Hillerød () is a Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark () is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing, reporting to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating statistics on the Danish society ...

located in the centre of

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...

approximately 30 km to the northwest of

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 ...

, Denmark. Hillerød is the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

Hillerød Municipality Hillerød Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 212.99 km2 (82.24 sq. miles), and has a total population of 54,855 (1. January 2025). The mayor of the mu ...

and also the administrative seat of

Region Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...

(Capital Region of Denmark), one of the five regions in Denmark. It is most known for its large

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

castle,

Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle () is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for Christian IV of Denmark, King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

, now home to the Museum of National History.

Hillerød station Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)S-train The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...

network as well as several local railway lines. The town is surrounded by the former royal forests of

Gribskov Gribskov (Grib Forest) is Denmark's fourth largest forest, comprising c. 5,600 ha of woodland situated in northern Zealand, west and south of Lake Esrum. The forest is owned and administered by Directorate of State Forestry (Denmark), the State of ...

to the north and

Store Dyrehave Store Dyrehave (literally Large Animal Park) is a forest located to the east of the village Ny Hammersholt immediately south of Hillerød, on both sides of Lyngby Kongevej, Københavnsvej, in North Zealand, Denmark. Consisting of conifers and beec ...

to the south.

History

Hillerød was founded during the early medieval times. The name is first mentioned in 1552 as ''Hylderødz'', deriving from the male name ''Hildi'' and the suffix ''-rød'', meaning "Hildi's clearing". In 1550, crown prince

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

acquired Hillerødsholm in exchange for other properties. His son,

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

, tore down most of the old buildings and built a new castle between 1602 and 1625. It was never officially incorporated as 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 rura ...

but prospered from ample privileges afforded by successive monarchs, although it experienced a setback when Frederick IV moved court to

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace (; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish royal family’s spring and autumn residence, and is o ...

in the 1720s. Hillerød was from 1772 until 1908 named Frederiksborg after its castle. Its first town council was established in 1778 and its town shield, which features a flowering elder tree, is from 1787. The arrival of the railway brought new prosperity to the town, when the

Zealand Railway Company DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company. It's also the largest train operating company in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on ...

opened the final stage of the North Line between Copenhagen and

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 8 June 1864. It was later followed by the

Gribskov Line The Gribskov Line or the Gribskov Railway () is a local railway, local passenger railway line in North Zealand north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The line runs north from Hillerød through the Gribskov forest and splits into two branches to the seasi ...

Græsted Græsted is one of the main towns of the Gribskov municipality in the Danish Region Hovedstaden. The town is in northern Sjælland, just south of Gilleleje, and has a population of 3,662 (1 January 2025). The whole of Græsted Parish had 4769 in ...

(80, extended to

Gilleleje Gilleleje () is a fishing town and seaside resort on the north coast of the peninsula North Zealand, Denmark. The town is located at the northernmost point of the island of Zealand. It is one of the main towns of the Gribskov municipality in Regio ...

in 1896, Helsinge in 1897 and Tisvildeleje in 1924) and the Frederiksværk-Hundested Line (1897-1916), which further contributed to Hillerød's status as a local commercial centre. The improvements in infrastructure also attracted new industries. These included Nordstens Fabrikker, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, which opened in 1877. A privately owned slaughterhouse and meatpacking facility, Hillerød Svineslagteri, opened in 1896. It was converted into the cooperative Hillerød Andelssvineslagteri by 300 local farmers in 1913.

Economy

Foss A/S, a major provider of high-tech analytical solutions for the global food industry, is based in Hillerød.

Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, with production facilities in nine countries and affiliates or offices in five. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder Novo Holdings A/S ...

and FujiFilm Diosynth Biotechnology are other major employers with expanding sites in Hillerød's industrial park. The pension fund ATP is also headquartered in Hillerød.

Shopping

The two principal shopping streets are Slotsgade and pedestrianized Helsingørsgade. The largest shopping centre is Slotsarkaderne with 50 stores.

The hospital project

Hillerød has been chosen as the site for a new regional hospital: 'Nyt Hospital Nordsjælland' (English: ''New North Zealand Hospital''). To support the hospital, a new urban zone called Favrholm will be created in the south end of the city, and a new S-train station will provide access to the hospital. The project began in 2012 and the hospital should be ready in 2020. When completed, 'Nyt Hospital Nordsjælland' will be the largest hospital in the country.

