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Horsens

Coordinates:55°51′30″N09°51′00″E/ 55.85833°N 9.85000°E/55.85833; 9.85000
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Horsens
Street in the old town
Street in the old town
Official seal of Horsens
Seal
Coat of arms of Horsens
Coat of arms
Horsens is located in Denmark
Horsens
Horsens
Location in Denmark
Horsens is located in Denmark Central Denmark Region
Horsens
Horsens
Horsens (Denmark Central Denmark Region)
Coordinates:55°51′30″N09°51′00″E/ 55.85833°N 9.85000°E/55.85833; 9.85000
CountryDenmark
RegionMid Jutland (Midtjylland)
MunicipalityHorsens
Founded12th century
Area
• Urban
29.7 km2(11.5 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
(1 January 2024)[1]
•Urban
63,903
• Urban density2,200/km2(5,600/sq mi)
• Gender[2]
32,092 males and 31,811 females
DemonymHorsensianer
Postal code
DK-8700 Horsens
Area code(+45) 7
Websitewww.horsens.dk

Horsens(Danish pronunciation:[ˈhɒːsn̩s]) is a city on the east coast of theJutlandregion of Denmark. It is the seat of theHorsens municipality.The city's population is 63,903 (1 January 2024) and the municipality's population is 97,392 (as of 1 January 2024), making it the7th largest city in Denmark.[1]

Horsens is best known for its culture and entertainment events. Horsens New Theatre is a cultural centre which holds over 200 events annually. It has managed to draw major names such asMadonna,One Direction,Paul McCartneyandThe Rolling Stones.[3]

Etymology

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It is believed the name Horsens derives from theold Danishwordshors(horse) andnæs(naze, headland). The nameHorsenshas been in use since the 12th century.

History

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The earliest traces of a city are remains of a pagan burial site and houses dating back to the 9th century. In the 12th century, the kingsSweyn IIIandValdemar Iissued coins in the city. In the 13th century the city got its own legal code.

Excavations have shown that the city was expanded around 1300, with a moat going around the city and its harbour. Industrialization started from the middle of the 19th century. The population rose dramatically when people from the countryside moved to the city to work in the factories. The first Danish iron foundry outside ofCopenhagenwas opened as well as tobacco and textile factories.

Geography

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Horsens lies at the end ofHorsens Fjordin eastern Jutland. The city is surrounded by typicalmorainelandscape with low hills and valleys created by glaciers during the last ice ages. Horsens is 50 km (31 mi) south ofAarhusand 30 km (19 mi) north ofVejle,and approximately 200 km (120 mi) fromCopenhagen.

Economy

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The city is currently undergoing a positive development with new industry moving to Horsens, or expanding their activities already in Horsens. A lot of electronics and graphical companies are based there. Horsens also has the only Industrial Museum in Denmark. The city is also home toVIA University Collegewhich brings a lot of international students to move to this town.

Culture

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A pedestrian zone

In recent years, much effort has been made to expand and improve cultural events. Several internationally known artists, such asMadonna,Metallica,Iron Maiden,Joe Cocker,Elton John,The Beach Boys,Bob Dylan,Tom Jones,Bryan Adams,David Bowie,José Carreras,Helmut Lotti,Westlife,R.E.M.,Paul McCartney,Robbie Williams,The Rolling Stones,Dolly Parton,AC/DC,U2,RammsteinandSnow Patrolhave performed, or have performances planned in Horsens.

Metallicahas performed several times in Horsens.

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bandPretty Maidsis from Horsens.

One of the largest cultural events in Denmark is the annual EuropeanMedievalFestival on the last Friday and Saturday in August. The town centre of Horsens is transformed into the largest medieval market town in Northern Europe with activities and entertainment for families and children of all ages.

European Medieval Festival

Every March, Horsens hosts aCrime FictionFestival. TheCrime Festival– in Danish calledKrimimessen– is an event for literary crime, mysteries and thrillers. The Crime Festival is organized by Horsens Public Library. Every year, many well-known crime writers visit Horsens.

The city is home toHorsens Industrimuseum,a museum showing the history of the industrial society. The museum shows technological development and developments in living conditions for workers.

Peter Sørensen from theSocial Democratsis mayor of Horsens.

Vitus Bering,the famousRussian Navycaptain, was born here.

