View source for Holbæk

{{Short description|Town in northern Zealand, Denmark}}
{{confusion|Holbeck}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{expand Danish|date=January 2023|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name = Holbæk
| motto         =
| image_skyline = Holbæk luftfoto.jpg
| image_caption = June 2007 aerial photograph
| image_seal    = Holbæks segl.jpg
| image_shield  = Coat of arms of Holbæk.svg
| pushpin_map   = Denmark#Denmark Region Zealand
| map_caption   = Location in [[Denmark]]
| subdivision_type  = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_name  = [[Denmark]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Denmark|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Region Zealand|Zealand (''Sjælland'')]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Municipalities of Denmark|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Holbæk Municipality|Holbæk]]
<!-- ---- Geography -->
| area_urban_km2    = 14
| location   =
| coordinates       = {{coord|55|42|56|N|11|43|21|E|region:DK|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m  = 11
<!-- ---- Population -->
| population_as_of  = 2025
| population_footnotes  = <ref name=pop/>
| population_urban  = 30903
| population_metro  = 
| population_density_urban_km2= auto
| population_blank1_title     = Gender <ref>[https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY1?lang=en BY1: Population 1. January by urban areas, age and sex] The Mobile Statbank from [[Statistics Denmark]]</ref>
| population_blank1           = 14761 males and 16142 females
| population_blank2_title     = Municipality
| population_blank2     = 74490
| population_demonym    = Holbækker 
<!-- ---- Government -->
| established_date       = 1236
| established_title = Founded
| mayor             =
<!-- ---- Various codes -->
| timezone      = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset    = +1
| timezone_DST  = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST= +2
| postal_code   = 4300  | postal_code_type = Postal code
| area_code     = (+45) 00  | area_code_type=
<!-- ---- Free fields -->
| free_type  = | free=
| free1_type = | free1=
<!-- ---- Website -->
| website = {{URL|www.holbaek.dk}}
}}

'''Holbæk''' ({{IPA|da|ˈhʌlˀpek}}) is a town in [[Denmark]] and the [[County seat|seat]] of [[Holbæk municipality]] with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).<ref name=pop>[https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY3?lang=en 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 (Denmark)|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 (transit agency)|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==
[[File:ByseglGammel.jpg|100px|left|thumb|City Seal ca. 1400]]
[[File:Smedelundsgade.JPG|thumb|180px|left|A street market]]
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 [[Nobility|nobleman]], around which the city eventually developed.

Next it appears in [[Valdemar II of Denmark|Valdemar the Victorious]]'s book of properties (see [[:da:Kong Valdemars Jordebog|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 of Denmark|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 [[music venue|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>{{cite web|url=https://webtest.kantargallup.dk/storage/reports/March2023/v3a00MimlvVLVVSOxaGV.pdf|title=Læsertal for dagblade for 2022m|publisher=Kantar Gallup|language=da|accessdate=13 August 2023}}</ref>

[[Holbaekonline.dk]] is a local news website that brings news, sports, and entertainment from Holbæk and Holbæk Municipality.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://holbaekonline.dk/om/|title=Om Holbaekonline.dk|publisher=Holbaekonline.dk|language=da|accessdate=13 August 2023}}</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>{{cite web|url=https://www.holbaekradio.com/programoversigt|title=Programoversigt|publisher=Holbæk Radio|language=da|accessdate=13 August 2023}}</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>{{cite web|url=https://holbaekonline.dk/2023/06/02/holbaek-sikrede-sig-oprykning/|title=Holbæk sikrede sig oprykning|publisher=Holbaekonline.dk|language=da|accessdate=13 August 2023}}</ref> They have played at the [[Holbæk Sportsby]] (Sports City) football stadium since its construction in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://holbaeksportsby.dk/faciliteter/fodboldstadion/ |title=FOOTBALL STADIUM | website=Holbæk Sportsby |access-date=17 February 2024}}</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>{{cite web |url=https://www.troldtekt.com/themes/architecture-for-sports-and-movement/sports-complex-brings-together-elite-sports-and-rehabilitation-under-one-roof/ |title=Sports complex brings together elite sports and rehabilitation under one roof | website=Troldtekt |access-date=17 February 2024}}</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>{{cite web |url=https://www.nordicstadiums.com/holbaek-stadion/ |title=Holbæk Stadion | website=Nordic Stadiums |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref> and hosted [[motorcycle speedway]] between 1950 and 1954.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://speedwaylife.com/danish-tracks/holbaek-stadium/ |title=Holbaek Speedway (Holbaek Stadium) | website=Speedway Life |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref> It held the final of the [[Danish Individual Speedway Championship]] in 1954.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/indmdanii.php |title=Individual Speedway Norwegian Championship | website=Historia Sportu Zuzlowego |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Rail===
[[File:Holbæk Station 18.jpg|thumb|[[Holbæk railway station]].]]
The [[Northwest Line (Denmark)|Northwest Line]] connects Holbæk with [[Kalundborg]] and [[Roskilde]] and the rest of the [[Rail transport in Denmark|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]], {{rws|Roskilde}} and {{rws|Kalundborg}} operated by the national [[railway company]] [[DSB (railway company)|DSB]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dsb.dk/kundeservice/stationer/holbak/|title=Holbæk Station|publisher=DSB|language=da|accessdate=2 December 2022}}</ref> and [[local train]] services to {{rws|Nykøbing Sjælland}} operated by the regional [[railway company]] [[Lokaltog]].<ref name="Om Lokaltog">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lokaltog.dk/lokaltog/om-lokaltog/|title=Om Lokaltog|publisher=[[Lokaltog]] A/S|website=lokaltog.dk|access-date=20 July 2016 |language=da|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120000349/http://www.lokaltog.dk/lokaltog/om-lokaltog/|archive-date=20 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The western part of the town is also served by the [[railway halt]] {{rws|Stenhus}}.

