Vordingborg

Vordingborg

August 2004 panoramic view of Vordingborg

Coat of arms
Vordingborg

Location in Denmark

Coordinates: 55°00′29″N 11°54′40″E / 55.008°N 11.911°E / 55.008; 11.911
Country Denmark
Region Zealand (Sjælland)
Municipality Vordingborg
Government
 • Mayor Henrik Holmer
Population (2015)
 • Total 17,714
 • Urban area 11,843
 • Municipality 45,471
Time zone Central Europe Time (UTC+1)
Website www.vordingborg.dk
The Goose Tower (Gåsetårnet) spire in Vordingborg, Denmark. (2005)

Vordingborg is an old ferry town in Vordingborg Municipality in Denmark. It has an inner urban area population of 11,843 (1 January 2015),[1] and a total population of 17,714 including the satellite towns Ørslev, Nyråd and Stensved. These satellite towns have evolved during the last decades, due to three large estates surrounding Vordingborg and therefore prevented a collective development of the town. Vordingborg Municipality (Kommune) has a population of 46,000.

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.[2] Companies headquartered in Vordingborg include Vordingborg Køkkener, a kitchen manufacturer.[3] Udbetaling Danmark, a public institution under ARP, has one of its five regional centres in the town.[4]

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.[5] 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

Twin towns

Vordingborg is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ BEF44: Population 1st January, by urban areas database from Statistics Denmark
  2. ↑ "Høj eksport og stabil beskæftigelse" (in Danish). sn.dk. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Nyt hovedsæde til Vordingborg Køkkenet" (in Danish). Sydsjællands Tidende. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mikkelsen Arkitekter får arkitekturpris for Udbetaling Danmark" (in Danish). Mikkelsen Arkitekter. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Gåsetårnet

Media related to Vordingborg at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 55°00′00″N 11°54′00″E / 55.00000°N 11.90000°E / 55.00000; 11.90000

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