Sorø () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Sorø municipality on 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 ...
in east
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 ...
with a population of 8,433 (2025).
[BY3: Population 1. January by rural and urban areas, area and population density](_blank)
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 ...
It lies on the northeastern shore of
Sorø Lake. The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø.
The town was founded in the 12th century by
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
Absalon, as a Cistercian Abbey. The site also contained
Sorø Klosterkirke
Sorø Klosterkirke (i.e. ''Sorø Abbey Church'') is a church located in the Denmark, Danish town of Sorø. It was founded by Danish archbishop Absalon and built by Cistercians in the period from 1161 to 1201. It is made of red brick, which was a ...
, the church where Bishop Absalon and
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for ...
were buried (she was later moved to
Roskilde Domkirke).
In the 16th century, the Abbey was converted into a school, which became
Sorø Academy. Despite the construction of a rail line through the town in the mid-19th century, the academy remained the core of the settlement, and Sorø has limited industry. Today, Sorø is a commuter town, as much of its population works in either greater Copenhagen or Roskilde.
Sorø has a number of museums, including
Sorø Museum,
Sorø Art Museum
Sorø Art Museum is an art museum located in Sorø, Denmark. It displays a representative collection of Danish art as well as a collection of Russian art, covering both painting from 1870 to 1930 and Russian icons, and also hosts special exhibiti ...
, and the Hauch Collection at Sorø Academy. In addition, there are many historical buildings in the town; the
Abbey gate dates to the 1160s.
Etymology
Over the course of its early history, the town was referred to as ''Sora'', ''Soor'', ''Soram'', ''Soræ'', ''Zore'', and ''Soerøe''. The spelling ''Sorø'' has been in use since the 15th century. Its name is derived from the neighboring lake (Danish: ''Sorø Sø''), and means "the damp lake" or "the muddy lake."
The name has been
Latinized as ''Sora''.
History
Monastery settlement
The site of Sorø was first settled c. 1140, following the establishment of a
Benedictine monastery by Jarl
Asser Rig on the site. However, the initial Benedictine order was replaced by the jarl's son, bishop
Absalon, with an order of
Cistercians
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 ...
in 1161. Allegedly, Absalon choose to replace the Benedictine order as they were ill-equipped to run the monastery grounds, and the Cistercians had more experience with land management.
Sorø Abbey became the largest and wealthiest monastic site in Denmark, complete with a school for the training of clergy.
The abbey's status, however, did not last. By the time of 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 was used exclusively as a
retirement home for
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
s. Sorø was allowed to remain a Protestant monastery to administer its large land possessions. In 1586,
King Frederik II formally abolished the monastery, foundeding a boarding school on the site for the boys of the bourgeoisie and nobility, which eventually became known as
Sorø Academy.
In 1638,
Christian IV established a knight's academy near the initial school for the education of
his sons, and the town was formally given
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 ...
status to provide housing for the academy's faculty.
The school's first independent buildings were constructed in 1747 following the
bequest of most of
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
's estate to the academy.
The academy's village
The forests, lakes, and marshes which surround Sorø made it difficult to establish trade routes through the settlement. A small urban community with a number of craftsmen had grown in Sorø following its market town privileges, but most farmers in the area still preferred to travel to older markets to trade their harvests, and so the town struggled to maintain a significant trade.
As a result, until the mid-19th century, Sorø was mostly populated by craftsmen, schoolchildren, and the academy's faculty. The city's survival was highly dependent on the academy, which is demonstrated by the fact that, for much of its history, the city's government operated out of a single room in one of the academy's buildings. It wasn't until 1845 that a town hall was built in the city's central square. The original town hall burned down in 1879, and a larger hall took its place, constructed in
neo-gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
style.
In 1856, the
Copenhagen–Fredericia/Taulov Line was constructed through Sorø, increasing traffic to the town.
In contrast to most other Danish towns, the arrival of the railway did not result in a significant increase in industrialisation, and the town remained dominated by the academy, and other schools which had been founded in the area.
The population of Sorø did expand as a result of the railway, however. In 1855 the town had a population of just 1,033, which had grown to 2,241 by 1901, and 4,881 in 1921.
Significant expansion of the town took place towards the south, near the station, which has today become the district of Frederiksberg.
Contemporary history
Though the town's population had stagnated during World War II and its immediate aftermath, it began to grow again in the 1960s and 70s. Its continued expansion in the later 20th century may be the result of increasing desire to move to suburban areas. In 1993, the
Vestmotorvej opened, passing close to Sorø, which made it an increasingly attractive
commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
.
Sorø has maintained its status as the administrative center in the region. It was made the administrative seat of the former Sorø Country in 1798, and then of
West Zealand County. Following the
municipal reform of 2007, Sorø became the seat of the newly formed
Sorø Municipality.
Transportation
Rail
Sorø is located on the
main line Copenhagen–Fredericia railway line from
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 ...
to
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
Sorø railway station is located south of the town in the district of
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...
, 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
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
operated by the national
railway company
A rail transport company is a company active within the rail industry. It can be:
* a manufacturing company,
* a rail transport operations, railway undertaking providing services through operating rolling stock,
* a railway infrastructure manager ...
