Sønder Felding often abbreviated to Sdr. Felding, is a town in
Herning Municipality
Herning Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The municipality covers an area of and has a population of 90,006 (1 January 2025). Its mayor is Dorte West, a me ...
,
Central Denmark Region
The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform. The refo ...
,
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 ...
. Located about east of Skjern, the town has a population of 1,392 (1 January 2025).
Etymology
The oldest known source for the name Felding is from around 1325, in which the form ''Fillingh'' appears. In later evidence, the form Fillingh (1388) and other forms such as ''Fyllyng'' (1425) and ''Felling'' (1580) are found. The name is composed of the word ''fjeld'', which 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 ...
has the meaning "outfield, uncultivated area", and the suffix ''-ing'', which in place names indicates that it is a place or area. The name thus refers to a place or area in the
outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In bat and ball games
...
. The leading ''Sønder'' has been used since the 1680s to separate the name from Nørre Felding near
Holstebro
Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).
History
As late as the 1870s, the buildings in Sønder Felding consisted only of the medieval church, the rectory and a school. In 1893 this was supplemented by a mission house. But after the inauguration of the Troldhede-Kolding-Vejen railway in 1917 established a station a little west of Sønder Felding Church, the settlement grew together with its neighbouring villages Nederby and Fruerby, and the three villages gradually came to form a whole under the name Sønder Felding.
In the following decades, the town grew and got a municipal office, cinema, assembly house, central school and stadium. In 1971, the city also got a sports hall. The railway closed in 1968.
Geography
The town is located on the heath plain just south of .
Skjern River
Skjern River () is the largest river in Denmark, in terms of volume. The river has its spring in Tinnet Krat in central Jutland, very close to Denmark's longest river, the Gudenå. It drains about one tenth of Denmark and flows into the Ringkø ...
meanders through the town and has been regulated several times, including at the end of the 19th century with the construction of the between Arnborg and Borris.
Culture
Sdr. Felding Hallen (Sdr. Felding Hall) was inaugurated in 1971 and after expansion in 2016 is called ''Det Legende Hus'', which means 'The Playing House'. In addition to the sports hall, there is a multi-purpose indoor arena. Sdr. Felding Gymnastik og Idrætsforening (SFGIF) has around 800 active members and offers football, handball, gymnastics, badminton, senior sports, volleyball and gym.
Sønder Felding Højskole went bankrupt in 2004, and in 2006 Sdr. Feldings Efterskole established in the folk high school's buildings. The school has room for 76 students, and its purpose is to help the academically weak at their own pace.
Dagmar Bio started in 1954 as a commercial cinema, when the city's contractor built a cinema hall in connection with his family's house. It was most recently expanded in 1967 and still has room for 129 guests. Now it is run by a cinema club that shows movies once a week. It is also used for concerts, art exhibitions and association events in addition to being rented by private individuals.
Å-festival
Sønder Felding is the host town for the annual Å-festival, which is Denmark's largest
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival (also known as a Jesus music festival or simply a Jesus festival) is a music festival held by the Christians, Christian community, in support of performers of Contemporary Christian music, Christian music. The festivals ...
. It takes place every year during
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
on the football pitches north of the city, where over 3,000 people, mainly young people, gather to hear Christian music from Denmark and abroad. The festival is atypical in that it is funded solely by voluntary donations, making it free to attend. The festival is organised by an independent association with roots in the
Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark
The Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark (), or in short form Inner Mission (Danish: ''Indre Mission'') is a conservative Lutheran Christian organisation in Denmark. It is the largest Christian revival, revival movement within the ...
and a large number of local volunteers.
Notable residents
*
Niels Holst-Sørensen
Niels Holst-Sørensen (19 December 1922 – 24 October 2023) was a Danish athlete and air force officer, and a centenarian. He served as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force from 1970 to 1982, and as Denmark's military representa ...
(born 1922, in Sønder Felding) a Danish former athlete and air force officer
*
Arman Taranis
Arman Taranis (born 30 July 2001) is a Danish footballer of Bosnian descent,
, (born 2001, in Sønder Felding) a Danish-Bosnian professional footballer