View source for Rødby

{{for|the jazz musician|Steve Rodby}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| settlement_type = Town
| name = Rødby
| image_skyline = Rødby - vue mod centrum.JPG
| image_caption = The town centre of Rødby
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = Denmark Lolland#Denmark Region Zealand#Denmark
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location on Lolland
| coordinates = {{coord|54|41|37|N|11|23|18|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Denmark
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = [[Region Zealand]]
| subdivision_type2 = Municipality
| subdivision_name2 = [[Lolland Municipality]]
| area_urban_km2 = 1.61
| population_as_of = 2025
| population_footnotes = <ref name="BY3"/>
| population_urban = 1982
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| timezone1 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1 = +1
| timezone1_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = DK-4970 Rødby
}}

'''Rødby''' is a town located on the island of [[Lolland]] in south Denmark. It has a population of 1,982 (1 January 2025).<ref name="BY3">[https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY3?lang=en BY3: Population 1. January by rural and urban areas, area and population density] The Mobile Statbank from [[Statistics Denmark]]</ref> Until 2007, it was the seat of the former Rødby Municipality (Danish: ''[[Municipalities of Denmark|kommune]]''), and is now located in [[Lolland Municipality]] in [[Region Sjælland]].

==History==

{{stack|[[File:-Roedby 1900.jpg|thumb|Historical map of Rødby, {{circa}} 1900]]}}
The town is mentioned for the first time as the village "Ruthby" in the ''[[Danish Census Book]]'' from 1231.<ref name="Trap 1899 142">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Rødby|url=https://runeberg.org/trap/3-3/0172.html|editor=J.P. Trap|encyclopedia=Kongeriget Danmark|edition=3rd |volume=3: Bornholms, Maribo, Odense og Svendborg Amter |location=Kjøbenhavn |year=1899 |page=142 |language=da }}</ref> In the first centuries, Rødby was a trading post and an important ferry point for Scandinavian travellers going to the [[Duchy of Holstein]] and to the central parts of Europe.

==Rødby Municipality==

The former Rødby municipality covered an area of 120&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, and had a total population of 6,590 (2005). Its last mayor was Hans Ole Sørensen, a member of the [[Venstre (Denmark)|Venstre]] (Liberal Party) [[Politics of Denmark|political party]].

On 1 January 2007 Rødby municipality ceased to exist as the result of [[Municipalities of Denmark#Municipal Reform 2007|''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007)]]. It was merged with the existing [[Holeby]], [[Højreby]], [[Maribo]], [[Nakskov]], [[Ravnsborg]], and [[Rudbjerg]] municipalities to form the new [[Lolland Municipality]]. This creates a municipality with an area of 892&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and a total resident population of 49,469 (2005). The new municipality is part of the [[Region Sjælland]] ("Zealand Region").

==The harbour at Rødbyhavn==<!-- This section is linked from [[Lolland]] -->
{{Main|Rødbyhavn}}
[[Rødbyhavn]] ("Rødby Harbour") is located at the coast approximately 5&nbsp;km southwest of the town of Rødby. Rødbyhavn is a ferry port and is the endpoint of the Danish section of the [[European route E47]]. This endpoint is signposted "Rødby" on road signs, which is the most well-known feature of Rødby.

== Notable people ==
* [[Emil Vett]] (1843 in Rødby – 1911) a Danish businessman who co-founded [[Magasin du Nord]]
* [[Gutte Eriksen]] (1918 in Rødby – 2008) a Danish ceramist whose works were influenced by time spent in Japan
* [[Knud Holscher]] (born 1930 in Rødby) a Danish architect and industrial designer
* [[Sophus Halle]] (1862 in Rødby – 1924) a Danish teacher, organist and composer
* [[Michael Damgaard]] (born 1990 in Rødby) a Danish handball player, [[Handball at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2016 Olympic Champion]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Municipal statistics: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070812152043/http://www2.netborger.dk/Kommunefakta/ NetBorger Kommunefakta], delivered from [http://www.kmd.dk/ KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)]
* Municipal mergers and neighbors: [https://web.archive.org/web/20061208085744/http://kommune.eniro.dk/region/media/nyekommuner.shtml Eniro new municipalities map]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rødby}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.lolland.dk/ Lolland municipality's official website (Danish only)]
* [http://www.scandlines.dk Scandlines (Ferry to Puttgarden)]

{{Lolland}}
{{Towns of Lolland Municipality}}
{{Storstrøm County}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodby}}
[[Category:Former municipalities of Denmark]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Region Zealand]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Denmark–Germany border crossings]]
[[Category:Lolland]]
[[Category:Fehmarn]]
[[Category:Lolland Municipality]]