Skælskør () is a town in

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Skælskør was the seat of

Skælskør Municipality Until 1 January 2007 Skælskør Municipality was a municipality (Danish language, Danish: ''List of municipalities of Denmark (1970–2006), kommune'') in the former West Zealand County, on the southwestern coast of the island of Zealand, in easter ...

. The town is located 17 km southwest of

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 ...

and 12 km southeast of

Korsør Korsør is a town in Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg thr ...

. Skælskør is home to one of Denmark's largest breweries, the Harboe Brewery.

History

Skælskør was already incorporated as a market town by Valdemar II in 1240. The town's market rights were confirmed by Eric VII on 23 December 1414. Historically Skælskør was a harbour for traffic between Zealand and

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

, but

took over when the harbour there was settled. Skælskør

Fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

is difficult to navigate, and was one of the last waters in Denmark that legally required a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

on recreational boats.

Saint Nicholas Church

Saint Nicholas Church (Danish: ''Sankt Nicolai Kirke''), also known as Skælskør Church, is located centrally in Skælskør. The earliest parts of the church were built in the beginning of the 1200s, with later extensions all built before the 1500s. The altarpiece is from 1475. The altarpiece depicts the

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

and Jesus' crucifixion. The chalice is from 1729. The baptismal font is from around 1300. The baptismal font lid is from the 1700s. The pulpit is from 1630-1631, and includes figures of Jesus' birth, baptism, walk to Calvary, crucifixion and

ascension Ascension or ascending may refer to: Religion * "Ascension", the belief in some religions that some individuals have ascended into Heaven without dying first. The Catholic concept of the Assumption of Mary leaves open the question of her deat ...

. The figures are separated by

caryatid A caryatid ( ; ; ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient t ...

s. There are three church bells. They are from 1516, 1520 and 1562. The turret clock is in iron and made by Hans Boesen in 1770.Danmarkskirker.natmus.dk
"Skælskør Kirke" Retrieved 6 September 2020

Notable residents

Andreas Bjørn Andreas Bjørn (28 October 1703 – 27 January 1750) was a Danish merchant, shipbuilder and ship owner. Early life Andreas Bjørn was born (as Anders Bjørn, name later changed to Andreas Bjørn) in Skælskør to Mads Andersen Bjørn and Karen ...

(1703–1750), merchant and shipbuilder * Conrad Christian Hornung (1801–1873), piano maker *

Vilhelm Topsøe Vilhelm Christian Sigurd Topsøe (5 October 1840 – 11 July 1881) was a Danish novelist and journalist. He is remembered in particular for ''Jason med det gyldne Skind'' (Jason and the Golden Fleece, 1875) and ''Nutidsbilleder'' (Images of T ...

(1840–1881), author * Haldor Topsøe (1842–1935), chemist *

Bertel Bruun Bertel Bruun (November 13, 1937 – September 21, 2011) was a naturalist, international conservationist and neurologist. Bruun wrote many books and was the co-author of The Golden Field Guide to Birds of North America first published in 1966. He ...

(1937–2011), conservationist *

Henrik Brodersen Henrik Urban Brodersen (born 3 June 1964 in Skælskør) is a Danish politician, who was a member of the Folketing for the Danish People's Party from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019. Political career Brodersen sat in the municipal council ...

(born 1964), politician and MF * Sannie Charlotte Carlson (born 1970), singer * Karsten Nielsen (born 1973), rower *

Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil (born 17 January 1977) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Social Democrats political party. From 2019 to 2022, she has served as Minister of Children and Education. She was elected into pa ...

(born 1977), politician and MF

References

Cities and towns in Slagelse Municipality {{ZealandDK-stub