Vordingborg () is a

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 ...

and old ferry town on the south coast 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 ...

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 ...

. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three satellite towns (former villages) have emerged around the town. Within the ring of estates, the town has a population of 12,093 (1 January 2025), and a population of 18,118 when including the three satellite towns of Ørslev, Nyråd, and

Stensved Stensved is a satellite town to Vordingborg with a population of 1,564 (1. January 2024).Vordingborg Municipality Vordingborg Municipality (, ) is a '' kommune'' in the Sjælland Region, which is on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. It was established in 2007. The municipality covers an area of 621 km2. It has a total popula ...

Region Zealand Region Zealand () is an Regions of Denmark, administrative region of Denmark. It is one of the five classified Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS-2 statistical NUTS statistical regions of Denmark, regions of Denmark. It was es ...

. Vordingborg Municipality (Kommune) has a population of 45,751. Vordingborg is situated on the southern coast of the island of Zealand. It lies adjacent to the

Storstrømmen Storstrømmen (; lit. ''The Great Stream'') is a strait in Denmark separating the island Falster from the island Zealand. Geography Its maximum depth is approximately and the length is around . Smålandsfarvandet sound is situated to the ...

, a strait separating the island of Zealand from the island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

History

It is uncertain when the oldest castle was built on the castle hill in Vordingborg, but King Valdemar the Great built a castle on the site in 1157. From Valdemar the Great's founding of the castle until King

Valdemar Atterdag Valdemar IV Atterdag, Valdemar Christoffersen or Waldemar (24 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance wars under previous rul ...

's death in 1375, the kings often stayed at the castle and Vordingborg was at the center of Denmark's foreign policy. King Valdemar the Great died at his castle in ''Worthing'' in 1182. The town of Vordingborg itself probably emerged at the beginning of the 12th century, but only gained significant importance with the construction of the castle. In 1415, during the reign of

Eric of Pomerania Erik of Pomerania ( 1381/1382 – 24 September 1459) ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret I until her death in 1412. Erik is known as Erik III as King of ...

, Vordingborg was given the status of a

Geography

Vordingborg is situated 37 km from

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a city on the island of Falster in southern Denmark. It has a population of 16,682 (1 January 2025). Including the satellite town Sundby (Lolland), Sundby on the Lolland side, with a populatio ...

, roughly 50 km from

Gedser Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Denmark, Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Region Sjælland, Sjælland region. It is the Extreme points of Denmark, southernmost town in Denmark, and also the southernmost poin ...

, and roughly 100 km 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 ...

and

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

. The town is situated on the island of

and is linked to the island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

with

Farø Bridges The Farø Bridges (, ) are two road bridges that connect the islands of Falster and Zealand in Denmark by way of the small island of Farø which is approximately mid-way across the Storstrømmen sound. A smaller bridge from Farø provides acce ...

and

Storstrøm Bridge The Storstrøm Bridge (, ) is a road and railway arch bridge that crosses Storstrømmen between the islands of Falster and Masnedø in Denmark. Together with Masnedsund Bridge it connects Falster and Zealand (''Sjælland''). It was the main r ...

Economy

Vordingborg Municipality is home to 9,500 jobs. Companies headquartered in Vordingborg include Vordingborg Køkkener, a kitchen manufacturer. Udbetaling Danmark, a public institution under ARP, has one of its five regional centres in the town.

Government

On 1 January 2007, the old Vordingborg municipality was, as the result of ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merged with

Langebæk Langebæk () is a town with a population of 245 (1 January 2024),BY3: Population 1. January, by u ...

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...

, and

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,880 (1 January 2024) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of Maderne, Storeholm, and Lilleholm are ...

municipalities to form an enlarged Vordingborg municipality.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Vordingborg is served by Vordingborg railway station which is located on the South Line which connects

with the islands of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

and

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

. It offers direct

regional rail Regional rail is a public transport, 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, connectin ...

services to

and . From the station there is also bus connection to the towns of Stege,

Næstved Næstved () is a town in Næstved Municipality, the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five Primary education, elemen ...

and

Maribo Maribo is a town in Lolland Municipality in Region Zealand, Region Sjælland on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It was the municipal seat of the former Maribo Municipality, until 1 January 2007, and then it became the seat of the cur ...

, as well as city bus lines. Vordingborg is located on

European route E47 European route E47 is a road (part of the United Nations international E-road network) connecting Lübeck in Germany to Helsingborg in Sweden via the Danish capital Copenhagen. It is also known as the Vogelfluglinie (German) or Fugleflugtslinj ...

connecting

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

via

. Danish national road 22 connects Vordingborg with

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Næstved Næstved () is a town in Næstved Municipality, the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five Primary education, elemen ...

and

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 Danish national road 59 connects Vordingborg with Stege on the island of

Attractions

The ruins of Vordingborg Castle, the old royal castle which was built around 1364, is the town's most famous attraction. The only fully remaining part of the castle, the 26 meter tall Goose Tower (''Gåsetårnet''), is the symbol of the city. It is the largest of King Valdemar Atterdag's nine main castle towers. The name comes from the golden goose perched on top of the tower's spire. Legend has it that Valdemar Atterdag used the symbol to taunt the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. The current goose was put there in 1871. It is not certain what was on top of the tower before 1871 and maybe it was just a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

made of gold. The tower was transferred into the national trust on 24 December 1808 and is thus the first protected historic monument in Denmark. A historic garden is also located on the site of the ruin. Vordingborg is the home of the South Zealand Museum (''Sydsjællands Museum''). The city holds an annual festival, Vordingborg Fest Week (''Vordingborg Festuge'') in July. The

Vordingborg Transmitter Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

is one of the tallest towers in Denmark. The

Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training method ...

operates a barracks facility on the edge of town, known as ''

Vordingborg Kaserne Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

''.