Education

The characteristics of business life in Hillerød are primarily

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

industry, knowledge, production and education. The municipality and the state administers a number of educational institutions offering short-term or medium-term education. Among them are the Business Academy North Zealand, Hillerød Technical School, Hillerød Business School, Hillerød Tekniske Gymnasium, Frederiksborg Gymnasium og HF, VUC and Hillerød teacher training college. The settlement of Nødebo on the southeastern banks of Esrum Sø and enclosed by Gribskov, is home to the

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

of 'Skovskolen' (English: The Forest School'') administered by the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

. Hillerød also houses a Pharmaceutical College. Pharmakon - Danish College of Pharmacy Practice () is a higher tertiary

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al institution of

pharmaceutical sciences Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...

with 602 pharmaconomist

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

Attractions and tourism

The best known monument is

, which was long a seat of Danish kings. The castle is open to the public and houses the Frederiksborg Museum/ The Museum of National History. The castle also has a large

baroque garden The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the ...

. The Town Museum ("Bymuseet") contains a permanent exhibition on the history of Hillerød. "The Boiler Room" ("Kedelhuset") has changing special exhibits. In 2005, the subject was the ancient and medieval history of Northern

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, 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 Januar ...

. The ruins of Æbelholt Abbey (''Æbelholt Klosterruin'') are the remains of the largest Augustinian monastery in the northern countries. The site also contains a museum showing its history. The monastery was founded in 1175/76 by the French Augustinian,

William of Æbelholt William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

, later Saint William, for the reform of the already extant Eskilsø Abbey, which was moved here. He was summoned to the task by the Danish

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and statesman

Absalon Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of De ...

. After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in 1536, the monastery lands were appropriated by the state and the buildings were torn down. Some of the bricks were later used in the construction of Frederiksborg Castle. Esrum Abbey ("Esrum Kloster") is a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery dating from 1151. The only remaining building of this once vast complex now houses a permanent exhibition about the Cistercians. There is a restaurant in the vaults. Next to the monastery is "Esrum Møllegaard", the Nature and Environmental Centre of Ecology. Another cultural institution is "Hillerød Viden- og Kulturpark" (Hillerød Knowledge and Culture Park); a library with surrounding culture workshops and game spots. This is the gathering spot for the cultural life of Hillerød - with exhibitions, music and theatre.

Nature and countryside

Hillerød is surrounded by some of the most extensive woodlands in Denmark, with

to the south and the forests of

to the north. Gribskov is the fourth largest connected woodland in the country and both of the forests are rich with

wild game Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, t ...

, primarily

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. Just east of Gribskov is Esrum Sø, the second largest lake in Denmark and a few kilometers northeast of Hillerøds city center is

and its extensive

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

gardens, on the east coast of Lake Esrum. Scattered around the vicinity of Hillerød, is a number of smaller settlements and villages like Tulstrup, Ullerød, Gadevang,

Nødebo Nødebo is a village located on the southwestern shores of Lake Esrum in Hillerød Municipality, North Zealand, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Nødebo Church, the oldest in the area, is notable for its church frescos and its ear ...

, Sørup and Ny Hammersholt. Ullerød is both an old parish and a new borough at 150 ha and is connected directly to Hillerød.

Notable people

Public Service & Public thinking

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

(1577–1648), king of Denmark-Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 to 1648. His 59-year reign is the longest of Danish monarchs * Prince Ulrik of Denmark (1611–1633), son of King

Carl Edvard Rotwitt Carl Edvard Rotwitt (2 March 1812 – 8 February 1860) was a Danish jurist and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark 1859–1860. He died while in office only 47 years old. Biography Rotwitt was born at Hillerød, Denmark ...

(1812–1860), a Danish politician;

Prime Minister of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...

1859–1860 * Henning Frederik Feilberg (1831–1921), a Danish pastor, author and

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

* Marie Mørk (1861–1940), school founder * Jutta Graae (1906–1997), a Danish bank employee, became a member of the Danish resistance in WWII, subsequently worked for Danish Defence Intelligence Service *

Kai Larsen Kai Larsen (15 November 1926 in Hillerød – 23 August 2012) was a Denmark, Danish botanist. Kai Larsen was professor of botany (Emeritus from 1-12-1996) at University of Aarhus, Århus University, Denmark. He was the Danish editor of Flora ...

