Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the

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 ...

region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the 7th largest city in Denmark. Horsens is best known for its culture and entertainment events. Horsens New Theatre is a cultural centre which holds over 200 events annually. It has managed to draw major names such as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. __TOC__

Etymology

It is believed the name Horsens derives from the

old Danish The Danish language developed during the Middle Ages out of Old East Norse, the common predecessor of Danish and Swedish. It was a late form of common Old Norse. The Danish philologist Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen divided the history of Danish in ...

words ''hors'' (horse) and ''næs'' (naze, headland). The name ''Horsens'' has been in use since the 12th century.

History

The earliest traces of a city are remains of a pagan burial site and houses dating back to the 9th century. In the 12th century, the kings Sweyn III and Valdemar I issued coins in the city. In the 13th century the city got its own legal code. Excavations have shown that the city was expanded around 1300, with a moat going around the city and its harbour. Industrialization started from the middle of the 19th century. The population rose dramatically when people from the countryside moved to the city to work in the factories. The first Danish iron foundry outside 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 ...

was opened as well as tobacco and textile factories. In 1992, Horsens celebrated its 550th anniversary as a market town.

Geography

Horsens lies at the end of Horsens Fjord in eastern Jutland. The city is surrounded by typical

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

landscape with low hills and valleys created by glaciers during the last ice ages. Horsens is south of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

and north of

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality (''Municipalities of De ...

, and approximately from

Economy

The city is currently undergoing a positive development with new industry moving to Horsens, or expanding their activities already in Horsens. A lot of electronics and graphical companies are based there. Horsens also has the only Industrial Museum in Denmark. The city is also home to VIA University College which brings a lot of international students to move to this town.

Culture

In recent years, much effort has been made to expand and improve cultural events. Several internationally known artists, such as

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, Tom Jones,

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...

, Helmut Lotti,

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

, U2,

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...

and

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...

have performed, or have performances planned in Horsens.

has performed several times in Horsens. Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band Pretty Maids is from Horsens. One of the largest cultural events in Denmark is the annual European

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Festival on the last Friday and Saturday in August. The town centre of Horsens is transformed into the largest medieval market town in Northern Europe with activities and entertainment for families and children of all ages. European Medieval Festival Horsens 1997

Every March, Horsens hosts a

Crime Fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

Festival. The ''Crime Festival'' – in Danish called ''Krimimessen'' – is an event for literary crime, mysteries and thrillers. The Crime Festival is organized by Horsens Public Library. Every year, many well-known crime writers visit Horsens. The city is home to ''Horsens Industrimuseum'', a museum showing the history of the industrial society. The museum shows technological development and developments in living conditions for workers. Peter Sørensen from the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

is mayor of Horsens.

Vitus Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering ( , , ; baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741),All dates are here given in the Julian calendar, which was in use throughout Russia at the time. also known as Ivan Ivanovich Bering (), was a Danish-born Russia ...

, the famous

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

captain, was born here. Horsens also has a wide variety of street art, including Sculpture Alley, murals, and gable paintings.

Education

The largest educational institution in Horsens is VIA University College, which offers a wide range of engineering, technical and business programmes for Danish and International students. In the summer of 2020, VIA University College accepted 1066 new students. That was 2.1% more than the number of students that were accepted to the university the year before.

Sport

Horsens is the home to professional football club

AC Horsens Alliance Club Horsens (), commonly referred to as AC Horsens () or simply Horsens, is a Danish professional football club based in Horsens, Central Denmark Region. Founded in 1994, as a superstructure on Horsens fS (founded 1915), Stensballe ...

who play in the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

. Their home ground is the 10,400 capacity CASA Arena Horsens. From 2015 to 2018, the CASA Arena hosted

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 ...

, when it held the

Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark The Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark is a motorcycle speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix series (the world championship). The event was first held at the Vojens Speedway Center from 1995 to 2002 before switching to the Parken ...

