Vrå is a

railway town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated, or was expanded, as a result of a railway line being constructed there. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporary, ...

Hjørring Hjørring () is a town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality in the North Jutland Region. The population is 25,908 (acco ...

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' ...

, Denmark. It was the former municipal seat of the abolished

Løkken-Vrå Løkken-Vrå was a municipality (Danish language, Danish, ''Commune (subnational entity), kommune'') in the North Jutland County, Denmark until 1 January 2007. It was located on the northwest coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy on the northern J ...

municipality. As of 1 January 2025, Vrå has a population of 2,681.

History

In 1370, the town's name was documented as ''Wra'', with later iterations of ''Vraa'', ''Wraa'', and ''Vro''. In Danish, "Vrå" means ''nook'' or ''corner''. Despite its long history, Vrå was only a small farming community until the late 19th century, when a station was constructed on the

Vendsyssel railway line The Vendsyssel railway line () is an long standard gauge single track (rail), single track railway line in Denmark which runs through the historical region of Vendsyssel between Aalborg and Frederikshavn in North Jutland Region, North Jutland. I ...

. The station building was erected in 1870 and the railway opened in 1871. The town largely grew up around the railroad, and most buildings were constructed after its completion. The town's population grew rapidly following the construction of the railroad; in 1850 the population had been 691, and by 1901 had grown to 1,594. The city is divided by the railway, the majority of the town's commercial buildings are on the east side. The town is home to Vrå Højskole, a

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and i ...

. It was originally founded in 1872 in the small town of Stenum, 7 kilometers southwest of Vrå. As the school grew, proposals were made to move it closer to the central railway in the region. In 1890, it officially relocated to Vrå. The school originally taught language, mathematics, and agricultural courses, catering to the local agricultural community. Since the mid 1900s, it has focused on the creative arts. The school collaborates with Kunstbygningen, an exhibit for art. Its exhibitions began in 1942, then primarily showing works donated by its founder, Svend Engelund.

Religion

Vrå church (Danish: ''Vrå Kirke'') is located 9 kilometers north of

Brønderslev Brønderslev is a city in Denmark with a population of 12,946 (1 January 2025). The city is the largest urban area in Brønderslev Municipality and is the municipal seat. It is the fourth largest city of Vendsyssel within the North Jutland Region ...

. It operates as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

within the

Diocese of Aalborg The Diocese of Aalborg (Danish: ''Aalborg Stift'') is a diocese of the Church of Denmark. It was established in 1554, during the reformation. Its episcopal see is at Budolfi Church, Budolfi Cathedral and Thomas Reinholdt Rasmussen has been the dio ...

of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of ...

. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was originally constructed from the late 12th to early 13th century in the

romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

. Other later additions, including the tower, of the church are gothic. The interior of the church has a preserved

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

from –. Vrå Congregational Church (Danish: ''Vrå Valgmenighedskirke'') was founded in 1900. The church was established following an incident which saw the rejection of a priest's application to lead the parish, despite support from the community. Today the congregation has approximately 350 members. The church follows Grundtvigian theology, and is affiliated with the Church of Denmark. There is also a

Baptist church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

and an Inner Mission in Vrå. File:VRAA KIRKE 13 ubt.JPG, Vrå Church (''Vrå Kirke'') File:Nordenskirker Vraax32.jpg, Fresco at Vrå Church File:Valgmenighedskirken i Vraa 20180616 142848 ubt.jpg, Vrå Congregational Church (''Vrå Valgmenighedskirken'')

Transport

Vrå is served by

Vrå railway station Vrå railway station is a railway station serving the railway town of Vrå in Vendsyssel, Denmark. The station is located on the Vendsyssel Line from Aalborg to Frederikshavn, between Hjørring station and Brønderslev station. It opened in 18 ...

, located on the

between

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

and

Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast on the North Jutlandic Island in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vra Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Hjørring Municipality