(1926–2012), a Danish botanist and academic * Dorte Olesen (born 1948), a mathematician, first Danish female full professor of mathematics * Simon Emil Ammitzbøll (born 1977), politician, member of the Parliament of Denmark, former Minister of Economy and Interior *

Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam Aki-Matilda Tilia Ditte Høegh-Dam (born 17 October 1996) is a Greenlandic pro-independence politician who currently serves in the Folketing and concurrently in the Inatsisartut. She was elected to the Folketing during the 2019 Danish general ...

(born 1996), a Greenlandic politician and Miss Denmark competitor in 2015

The Arts

* Godtfred Rump (1816–1880), Danish painter of

genre art Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

* Louis Hasselriis (1844–1912), a Danish sculptor of public statuary * Hans Ole Brasen (1849–1930), Danish painter. He won the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

in 1894. * Mogens Bøggild (1901–1987), Danish sculptor, specialized in figures of animals * Ole Kielberg (1911–1985), Danish painter, joined the artists' colony in Zealand known as the Odsherred Painters * Aase Bredsdorff (1919–2017), a librarian, promoted literature for children and young people * Jesper Lundgaard (born 1954), a jazz bassist, bandleader, composer and record producer *

Lars Halvor Jensen Lars Halvor Jensen (born 23 July 1973) is a Danish record producer and songwriter. He has achieved success in many genres of music, particularly pop, rock and R&B and he is the co-founder of DEEKAY Music, a production and publishing company w ...

(born 1973), Danish record producer and songwriter. * Jesper Dahl (born 1973), stage name ''Jokeren'' (The Joker), a hip-hop artist and rapper * Ane Cortzen (born 1974), a Danish TV personality, architect and graphic designer * Linnéa Handberg Lund (born 1976), stage name ''Papaya'', a Danish

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

musician * Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (born 1982), a Danish actress * Nina Agdal (born 1992), Danish model, grew up in Hillerød

Sport

* Peter Jørgensen (1907–1992), boxer who competed at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

Pernille Svarre Pernille Svarre (born 19 November 1961) is a Danish athlete who has specialized in triathlon and modern pentathlon. She competed in the modern pentathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and has been Danish modern pentathlon champi ...

(born 1961), a Danish former athlete in the triathlon and modern pentathlon * Helene Kirkegaard (born 1971 in Præstevang), a retired Danish badminton player, competed at the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Nicki Sørensen (born 1975), former professional road bicycle racer, current

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' (, ) is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is seen as the equivalent to a field manager in baseball, or a head coach in football. At professional level, a directeur sportif follows t ...

of the Cycling Academy Team *

Jan Budtz Jan Helstrup Budtz (born 20 April 1979) is a Danish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He works as the head of operations for League One side Doncaster Rovers, as well as playing semi-professionally for Rossington Main. He has previously pl ...

(born 1979), a Danish football goalkeeper, over 250 club caps * Jesper Mikkelsen (born 1980), a former Danish footballer with 373 club caps * Lasse Jensen (born 1984), golfer who currently plays on the

European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

* Henriette Engel Hansen (born 1982), world champion sprint canoer and marathon canoeist * Louise Lyksborg (born 1988), handball player for

Viborg HK Viborg HK (Viborg Håndbold Klub) is a Danish professional handball club from Viborg, Denmark, Viborg. The club has many teams for both women and men, but especially the professional women's team is one of the most successful in Danish and Euro ...

and

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 ...

Joachim B. Hansen Joachim Brandt Hansen (born 18 August 1990) is a Danish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour. Early life and amateur career Hansen was born in Hillerød. He took up golf at the age of 12 enjoyed a successful amateur career ...

(born 1990),

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

plays on the

PGA European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

* Nicole Broch Larsen (born 1993), professional golfer, plays on the

Ladies European Tour The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. Most of the players on the tour are European, with members from more than 40 countries internationally. Despite its name, the tour also has tournaments in A ...

* Kathrine Møller Kühl (born 2003), footballer for

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and the Denmark national team

Sport and leisure

The Hillerød Stadium is the sports complex where the association football team Hillerød Fodbold play. It was formerly the site of a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

stadium known as Selskov Stadium, which at one time was the primary speedway location in Denmark.

Gallery

Image:Hillerød Slotssø.jpg, The Castle Lake Image:Hillerød Politistation - Det Gamle Rådhus.jpg, Old Town Hall Image:Hillerød houses.jpg, Houses