practice, Arki ...

(1898 in Skanderborg – 1988) an architect and academic at Aarhus School of Architecture * Peder Tuborgh (born 1963 in Skanderborg) the Chief Executive of

Arla Foods , industry = Dairy , predecessor = ArlaMD Foods , founded = , founder = , location_city = Viby , location_country = Denmark , area_served = Worldwide , key_people = Peder Tub ...

The arts

* Alma Fahlstrøm (1863 in Skanderborg – 1946) a Norwegian stage actress and theatre manager * Holger Blom (Danish Wiki) (1905 in Skanderborg - 1965), fashion designer. * Ole Lund Kirkegaard (1940—1979) a Danish a teacher and writer of children's and youth literature; grew up in Skanderborg, the home of many of his characters * Kirsten Lehfeldt, (Danish Wiki) (born Skanderborg 1952) award-winning actress, including the

Robert Award The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

and Bodil Award * Christina Åstrand (born Skanderborg, 1969) a Danish violinist, became leader of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra aged 22 *

Camille Jones Camille Jones (born 25 June 1973) is a Danish pop singer. She is known for her song " The Creeps", written by herself and remixed by Dutch DJ Fedde le Grand, which became a worldwide club hit in the dance scene in 2007. Career Camille Jones w ...

(born 1973 in Skanderborg) a Danish pop singer, songwriter and record producer *

Johannes Torpe Johannes Torpe is a Danish designer, musician, producer, and former creative director of Bang & Olufsen (2011-2015). He has been the CEO and creative director of the design company Johannes Torpe Studios based in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2000, T ...

(born 1973 in Skanderborg) a Danish designer, musician, producer and former creative director of Bang & Olufsen * Jøden (born 1974 in Skanderborg) stage name of ''Michael Mühlebach Christiansen'', a

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

* Peter Sommer (born 1974 in Skanderborg) a Danish singer and songwriter * Monika Pedersen (born 1978 in Skanderborg) a Danish singer with ''Sinphonia'' and the Norwegian gothic metal band

Sirenia The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct ...

Johanne Louise Schmidt Johanne Louise Schmidt (born 16 October 1983) is a Danish actress who has performed on both stage and in film. In September 2014, she received the Stardust Award, one of the Kronprinsparrets Priser presented by the Danish crown prince and his wife. ...

(born 1983 in Skanderborg) a Danish stage and film actress IMDb Database
retrieved 31 May 2020

Sport

Otto Wegener Otto Wegener (20 January 1849, in Helsingborg – 4 February 1924, in Paris) was a Swedish-born French portrait photographer. Biography He moved to Paris to open a photographic studio when he was eighteen. Where and how he learned photography ...

(1881 in Skanderborg – 1938) a Danish sports shooter, competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics * Jens Jørn Mortensen (born 1927 in Skanderborg) a weightlifter, competed at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

* Willy Skibby (born 1942 in Skanderborg) a former cyclist, competed in the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

* Amanda Sørensen (born 1985 in Skanderborg) a retired amateur BMX cyclist, competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics *

Hanne Skak Jensen Hanne Skak Jensen (born 29 April 1986) is a Denmark, Danish former tennis player. She was Danish No. 2, behind then-world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Jensen won nine doubles events organized by the International Tennis Federation, and was a regul ...

(born 1986 in Skanderborg) a Danish tennis player, currently Danish No. 2

Literature

* Peter Abildgaard: ''Orla Frøsnapper boede da i Skanderborg'' * Jens Andersen: ''Ole Lund Kirkegaard: en livshistorie''

References

Twin tower – twin cities

Komádi Komádi is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a c ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Sources

* Brian Patrick McGuire:
Conflict and Continuity at Øm Abbey
',

Museum Tusculanum Press Museum Tusculanum Press (Danish: ''Museum Tusculanums Forlag'') is an independent academic press historically associated with the University of Copenhagen, publishing mainly in the humanities, social sciences and theology. It was founded in 1975 as ...

, 1976.
Skanderborg Castle Chapel
The National Museum of Denmark. Danish text with English summary available (p. 6263).
Kalvø Monastery
The National Museum of Denmark.
Ring Abbey
The National Museum of Denmark.

External links

Denmarks Cultural Heritage association (J. Kock 1999). A map of the Castle as it were in 1668.
Official municipality website

Official website of NySkanderborg
{{Authority control Skanderborg Municipality Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Municipal seats of the Central Denmark Region Prehistoric sites in Denmark 12th-century establishments in Denmark Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Benedictine nunneries in Denmark 18th-century disestablishments in Denmark Former castles in Denmark