Education

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VIA University College

The largest educational institution in Horsens isVIA University College,which offers a wide range of engineering, technical and business programmes for Danish and International students. In the summer of 2020, VIA University College accepted 1066 new students. That was 2.1% more than the number of students that were accepted to the university the year before.[4]

Sport

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Horsens is the home to professional football clubAC Horsenswho play in theDanish Superliga.Their home ground is the 10,400 capacityCASA Arena Horsens.

From 2015 to 2018, the CASA Arena hostedmotorcycle speedway,when it held theSpeedway Grand Prix of Denmark,taking over as host from theParken Stadiumin Copenhagen, which had held theSpeedway Grand Prixevent from 2003 to 2014. Frederikslyst Speedway was another speedway venue located approximately 8 kilometres south west of the town, off the Frederikslystvej in the forest (55°48′47″N9°43′23″E/ 55.81306°N 9.72306°E/55.81306; 9.72306).[5]It held the final of theDanish Individual Speedway Championshipin 1995.[6]

Horsens is also home to professional basketball teamHorsens ICwho play inBasketligaen.The team plays atForum Horsenswhich has a capacity of 3,300. The team has won the league 6 times most recently in 2014–15 and 2015–16 as well as winning theDanish Men's Basketball Cup3 times most recently in the 2014–15 season.

Transportation

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Rail

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Front facade ofHorsens railway station.

Horsens is served byHorsens railway station.It is located on theFredericia–Aarhus railway lineand offers directInterCityservices toCopenhagen,Hamburg,AarhusandAalborgas well asregional trainservices toFredericiaandAarhus.[7]

Road

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European route E45runs by the city of Horsens.

Prison

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From 1853 to 2006 the city housed theHorsens Statsfængselprison, which held prisoners serving longer sentences. A notable prisoner was formerminister of justicePeter Adler Alberti.

The last execution in peacetime in Denmark happened in the prison in 1892 when Jens Nielsen was decapitated in the courtyard.

Carl August Lorentzen was a safe cracker who became famous for his escape from the prison in 1949 when he dug a tunnel from his cell and out to freedom. When the guards discovered he was missing, they found a note from him with the words "Where there is a will there is a way". Lorentzen was captured a few days later on a nearby farm.

The old run-down buildings were not fit for a modern prison. In 2006 the prison was closed and the newly builtState Prison of East Jutlandwas opened. The new prison, which is placed near Horsens, held the mass murdererPeter Lundinfor a period.[8]

Since its closure as a prison, Horsens Statsfængsel has housed a crime andprison museum,and conference and business facilities. The prison grounds have been used for concerts.[9]It was considered as the venue of theEurovision Song Contest 2014,along with two other cities in Denmark.

VisitHorsens (the local tourist office) moved to the Prison in 2013 and in 2015 a hotel called SleepIn has opened in the Prison.

Notable people from Horsens

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Hans Svane
Vitus Bering

Public thinking and politics

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The arts

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Ludovica Thornam, 1885
Anna Bloch, 1904

Sport

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Bent Schmidt Hansen, 1969

International relations

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See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Denmark

Twin towns – sister cities

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Horsens istwinnedwith:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density".statbank.dk.Statistics Denmark.Retrieved21 April2021.
  2. ^BY1: Population 1. January by urban areas, age and sexThe Mobile Statbank fromStatistics Denmark
  3. ^"Disse verdenskendte kunstnere har optrådt i Horsens".VisitHorsens(in Danish).Retrieved11 March2021.
  4. ^"Fortsat fremgang: 1066 studerende optaget på VIA i Horsens".hsfo.dk(in Danish). 28 July 2020.Retrieved11 March2021.
  5. ^"Frederikslyst Speedway".Speedway Life.Retrieved17 February2024.
  6. ^"Individual Speedway Norwegian Championship".Historia Sportu Zuzlowego.Retrieved17 February2024.
  7. ^"Horsens Station"(in Danish). DSB.Retrieved4 May2021.
  8. ^"Peter Lundin hemmeligt gift"(in Danish).TV 2.29 September 2008.Retrieved10 March2009.
  9. ^"10 prison's now open to travelers".CNN. 13 March 2013.Retrieved18 August2016.
  10. ^Bain, Robert Nisbet(1911)."Skram, Peder".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 194–195.
  11. ^Bain, Robert Nisbet(1911)."Svane, Hans".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 26 (11th ed.). p. 175.
  12. ^"Bering, Vitus".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 03 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 775.
  13. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  14. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  15. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  16. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  17. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  18. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
  19. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 01 June 2020
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forHorsens.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toHorsens.
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