==Notable people==
[[File:Ludvig Christian de Brinck Seidelin.jpg|140px|thumb|Ludvig Christian de Brinck Seidelin, 1832]]

=== 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>{{cite DNB|wstitle= Borgard, Albert |volume= 05 |last= Stephens |first= H. Morse |author-link= H. Morse Stephens |pages= 395-396 |year= |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Michael Bille (1680-1756)|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
[[File:Søren Reiff.jpg|thumb|140px|Søren Reiff, 2015]]

=== 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>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0826709/ 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>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0630842/ 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>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2065348/ IMDb Database] retrieved 07 June 2020</ref>
* [[Mikael Brandrup]] (born 1984) a Danish visual artist and graphic designer in the USA 
[[File:Mads Mensah Larsen 5-20160110.jpg|thumb|140px|Mads Mensah Larsen 2016]]

=== Sport ===
* [[Niels Tune-Hansen]] (born 1953) footballer, 220 club caps and 15 for [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]
* [[Susanne Augustesen]] (born 1956) a Danish former international footballer
* [[Christian Poulsen]] (born 1981) footballer, over 452 club caps and 92 for [[Denmark national football team|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===
[[File:Celle Partnerstadt Holbaek.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Coat of arms at twin town [[Celle]] (Germany), granite artwork below signpost]]
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Denmark}}

Holbæk is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Celle]], [[Germany]]<ref name="Celle">{{Cite web |url=http://www.celle.de/index.phtml?sNavID=342.65&La=2 |title=Stadt Celle |publisher=celle.de |access-date=5 January 2010 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611173657/http://www.celle.de/index.phtml?sNavID=342.65&La=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GB}} [[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>{{Cite web |date=2007 |title=Holbæk |url=http://www.dorchester-tc.gov.uk/Services/Twinning/Holb%C3%A6k |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407115813/http://www.dorchester-tc.gov.uk/Services/Twinning/Holb%C3%A6k |archive-date=2018-04-07 |access-date=19 Jun 2023 |website=Dorchester Town Council}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|BGR}} [[Botevgrad]], [[Bulgaria]]

==Sources==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009055230/http://web.holbkom.dk/www/byvhist.html City History] {{in lang|da}}
* [http://www2.netborger.dk/Kommunefakta/produkt/dinkommune/resultat.aspx?k=315&kid=315;Holb%c3%a6k&p=netborger NetBorger.dk]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Statistics {{in lang|da}}
* [http://www.statistikbanken.dk Statistikbanken] Statistics {{in lang|da}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Holbæk}}
* [http://www.holbaek.dk/ Official website of Holbæk municipality] {{in lang|da}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060421212800/http://www.holbaek-info.dk/da/index.html Holbæk area tourism website] {{in lang|da}}

<br />
{{Holbæk Municipality}}
{{30 most populous cities of Denmark}}

<!-- {{Coord|55|43|N|11|43|E|region:DK-030_type:city(68446)_source:dewiki|display=title}} -->

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Holbæk| ]]
[[Category:Municipal seats of Region Zealand]]
[[Category:Municipal seats of Denmark]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Holbæk Municipality]]