Notable people

Academics, educators and scholars

* Jacob Baden (1735 in Vordingborg – 1804) a philologist, pedagogue, critic and academic *

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential p ...

(1783 in Udby near Vordingborg – 1872) a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian and politician * Martin Hammerich (1811 - 1881 in Iselingen) an art historian, educator, author and translator. * Frederik Christian Kielsen (1774-1850), a Danish schoolmaster, published copiously illustrated books on natural history; he lectured at the Latin School in Vordingborg from 1819 to 1833 * Carl Lange (1834 in Vordingborg – 1900), a physician, worked on neurology, psychiatry and psychology * Julius Lange (1838 in Vordingborg – 1896), a Danish art historian and critic

Architecture and design

* Niels Peder Christian Holsøe, Danish architect

Artists

* Nina Hole, artist

Businesspeople

* Hans Wassard (1756–1839), businessman and landowner

Music

* Anders Trentemøller (born 1974 in Vordingborg) an electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist

Politics and activism

* Astrid Stampe Feddersen (1852 in

Christinelund Christinelund, originally a farm under Nysø Manor, is located a few kilometres east of central Præstø, on the island of Zealand's Jungshoved peninsula, in Vordingborg Municipality in southeastern Denmark. It takes its name from the Salon (gathe ...

– 1930), a Danish women's rights activist *

Johannes Friis-Skotte Johannes Frederik Nicolai Friis-Skotte (1 December 1874 in Vordingborg – 15 December 1946 in Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate ...

(1874 in Vordingborg – 1946), a Danish politician and minister * Clara Tybjerg (1864–1941), women's rights activist

Royalty and nobility

* Johan Friis ( 1494–1570), Danish statesman and landowner *

Anne Lykke Anne Lykke (30 April 1595 – 1641) was a Danish noblewoman and royal mistress of Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark. Early life Anne Henriksdatter Lykke was born into one of Denmark's more prosperous noble families. She was the daughter of the ...

(1595 in Vordingborg Castle – 1641) a Danish noblewoman and royal mistress of Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark *

Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II Valdemarsen (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious () and Valdemar the Conqueror, was King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. In 1207, Valdemar invaded and conquered Bishopric of L� ...

(1170–1241 in Vordingborg Castle),

King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe Is ...

1202-1241.

Sport

Vagn Ingerslev Vagn Ingerslev (23 March 1885 – 28 December 1952) was a Danish tennis player. He competed in two events at the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as S ...

(1885 in Vordingborg – 1952) a tennis player, competed at 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 ...

Morten Olsen Morten Per Olsen (; born 14 August 1949) is a Danish former Association football, football manager and former player. He was the head coach of the Denmark national football team, Denmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding ...

(born 1949) former footballer with 531 club caps and 102 for

with whom he was head coach from 2000 until 2015 *

Birger Pedersen Birger Lindberg Pedersen (born 29 June 1950), known as Birger Pedersen, is a Denmark, Danish former association footballer in the Midfielder (association football), midfielder position, who played 183 games and scored 41 goals for Danish club H ...

(born 1950 in Vordingborg) a Danish former footballer, 14 caps for

Steven Lustü Steven Lustü (born 13 April 1971) is a Danish former football player. He played as a central defender. He is currently the head coach of Viborg FF U17. Lustü spent most of his professional club career in Denmark, only moving abroad for five ye ...

(born 1971 in Vordingborg) a Danish former footballer with 9 caps for

Writers

* Jesper Ewald (1893 in Vordingborg – 1969 in Copenhagen), an author, journalist and translator *

Meïr Aron Goldschmidt Meïr Aron Goldschmidt (October 26, 1819 – August 15, 1887) was a Danish publisher, journalist and novelist. He was the founding editor of the satirical and political magazine '' Corsaren''. Biography Goldschmidt was born in Vordingborg, ...

(1819 in Vordingborg – 1887), a publisher, journalist and novelist * Peter Andreas Heiberg (1758 in Vordingborg - 1841), a Danish author and philologist

Other

* Jacob Ellehammer (1871 in Bakkebølle – 1946) a Danish watchmaker, inventor and contributor to powered flight * Jesper Juul (born 1948 in Vordingborg) a family therapist and author on parenting

Twin towns

Vordingborg is twinned with: *

Słupsk Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

- since 1994.

References

External links

Official site of Vordingborg
{{Coord, 55.00000, N, 11.90000, E, region:DK-035_type:city(25500), display=title Municipal seats of Region Zealand Municipal seats of Denmark

History

Geography

Economy

Government

Transportation and Infrastructure

Attractions

Notable people

Academics, educators and scholars

Architecture and design

Artists

Businesspeople

Music

Politics and activism

Royalty and nobility

Sport

Writers

Other

Twin towns

See also

References

External links