Holbæk
Template:Short description Template:Confusion Template:Use dmy dates Template:Expand Danish Template:Infobox settlement
Holbæk (Template:IPA) is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).<ref name=pop>BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density The Mobile StatBank from Statistics Denmark.</ref> It is located in the northwestern part of Region Sjælland, Denmark.
Holbæk is located on Zealand, on the banks of Holbæk Fjord, an inlet of the larger Isefjord. Holbæk is a commercial and industrial center for the surrounding area. By rail, Holbæk is served by Danske Statsbaner's line from Roskilde to Kalundborg, which runs through the city. Vestsjællands Lokalbaner connects Holbæk by rail to Nykøbing Sjælland. The city is a major hub for the Movia bus routes. Holbæk has an active commercial seaport that serves as the harbor for the ferry to Orø (island). Near the harbor there is a substantial marina.
History
Holbæk is first mentioned in official documents in Absalon's letter of 8 June 1199, in which he granted the majority of his estates to Sorø Klosterkirke in Sorø. It was called Holbækgaard, a larger farm belonging to a nobleman, around which the city eventually developed.
Next it appears in Valdemar the Victorious's book of properties (see Kong Valdemars Jordebog on the Danish Wikipedia) in 1231. Valdmar broke ground for Holbæk Slot (Holbæk Castle) in 1236.
Holbæk grew from then on but is not mentioned again until around 1400 when Margaret I came for a court proceeding that granted her territories in Jutland. The event may have triggered the creation of the first city seal, which shows the three trees by the water that are the prominent features of the current seal.
Economy
Companies headquartered in Holbæk include Sparekassen Sjælland-Fyn and Pharmacosmos
Culture
Culturally, Holbæk can be noted for Musikhus Elværket, a converted power station that serves as a concert venue for modern music.
Bogart, Book-café and more Books gets new life and people new energy at Bogart . For more than 40 years, Bogart was a traditional antiquarian in Holbæk. In 2021 new owners transformed the place into a book café and intimate stage with a mix of concerts, lectures and open mic.
Media
The local newspaper is Nordvestnyt, which is published Monday to Saturday and is published by Sjællandske Medier. In 2022, the newspaper had 39,000 weekly readers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Holbaekonline.dk is a local news website that brings news, sports, and entertainment from Holbæk and Holbæk Municipality.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Holbæk Radio is a local radio station run by volunteers. It started in 2015. In addition to music, the radio station also provides local news, and citizens have the opportunity to create their own segments on the radio. Holbæk Radio can be heard on the FM band 104.7 as well as through online streaming.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sport
The city is home to the Holbæk B&I football club, who as of 2023 played in the fourth tier in the Danish football league system.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have played at the Holbæk Sportsby (Sports City) football stadium since its construction in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Holbæk Sportsby (Sports City) was constructed in 2019 and has 23,000 square metres of space indoors over two floors and 47 hectares outdoors. It includes the new Sports City football stadium, athletics stadium, swimming pool, badminton hall, synthetic football pitches, tennis courts and the Padel Klub.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Holbæk Stadium was, which existed from 1948 to 2019, when it was demolished for housing, was the former home of Holbæk B&I. It was also an athletics stadium<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and hosted motorcycle speedway between 1950 and 1954.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It held the final of the Danish Individual Speedway Championship in 1954.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
Rail
The Northwest Line connects Holbæk with Kalundborg and Roskilde and the rest of the Danish rail network, and the Odsherred Line connects Holbæk with Nykøbing Sjælland. Holbæk railway station is the principal railway station of the town, and offers direct regional train services to Copenhagen, Template:Rws and Template:Rws operated by the national railway company DSB<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and local train services to Template:Rws operated by the regional railway company Lokaltog.<ref name="Om Lokaltog">Template:Cite web</ref> The western part of the town is also served by the railway halt Template:Rws.
Notable people
Public Service & public thinking
- Søren Nielsen May (died 1679 in Holbæk) parish priest and provost in Holbæk
- Albert Borgard (1659–1751) a Danish artillery and engineer officer.<ref>Template:Cite DNB</ref>
- Michael Bille (1680–1756 in Holbæk) a Danish Admiral
- Christen Friis Rottbøll (1727 at Hørbygård–1797) a Danish physician and botanist
- Ole Johansen Winstrup (1782 in Winstrup–1867) a self-taught Danish engineer and inventor
- Ludvig Christian Brinck-Seidelin (1787 in Eriksholm–1865) a Danish civil servant, landowner, and politician
- Ludwig A. Colding (1815–1888) a Danish civil engineer and physicist
- Edvard Jünger (1823–1899) precision mechanic and instrument maker
- Ellen Nielsen (1871–1960) a Danish-born teacher and missionary in Manchuria
- Mads Tofte (born 1959) a Danish computer scientist, brought up in Holbæk
- Claus Bjørn Larsen (born 1963) award-winning Danish press photographer
The Arts
- Paula Trock (1889–1979) a Danish weaver of curtains in distinguished places
- Agnete Hoy (1914–2000) British/Danish potter; expertise in glazing and firing
- Aage Stentoft (1914–1990) composer, film score composer and theatre director<ref>IMDb Database retrieved 06 June 2020</ref>
- Dan Sterup-Hansen (1918–1995) painter and illustrator
- Niels Bernhart (1946–2008) a Danish pianist, composer and lecturer
- Inga Nielsen (1946–2008) soprano opera singer<ref>IMDb Database retrieved 06 June 2020</ref>
- Søren Reiff (born 1962) guitarist, producer, composer and author
- Cutfather (born 1968) stage name of Mich Hedin Hansen, a Danish music producer
- Jim Lyngvild (born 1978) a Danish designer, writer, fashion columnist and TV personality<ref>IMDb Database retrieved 07 June 2020</ref>
- Mikael Brandrup (born 1984) a Danish visual artist and graphic designer in the USA
Sport
- Niels Tune-Hansen (born 1953) footballer, 220 club caps and 15 for Denmark
- Susanne Augustesen (born 1956) a Danish former international footballer
- Christian Poulsen (born 1981) footballer, over 452 club caps and 92 for Denmark
- Mads Pieler Kolding (born 1988) male badminton player who specializes in doubles
- Mads Mensah Larsen (born 1991) handball player
- Simone Boye Sørensen (born 1992) a Danish footballer, plays for Bayern Munich
- Frederik Colberg (born 1993) a Danish badminton player
- Nick Sörensen (born 1994) a Danish-born Swedish professional ice hockey player
- John Axelsen (born 1998) a Danish amateur golfer
Others
- Stefan G. Rasmussen (born 1947), airline pilot (Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751) and politician
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Holbæk is twinned with:
- Template:Flagicon Celle, Germany<ref name="Celle">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom. resulted from a shared interest in community plays. Groups of actors from the two towns each took part in the other's community play in the early 1990s and this resulted in the formal twinning in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Template:Flagicon Botevgrad, Bulgaria
Sources
- City History Template:In lang
- NetBorger.dkTemplate:Dead link Statistics Template:In lang
- Statistikbanken Statistics Template:In lang
Notes
External links
- Template:Wikivoyage inline
- Official website of Holbæk municipality Template:In lang
- Holbæk area tourism website Template:In lang
Template:Holbæk Municipality
Template:30 most populous cities of Denmark