, taking over as host from the

Parken Stadium Parken, currently known as Parken - Connected by 3 for sponsorship reasons, and as Telia Parken (2014–2020), is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (''Inner Østerbro'') district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from ...

in Copenhagen, which had held the

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first ...

event from 2003 to 2014. Frederikslyst Speedway was another speedway venue located approximately 8 kilometres south west of the town, off the Frederikslystvej in the forest (). It held the final of the Danish Individual Speedway Championship in 1995. Horsens is also home to professional basketball team Horsens IC who play in

Basketligaen The Basketligaen (English: The Basketball League) is the highest professional basketball league in Denmark. The men’s first division was originally founded in 1957. Over the years, the league has undergone several name changes due to sponsorsh ...

. The team plays at Forum Horsens which has a capacity of 3,300. The team has won the league 6 times most recently in 2014–15 and 2015–16 as well as winning the Danish Men's Basketball Cup 3 times most recently in the 2014–15 season.

Transportation

Rail

Horsens is served by Horsens railway station. It is located on the Fredericia–Aarhus railway line and offers direct

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

services to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

as well as

regional train Regional rail is a 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, connecting smaller cities a ...

services to

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 Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vej ...

and

Road

European route E45 European route E45 connects Norway and Italy, through Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Austria. With a length of about , it is the longest north–south European route (some east–west routes are longer). The route passes through Alta ...

runs by the city of Horsens.

Prison

From 1853 to 2006, the city housed the Horsens Statsfængsel prison, which held prisoners serving longer sentences. A notable prisoner was former

minister of justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Peter Adler Alberti. The last execution in peacetime in Denmark happened in the prison in 1892 when Jens Nielsen was decapitated in the courtyard. Carl August Lorentzen was a safe cracker who became famous for his escape from the prison in 1949 when he dug a tunnel from his cell and out to freedom. When the guards discovered he was missing, they found a note from him with the words "Where there is a will there is a way". Lorentzen was captured a few days later on a nearby farm. The old run-down buildings were not fit for a modern prison. In 2006 the prison was closed and the newly built State Prison of East Jutland was opened. The new prison, which is placed near Horsens, held the mass murderer Peter Lundin for a period. Since its closure as a prison, Horsens Statsfængsel has housed a crime and prison museum, and conference and business facilities. The prison grounds have been used for concerts. It was considered as the venue of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2014 The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European B ...

, along with two other cities in Denmark. VisitHorsens (the local tourist office) moved to the Prison in 2013 and in 2015 a hotel called SleepIn has opened in the Prison.

Notable people

Public thinking and politics

Peder Skram Peder Skram (died 11 July 1581) was a Danish naval officer. Biography Skram was born between 1491 and 1503, on his father's estate at Urup, Denmark, Urup near Horsens in Jutland, Denmark. He participated in military service during the Swedis ...

(ca.1500-1581) a Danish Admiral and naval hero. * Jens Bang (ca.1575–1644) a wealthy Danish merchant, built Jens Bang's House in Aalborg * Hans Svane (1606–1668) a Danish statesman and ecclesiastic. *

(1681–1741), naval officer and explorer, the

Bering Strait The Bering Strait ( , ; ) is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, separating the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The present Russia–United States maritime boundary is at 168° 58' ...

was named after him. * Poul Vendelbo Løvenørn (1686–1740) a Danish military officer, diplomat and landowner * Ove Høegh-Guldberg (1731–1808) statesman and ''de facto'' Prime Minister of Denmark *

Catherine Antonovna of Brunswick Catherine Antonovna of Brunswick-Lüneburg (15 July 1741 – 9 April 1807) was the daughter of Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick and Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia and sister of Ivan VI. She was imprisoned by Empress Elizabeth of R ...

(1741–1807) & Elizabeth Antonovna of Brunswick (1743–1782) daughters of Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick lived under house arrest in Horsens * Adelbert Heinrich Graf von Baudissin (1820-1871), writer * Hedevig Rosing (1827–1913), author, educator, school founder; first woman to teach in Copenhagen's public schools * Andreas Bang-Haas (1846–1925) a Danish

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

and insect dealer * Hans G. Jensen (1856–1922) a Norwegian trade unionist, politician and tailor * Ellen Broe (1900–1994) a Danish nurse who established educational and training initiatives * Lilli Gyldenkilde (1936–2003) a Danish politician, a member of the Folketing and an MEP * Lars Hedegaard (born 1942) a Danish historian, journalist and author * Peter Landrock (born 1948) a Danish cryptographer and mathematician * Jens Kehlet Nørskov (born 1952), professor * Jan Trøjborg (1955–2012), politician, Mayor of Horsens 2005–2012, served in the Folketing 1987–2005, was Govt. Minister * Jens Nielsen (born 1962), professor * Anders Samuelsen (born 1967) a Danish politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Denmark) *

Peter Fibiger Bang Peter Fibiger Bang (born 25 June 1973) is a Danish historian of Rome, empire, cross-cultural comparison and world history. Bang's main research interests are Roman economic history, Roman imperial power and historical sociology – as well as t ...

