Vordingborg

Vordingborg (Danish pronunciation: [ˌvɒːte̝ŋˈpɒˀ]) is an old ferry town in Vordingborg Municipality in Denmark with around 18,000 inhabitants. 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 12,000 inhabitants, and 18,043 inhabitants when including the three satellite towns of Ørslev, Nyråd and Stensved, situated 1, 3 and 5 kilometres, respectively, from the town of Vordingborg. Vordingborg Municipality (Kommune) has a population of 46,000.

For other uses, see Vordingborg Municipality and Vordingborg Castle.
Vordingborg
August 2004 panoramic view of Vordingborg
Coat of arms
Vordingborg
Location in Denmark
Coordinates: 55.008°N 11.911°E / 55.008; 11.911
CountryDenmark
RegionZealand (Sjælland)
MunicipalityVordingborg
Government
 • MayorHenrik Holmer
Population
 (2018)
 • Total18.043
 • Urban area
12.038
 • Municipality
46.087
Time zoneUTC+1 (Central Europe Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2
Websitewww.vordingborg.dk
The Goose Tower (Gåsetårnet) spire in Vordingborg, Denmark. (2005)

Long term head coach of the Danish national football team, Morten Olsen, was born in Vordingborg.

History

On January 1, 2007 the old Vordingborg municipality was, as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merged with Langebæk, Møn, and Præstø municipalities to form an enlarged Vordingborg municipality.

Geography

Vordingborg is situated 37 km from Nykøbing Falster, roughly 50 km from Gedser, and roughly 100 km from Copenhagen and Odense. The town is situated on the island of Zealand and is linked to the island of Falster with Farø Bridges and Storstrøm Bridge.

Economy

Vordingborg Municipality is home to 9,500 jobs.[1] Companies headquartered in Vordingborg include Vordingborg Køkkener, a kitchen manufacturer.[2] Udbetaling Danmark, a public institution under ARP, has one of its five regional centres in the town.[3]

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 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 made of gold.[4] The tower was transferred into the national trust on December 24, 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 is one of the tallest towers in Denmark.

The Danish Army operates a barracks facility on the edge of town, known as Vordingborg Kaserne.

Notable people
Meïr Aron Goldschmidt
Astrid Stampe Feddersen, 1910
  • Anne Lykke (1595 in Vordingborg Castle – 1641) a Danish noblewoman and royal mistress of Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark
  • Jacob Baden (1735 in Vordingborg – 1804) a philologist, pedagogue, critic and academic
  • Peter Andreas Heiberg (1758 in Vordingborg - 1841) a Danish author and philologist
  • 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
  • N. F. S. Grundtvig (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.
  • Meïr Aron Goldschmidt (1819 in Vordingborg – 1887) a publisher, journalist and novelist [5]
  • 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
  • Astrid Stampe Feddersen (1852 in Christinelund – 1930) a Danish women's rights activist
  • Jacob Ellehammer (1871 in Bakkebølle – 1946) a Danish watchmaker, inventor and contributor to powered flight
  • Johannes Friis-Skotte (1874 in Vordingborg – 1946) a Danish politician and minister
  • Jesper Ewald (1893 in Vordingborg – 1969 in Copenhagen) an author, journalist and translator
  • Jesper Juul (born 1948 in Vordingborg) a family therapist and author on parenting
  • Yenz Leonhardt (born 1961 in Vordingborg) a heavy metal musician
  • Anders Trentemøller (born 1974 in Vordingborg) an electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist
Morten Olsen, 2012

Sport

Twin towns

Vordingborg is twinned with:

See also

References
  1. "Høj eksport og stabil beskæftigelse" (in Danish). sn.dk. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  2. "Nyt hovedsæde til Vordingborg Køkkenet" (in Danish). Sydsjællands Tidende. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. "Mikkelsen Arkitekter får arkitekturpris for Udbetaling Danmark" (in Danish). Mikkelsen Arkitekter. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. Gåsetårnet
  5. The Encyclopedia Americana, Goldschmidt, Meier Aaron retrieved 14 June 2020

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