Odder Municipality

Odder

Pedestrian street in Odder.

Odder is located centrally in the northern part of the municipality. It borders the forests of Dyrehave, Vejlskov and Præstelund to the south, and the forests of Bøgebjerg and Balle Skov to the north-west. It is surrounded by fields in all other directions.

Odder is the administrative center of the municipality, and the location of the municipality's town hall. The eastern edge of the town is bordered by the botanical garden and zoo known as The Ecological Garden (Danish: Den Økologiske Have). South of that are a series of schools and the Grundtvigianism church Odder Grundtvigske Valgmenighedskirke. Further west, but still south of Odder River (Danish: Odder Å) is Odder Station and Odder Church. The culture center Pakhuset is located near the train station. The road Rosengade is a pedestrian street with many shops, restaurants and facilities. Odder Rådhus is located north of the street. Odder Museum is located further west, bordering Odder River. North of the river, and along the western part of the town are residential areas. The northern parts of the town include a sizable industrial quarter. [4]

Near the center of the town is a sports facility called Spektrum Odder. It includes three sports halls, swimming pools, football stadiums and a café. [5]

Hou

Hou (also spelled Hov) is located 10 km south-east of Odder. It borders Kattegat to the south and east, and the narrow strait of Hov Løb between the town and the island of Hov Røn. The forest of Halling Skov borders Hou to the south-west. Hou is other than that surrounded by fields.

In Hou is a marina and harbour, with daily ferry departures to Samsø and Tunø. The marina is a popular tourist destination. [6]

Villages

Street in Tunø By.

There are two settlements on the island of Tunø: the main village of Tunø By and the smaller settlement of Løkkegårde. Tunø is a popular tourist destination. [7]

There are three settlements on Alrø: Alrø By, Sønderby and Løkken. A dam from 1929 connects Alrø to the mainland. Alrø Church is located in Alrø By.[8]

The dam connecting Alrø to the mainland.

Rude Strand is located north of Hou and east of Odder. The Rude Strand Tumulus (Danish: Rude Strand Langhøj) is located here.

Norsminde Fjord, north-west of Odder, cuts the village of Norsminde in two, with the northern part of the village located in Aarhus Municipality and the southern part in Odder Municipality. The northern part is called Norsminde, while the southern part is called Kysing Næs or Norsminde Strand. The ruins of Kysing Church is located in Kysing Næs.

In addition to these villages, there are a number of smaller settlements in the municipality. These are all the settlements with populations of less than 200 people:[9]

Norsminde Fjord

Norsminde Fjord.

Norsminde Fjord borders the municipality to the north-east, and 50 acres in Odder Municipality has been protected since 1970. The fjord is an important area for birds, and has a varied surrounding nature that includes hills and beach meadows. The fjord itself span 187 acres. The fjord is home to a large amount of birds, though is not used for breeding by any birds. It is rich in food, so it is a popular foraging spot for coot, wigeon, mallard, tufted duck, teal, mute swan, lapwing, golden plover, dunlin and oystercatcher. The white-tailed eagle, and a series of other birds of prey, can be found in the area. The western marsh harrier is one of the few birds that breed in the fjord. In total, more than 200 species of birds has been registered seen in the fjord.[16]

The dykes along the fjord are mainly covered in crataegus. The vegetation in the fjord itself is dominated by ulva lactuca, which can at times block out the sun for other plants in the water. The ulva lactuca is very resistant, and is a sign of pollution from the surrounding agriculture. [17]

Hou Røn

Hou Røn is an island of 2 acres located 2 km south-east of Hou. The island first appeared in the 1930s, and has at times been entirely flooded or split into several islands. It grew together to form the current island over time, and is today covered in vegetation. The island is a breeding spot for many birds, including common eider, mallard, oystercatcher, great black-backed gull, European herring gull and red-breasted merganser. At one point rats had invaded the island, but they were removed from the island again by a local hunter. Hunting on the island is forbidden while birds are breeding. [18]

Alrø

Alrø is a flat island, with the highest point of the island being only 14 meters above sea level. With many parts of the island lying below sea level, the island can at times be split into two. The island span 8 km², and most of the land is used for agriculture. This also means that there is barely any forests, though roe deer and several other mammals still live on the island. The European hare thrive on the island's fields. The raccoon dog is also found on the island. The greylag goose and white-tailed eagle breed on the island, and great cormorant is also commonly seen. [19][20]

Tunø

Tunø.

Nearly the entire island of Tunø has been protected since 1965. The protected area amounts to 3.5 km² or 348 acres in total, and only excludes Tunø By and a small part of the harbour. The island is hilly, with forests, bogs and stony beaches. A valley splits the island in two, and it has historically been two separate islands. The valley is today covered in forests. [21][22]

There aren't many birds on the island, though with the notable exception of the black guillemot. The island is home to one of Denmark's largest populations of black guillemot, a rare bird in Denmark. The other birds on the island are eurasian woodcock, western marsh harrier, common pheasant, grey partridge and common gull. The European green toad can be found on the island, and the nearby island of Samsø is the northernmost habitat for the frog in Europe. The mammals on the island are few, with only roe deer, European hare, European hedgehog, harbor seal, mice and rats. The harbour porpoise can be seen off the island's coast. The common blue butterfly is found on Tunø, though is rare in the rest of Denmark.[23]

The Tunø Knob Offshore Wind Farm is located off the coast of Tunø.

Municipal council

Odder's municipal council consists of 19 members, elected every four years.

Below are the municipal councils elected since 1989.

