Viborg () is a city in central

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, the capital of both

Viborg municipality Viborg Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,421.04 km2, and has a population of 97,621 (1. January 2025). Søren ...

and

Region Midtjylland The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative Regions of Denmark, region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municip ...

. Viborg is also the seat of the Western High Court, the High Court for the

peninsula. Viborg Municipality is the second-largest Danish municipality, covering 3.3% of the country's total land area.

History

Viborg is one of the oldest cities in Denmark, with

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

settlements dating back to the late 8th century. Its central location gave the city great strategic importance, in political and religious matters, during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. A

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...

-type castle was once located in the city. Viborg's name is a combination of two Old Norse words: '' vé'', meaning a holy place, and ''borg'', meaning a fort, but the original name of the town was ''Vvibiærgh'', where ''-biærgh'' means hill (modern Danish ''-bjerg'' (mountain).

Economy

Viborg municipality is where the

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

Foulum Data Center Foulum Data Center (name not official) is a data center operated by Apple Inc. at the village of Foulum in the Viborg Municipality, in Denmark. It opened in September 2020. The data center was announced on February 23, 2015, along with a simil ...

is located which opened in September 2020.

Sights

Viborg is famous for

Viborg Cathedral Viborg Cathedral, Our Lady Cathedral () is the site of one of Denmark's most important historic churches located in the town of Viborg, Denmark, Viborg in northern Jutland. The modern building is a 19th-century construction based on Lund Cathedra ...

. The construction of the cathedral started in 1130 and took about 50 years. The building has burned to the ground and been re-built several times. Only the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

of the original cathedral is still preserved. The cathedral was and is the locus of cult of

Saint Kjeld of Viborg Kjeld or Ketil (, ; 1100–1150) was a 12th-century Danish clergyman. He is venerated as a saint in Denmark, by both Catholics and Danish Lutherans. Life Kjeld was born in the early 12th century to wealthy parents, who lived on a farm in the ...

who was dean of the cathedral chapter there and had a great shrine there in the Middle Ages. The newest parts of the church are from a restoration between 1864 and 1876. The cathedral is famous for its many paintings by Danish painter

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

, which depict stories from the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. Next to the cathedral is the

Skovgaard museum The Skovgaard Museum is an art museum in Viborg, Denmark. It is situated in the former town hall from 1728 next to Viborg Cathedral and holds a collection of works by four generations of the Skovgaard family of artists. The Permanent Collection ...

, founded in 1937. Before the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

Viborg was the home of five

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

, about 12 parish churches, several chapels and of course the cathedral. The Black Friars' church dates from the 13th century. Today only the cathedral and a few remains of the Franciscan and the Dominican monasteries are left.

Sports

Since the 1990s, Viborg has had a reputation as one of Denmark's leading cities for

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

. It started with

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

, a popular sport in Denmark, when the women's handball team became one of best five clubs in Europe, and continued when both the men's handball team and the professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team established themselves in their respective domestic leagues. From 1998 to 2008,

Viborg FF Viborg Fodsports Forening (), also known as Viborg FF or VFF for short, is a Danish professional association football, football club based in the Central Denmark Region, Central Jutland city of Viborg, Denmark, Viborg. They compete in the Danish ...

was a member of the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...

, reaching an all-time high by winning the

Danish cup The Danish Cup (; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "single-elimination tournament, knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955. The winner will ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Viborg hosts the annual Haervejsmarchen international two-day walking festival, which regularly attracts 8,000 participants, including many from outside Denmark. It includes marked routes of distances of up to 45 kilometres a day. The walk is affiliated to the

IML Walking Association The IML Walking Association (until 2006 named the International Marching League (IML)) is a non-profit organization that promotes recreational walking in the form of international non-competitive multi-day walking events ("marches") in its member ...

Education

Viborg is home to a number of

educational institutions An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

, including

Viborg Katedralskole Viborg Katedralskole is a public gymnasium (secondary education school) and IB World School in Viborg, Denmark. The school is located at Gammel Skivevej 2 in Viborg and supports about 1000 students. History The Katedralskole was established a ...

(

cathedral school Cathedral schools began in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education, some of them ultimately evolving into medieval universities. Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, they were complemented by the monastic schools. Some of these ...

). Denmark's oldest

educational institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

celebrated its 900th birthday in 2000. The school is believed to have been founded about 1060, at the same time as the city became the seat of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. The

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

needed to educate boys and young men to enter into the church's service, and to that purpose it created a school. Its current monumental home was built in 1926 to accommodate a larger number of students and later the school added a

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

to house the many students from outer regions or islands not close to a gymnasium. Although this role is now basically obsolete, the dorm continues to be a popular solution for many students wanting to get away from home or for a small number of students from

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. Viborg Katedralskole is today one of four gymnasiums in Viborg. Viborg is also home to The Animation Workshop, an art school based in a former army barracks on the outskirts of town. The school, which achieved official recognition from the Danish government in 2003, offers students a Bachelor of Arts in character animation. For international parents Viborg also has a
international school
where all teaching is in English based on the Cambridge International examinations.