DSB.
Notable people

*
Absalon (ca.1128–1201) a statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church,
bishop of Roskilde, 1158–1192 and
archbishop of Lund, 1178–1201.
*
Caspar Bartholin the Elder (1585–1629 in Sorø) a physician, scientist and theologian.
*
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (1684–1754) writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright; buried in Sorø.
*
Otto Thott (1703–1785) a Count and landowner, lived and buried in Sorø
*
Jens Schielderup Sneedorff (1724 in Sorø–1764) an author, professor of political science with a big role in the
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...
*
Jens Paludan-Müller (1771 in Sorø–1845) a Danish bishop, teacher and author,
Bishop of Aarhus 1830–1845
*
Christian Molbech (1783 in Sorø–1857) an historian and critic
*
Bernhard Severin Ingemann (1789–1862 in Sorø) a novelist and poet.
*
Louise Thomsen (1823 in Sorø–1907) a pioneering photographer
*
Christian Frederik Lütken
Christian Frederik Lütken (; 7 October 1827, in Sorø – 6 February 1901), was a Danish zoologist and naturalist.
In 1852, he resigned his commission as a lieutenant with the Danish army, and earned his master's degree in sciences the followi ...
(1827 in Sorø–1901) zoologist and naturalist
*
Julius Petersen (1839 in Sorø–1910) mathematician, on
graph theory
In mathematics and computer science, graph theory is the study of ''graph (discrete mathematics), graphs'', which are mathematical structures used to model pairwise relations between objects. A graph in this context is made up of ''Vertex (graph ...
*
Emilie Mundt (1842 in Sorø–1922) painter of portraits of children
*
Bernhard Bang
Bernhard Lauritz Frederik Bang (7 June 1848 – 22 June 1932), was a Danish veterinarian. He discovered Brucella abortus in 1897, which came to be known as ''Bang's bacillus''. Bang's bacillus was the cause of the contagious ''Bang's disease'' (n ...
(1848 in Sorø–1932) veterinarian, worked on
bovine TB
*
Margrete Heiberg Bose (1865 in Sorø–1952) an Argentine physicist
*
Thorkel Møller (1868 in Sorø–1946) an architect, worked in Aarhus
*
Astrid Holm (1893 in Sønder Bjerge Sogn – 1961) a Danish theater and film actress from the early silent film era
*
Lulu Ziegler (1903–1973), actress, singer and theatre director
*
Yvonne Herløv Andersen (born 1942) a Danish politician, elected to the
Folketing
The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...
in 1977, serving variously for Sorø until 2001
*
Ina Skriver (born 1945 in Sorø) retired actress and model, worked mostly in British films and TV, now lives in
Withypool
Withypool (formerly Widepolle, Widipol, Withypoole) is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Withypool and Hawkridge, in the Somerset (district), Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, near the ...
,
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
*
Peter Reinhard Hansen (born 1968 in Sorø) Professor of Economics at the University of North Carolina
*
Martin Høgsted (born 1982 in Dianalund) a Danish stand-up comedian
Sport
*
Axel Thayssen (1885 in Sorø–1952) a Danish tennis player, competed in the
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...
*
Bent Jensen (born 1925 in Sorø–2016) a Danish rower, competed at the
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland.
After Japan declared in ...
*
Trine Hansen (born 1973) a retired female rower, bronze 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, ...
, grew up in Sorø
Gallery
File:Sorø 1896.jpg, Map of Sorø by V.F.A. Berggreen, 1896.
File:Soroe(13)Skibet set mod øst-2.jpg, The interior of Sorø Abbey Church, 2012.
File:Prospekt af Sorø.jpg, Depiction of the view of Sorø from across the lake with Sorø Abbey Church emerging on the upper right.
File:Sorø ca 1900.jpg, Map of Sorø from ''Frems Amtskort over Danmark'', c. 1900.
File:At Torvet Square in Soroe, Denmark 1933.jpg, Photography of Torvet Square, 1933, Berit Wallenberg. The building on the left of the image is ''Regensen'', a 17th-century building used as a boarding house for students at Sorø Academy.
File:20181121 Soro Storgade 0022 (31056068277).jpg, Storgade in Sorø, 2018.
See also
*
Sorø Museum
*
Sorø Art Museum
Sorø Art Museum is an art museum located in Sorø, Denmark. It displays a representative collection of Danish art as well as a collection of Russian art, covering both painting from 1870 to 1930 and Russian icons, and also hosts special exhibiti ...
*
Sorø Academy
*
Sorø Abbey
*
Sorø Klosterkirke
Sorø Klosterkirke (i.e. ''Sorø Abbey Church'') is a church located in the Denmark, Danish town of Sorø. It was founded by Danish archbishop Absalon and built by Cistercians in the period from 1161 to 1201. It is made of red brick, which was a ...
Further reading
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soro
Municipal seats of Region Zealand
Populated lakeshore places in Europe
Populated places established in the 12th century
Populated waterside places in Denmark