Kirkerup is a village in Slagelse Municipality in the

Zealand Region Region Zealand () is an administrative region of Denmark. It is one of the five classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Denmark. It was established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional co ...

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 ...

. Kirkerup parish has a population of 344 people and is situated on the western part of the island of

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 village is the main village in the parish of Kirkerup Sogn where the

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

Gyldenholm is located. The village lies three km from the town of Sørbymagle and 10 km from the main town of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Ka ...

. In 2023, the town was the

crime scene A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcement. ...

of a

child abduction Child abduction or child theft is the unauthorized removal of a Minor (law), minor (a child under the age of Age of majority, legal adulthood) from the Child custody, custody of the child's Parent, natural parents or Legal guardian, legally appoi ...

History

Kirkerup has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. The village was first mentioned in written records in the year 1177 under the name "Kyricorp". It is believed that the name "Kirkerup" comes from the words "Kirke" meaning "church" and "rup" meaning "village" in

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 ...

. In the 19th century, the village experienced a period of growth due to the construction of the Great Belt Railway, which passed through Kirkerup. The railway provided new opportunities for trade and commerce and brought new residents to the village.

Landmarks

The most important landmark in the town is Kirkerup Church. Kirkerup Church Barn (Kirkerup Kirkelade) was listed on the Danish register of protected buildings and places in 1964. The building dates from the 1450s.

Notable people

Danish rower Harry Julius Larsen (1915) was from Kirkerup, as was

Olaf Henriksen Olaf Henriksen (April 26, 1888 – October 17, 1962) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who remains to date the only Danish-born person ever to play in the major leagues. He played seven seasons (1911–17) for the Boston Red Sox as a teamma ...

, the only Major League Baseball player from Denmark.

References

{{Slagelse Municipality Villages in Slagelse Municipality Child sexual abuse in Denmark Crime in Denmark