Castles and manors

• Dybvad is a manor located south-east of Ørting. It is known to have existed from the 1500s. It belonged to the Aakær Manor until 1536, where it was taken over by the crown along with Aakær. Dybvad has been a part of Aakær for most of its history, with short breaks. It split up from Aakær in 1914. The manor own 514 acres.[41]
• Gersdorffslund is a manor located west of Hou. The manor was established in 1674 from the farms of Porsborg and Højby, both known to have existed from the Middle Ages. Both farms were a part of Aakær Manor until 1660 where the crown gave Aakær and its territory to Joachim Gersdorff, as a replacement for his lost territory in Scania after the Dano-Swedish War. When Gersdorff died shortly after, in 1661, his manors were inherited by his heirs. Porsborg and Højby were inherited by Margrethe Gersdorff, his daughter, who married Gregorius Rathlou. Margrethe Gersdorff and Gregorius Rathlou established the new manor of Gersdorffslund from their territory in 1674.[42]

Gyllingnæs Manor.

• Gyllingnæs is a manor located south of Gylling, on a peninsula between Kattegat and Horsens Fjord. The area was covered in oak trees until 1797, where a number of farmers bought and cultivated the land. In 1801 the area of Gyllingnæs was owned by the Aakær Manor, but was sold to John Smith from England. John Smith, who lived in Altona, began construction of a house, which was finished in 1803. When he bought the nearby church in 1810, the house officially became a manor. The manor acquired more land through the years. A new main building was constructed in 1865, and in 1933 the former main building was destroyed in a fire. The manor is today owned by owner of Bestseller Troels Holch Povlsen. The manor own 646 acres, with mostly forests and agricultural land. [43]
• Rathlousdal is a manor located outside of Odder, to the south-west. It was originally a farm called Loverstrup, but was established as a manor in 1570.[44]
• Rodsteenseje is a manor located outside of Odder, to the south-east. It was formerly named Hovedstrup, but renamed to Rodsteenseje in 1681. The manor originates from around year 1300. IT was in 2012 bought by the owner of Aakær.[45]

Aakær Manor.

• Aakær (also spelled Åkjær) is a manor located between the villages of Hundslund and Ørting, south of Odder. The manor is known to have existed from at least 1350, and was sold to the bishop of Aarhus, Bo Mogensen, in 1398. It became the main farmhouse in Hads Hundred for the bishops, and they began expanding the manor. In 1536, after the Reformation, the territory of the bishops was taken by the crown, including Aakær. Aakær became the seat of a newly established fief in 1548, with the fief named after the manor. The crown continued expanding Aakær and in 1660 nearly all manor houses in Hads Hundred belonged to Aakær. After the Dano-Swedish War ended in 1660, Denmark was forced to hand over several manors in Scania to Sweden. Among those were manors owned by Joachim Gersdorff, who as replacement was given manors by the crown, including Aakær. Gersdorff died shortly after, in 1661, and his son Frederik Gersdorff took over Aakær. He wasn't interested in the manor though, and sold it to his brother-in-law Jørgen Bielke in 1674. The manor changed hands many times and lost territory over the years. In 1803 it was bought by Henrik Reventlow, who began buying back the lost territory. The manor owns 1,240 acres.[46]

Churches

See List of churches in Odder Municipality

Events

Hou Harbour Festival (Danish: Hou Havnefestival) takes place in Hou every year in the second weekend of July. The festival take place around Hou Harbour, and includes food, live music, sport and entertainment. The sport events include swimming contests in the harbour.[47][48]

Sondrup Market is a yearly flea market. It takes place the first saturday in July in Hundslund. In addition to the flea market, Sondrup Market also has live music and entertainment. The organization responsible for the market also arranges other smaller markets in Hundslund across the year.[49]

A yearly music festival takes place on Tunø. It has been held yearly since 1987.[50]

Public thought and politics

• Gustav Adolph Hagemann (1842 on Rodsteenseje — 1916), engineer
• Karen Jeppe (1876 in Gylling — 1935), social worker known for her work with Ottoman Armenian refugees and survivors of the Armenian Genocide
• Knud Enggaard (born 1929 in Odder), politician
• Elvin J. Hansen (born 1950 in Torrild), politician and former mayor of the municipality
• Kirsten Brosbøl (born 1977 in Odder), politician
• Mette Dencker (born 1978 in Odder), politician and MF

Art

• Rasmus Andersen (1861 in Ørting — 1930), sculptor
• Ejler Bille (1910 in Odder — 2004), artist
• Jane Muus (1919 in Odder — 2007), painter
• Jens Jørn Spottag (born 1957 in Odder), actor
• Morten Nørgaard (born 1990 in Odder), singer

Sport

• Hans Christian Nielsen (1928 in Odder — 1990), football player
• Niels Fredborg (born 1946 in Odder), cyclist
• Mogens Jeppesen (born 1953 in Gylling), handball player
• Henrik Mortensen (born 1968 in Odder), football player
• Jakob Fenger-Larsen (born 1971 in Odder), football player
• Torben Grimmel (born 1975 in Odder), sport shooter
• Pernille Harder (born 1977 in Odder), badminton player
• Juliane Rasmussen (born 1979 in Odder), rower
• Louise Pedersen (born 1979 in Odder), handball player
• Steffen Ernemann (born 1982 in Odder), football player
• Thomas Mogensen (born 1983 in Odder), handball player
• Thomas Kvist (born 1987 in Odder), cyclist
• Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (born 1989 in Odder), badminton player
• Steffen Jensen (born 1989 in Odder), rower
• Morten Ring Christensen (born 1990 in Odder), athlete
• Mathias Bay-Smidt (born 1996 in Odder), badminton player