(born 1973) a Danish comparative historian

The arts

* Anton Dorph (1831–1914) a Danish painter who painted altarpieces and fishermen * Frederikke Federspiel (1839–1913) first female pro photographer, ran a photo. studio in

* Ludovica Thornam (1853–1896) a Danish portrait and genre painter * Alfred Schmidt (1858–1938) a Danish illustrator, caricaturist and painter * Anton Rosen (1859–1928) a Danish architect, furniture designer and decorative artist * Albert Edvard Wang (1864-1930) a Danish landscape painter * Anna Bloch (1868–1953) a Danish actress * Emanuel Gregers (1881–1957) a Danish actor, screenwriter and film director * Christian Arhoff (1893–1973) a Danish stage and film actor and member of National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark * Knud Holmboe (1902–1931) a Danish journalist, author and explorer * Vagn Holmboe (1909–1996), a Danish composer and teacher who wrote in a neo-classical style * Poul Borum (1934–1996) writer, poet and critic, was raised in Horsens * Manon Rasmussen (born 1951) a Danish costume designer *

Kristian Halken Kristian Halken (born 3 April 1955) is a Danish actor. He appeared in more than sixty films since 1981. Selected filmography References External links * {{Denmark-actor-stub 1955 births Living people People from Horsens Danish ...

(born 1955), film actor * Søren Sætter-Lassen (born 1955) a Danish stage, film and television actor * Michael Kvium (born 1955) a Danish multifaceted artist *

Anne Louise Hassing Anne Louise Hassing (born 17 September 1967) is a Danish actress. Hassing won the Bodil Award for Best Actress for her debut film role in '' Pain of Love'' (1992) and the Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actress in '' The Idiots'' (1998). She i ...

(born 1967), actress * Emmy Thornam (1852–1935), flower painter and writer * Ludovica Thornam (1853–1896), portrait and genre painter * Barbara Zatler (1980-2019) an actress, TV personality, model and comedian IMDb Database
retrieved 01 June 2020 * Pretty Maids (formed 1981) a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band from Horsens * Peter Bjørnskov (born 1981) a Danish singer, songwriter and record producer

Sport

* Ernst Schultz (1879 – drowned, 1906) sprinter, bronze medallist at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...

* Thyge Petersen (1902–1964) an amateur boxer, silver medallist at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

* Helge Muxoll Schrøder (1924–2012) rower, team silver medallist at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

* Bent Schmidt-Hansen (1946–2013) a footballer, over 350 club caps and 8 for

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 ...

* Anja Hansen (born 1973) handball player, team gold medallist at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Anne Dot Eggers Nielsen (born 1975) a former footballer, won 118 caps for the Danish national women's team * Søren Jochumsen (born 1976) a retired football goalkeeper, 521 caps with

* Brian Priske (born 1977) retired footballer, 468 club caps and 24 for

* Karen Brødsgaard (born 1978) a Danish former handball player, twice team gold medallist at the

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

* Simon Kjær (born 1989), footballer over 390 club caps and captain of

with 95 caps * Anne-Marie Rindom (born 1991) a Danish sailor, gold medallist at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

* Alexandra Bøje (born 1999) a Danish badminton player * Jeppe Kjær (born 2004) a danish footballer who plays in Ajax

Twin towns – sister cities

Horsens is twinned with:

References

External links

*
The Municipality of Horsens
(In Danish and English)
Horsens city official tourist website
(In Danish/English) {{Authority control Municipal seats of the Central Denmark Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Horsens Municipality

Etymology

History

Geography

Economy

Culture

Education

Sport

Transportation

Rail

Road

Prison

Notable people

Public thinking and politics

The arts

Sport

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

External links