Transportation

Rail

Viborg is served by Viborg railway station. It is located on the Langå-Struer railway line and offers direct

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

services to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and Struer and

regional train Regional rail is a public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connecting smaller cities a ...

services to

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

and Struer.

Notable people

Public service and thinking

Saint Kjeld Kjeld or Ketil (, ; 1100–1150) was a 12th-century Danish clergyman. He is venerated as a saint in Denmark, by both Catholics and Church of Denmark, Danish Lutherans. Life Kjeld was born in the early 12th century to wealthy parents, who lived ...

(died 1150), Archdeacon, canonized 1188 * Biskop Gunner ( da, 1152–1251), Bishop, co-writer of the Law of Jutland * Knud Mikkelsen ( da, 1421-1478/1488), Bishop, contributor to the Law of Jutland *

Niels Kaas Niels Kaas (1535 – 29 June 1594) was a Danish politician who served as Chancellor of Denmark from 1573 until his death. He was influential in the negotiation of the Peace of Stettin and in the upbringing of Christian IV. Kaas also played an ...

(1535 in Stårupgård –1594) politician,

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of Denmark 1573-1594 *

Vitus Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering ( , , ; baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741),All dates are here given in the Julian calendar, which was in use throughout Russia at the time. also known as Ivan Ivanovich Bering (), was a Danish-born Russia ...

(1617–1675) poet, historian and Supreme Court justice *

Carl Gottlob Rafn Carl Gottlob Rafn (31 July 1769 – 17 May 1808) was a Danish Enlightenment scientist and civil servant. He wrote influential papers on a broad array of basic and applied sciences. Life Rafn was born in Viborg, Denmark as the son of a judge. ...

(1769–1808) enlightenment scientist and civil servant *

Sophie Zahrtmann Mette Sophie Zahrtmann (1841–1925) was a Danish deaconess and nurse. Zahrtmann became Sister Superior of the Danish Deaconess Institute in Copenhagen after the death of its founder Louise Conring in 1891. She is remembered for expanding the deaco ...

(1841 in Vammen1925)

deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is a ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a liturgical role. The word comes from the Greek ...

and nurse *

Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen (27 August 1856 – 7 June 1921) was a Danish teacher and ornithologist. He was the first to employ bird ringing for scientific purposes. Mortensen was born in Jonstrup on the island of Zealand, Denmark. Aft ...

(1856–1921), ornithologist, taught in Viborg *

Bertel Dahlgaard Bertel Dahlgaard (7 November 1887 – 31 March 1972), was a Danish politician, member of Folketinget The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral List of legislatures ...

(1887–1972) politician and statistician * Kåre Pugerup (born 1964) diplomat and Chief of Staff at the UN agency

IFAD The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. It is the only ...

in Rome * Torsten Nielsen (born 1967 in Sparkær) politician, Mayor of

Viborg Municipality Viborg Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,421.04 km2, and has a population of 97,621 (1. January 2025). Søren ...

since 2014 *

Anders Primdahl Vistisen Anders Primdahl Vistisen (born 12 November 1987) is a Danish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Denmark. He is a member of the Danish People's Party and was elected chief whip of the Patriots for Europe Group in the Eur ...

(born 1987 in Vridsted) DPP politician and MEP

Arts

Christen Aagaard Christen Lauritsen Aagaard (27 or 28 January 1616, in Viborg, Denmark, Viborg, Denmark – 5 February 1664, in Ribe), was a Danish poet. He studied from 1635 to 1639 in Copenhagen. Since 1647 he was professor of poetry at the University of Copenhage ...

(1616—1664) poet, academic and theologian * Carl Deichman (1705–1780) Norwegian mine operator, book collector and philanthropist *

Mads Alstrup Mads Alstrup (1808-1876) was the first Danish portrait photographer with his own studio. From the opening of his studio in 1842, until he left the country in 1858, he produced an estimated 33,000 daguerreotypes in the Copenhagen area, before his ...

(1808–1876) first Danish portrait photographer with his own studio * Kristian Mantzius (1819–1879) actor, popular with his audience but not his bosses *

Jeppe Aakjær Jeppe Aakjær (10 September 1866 – 22 (23) April 1930) was a Danish poet and novelist, a member of the ' Jutland Movement' in Danish literature". A regionalist, much of his writings was about his native Jutland. He was known for writings t ...

(1866–1930) poet and novelist, a member of the Jutland Movement *

Anders Randolf Anders Randolf (December 18, 1875 – July 2, 1930) was a Danish-American actor in American films from 1913 to 1930. Early biography Randolf was born in Viborg, Denmark on December 18, 1875. As a youth, he attended a military academy, graduate ...

(1870–1930) Danish American actor in American films *

Benjamin Christensen Benjamin Christensen (28 September 1879 – 2 April 1959) was a Danish film director, screenwriter and an actor, both in film and on the stage. As a director, he was best known for his 1922 film '' Häxan'' (aka ''Witchcraft Through the Ages'') ...

(1879–1959), film director, screenwriter and actor *

Tyge Hvass Tyge Hvass (5 July 1885 – 4 September 1963) was a Danish functionalism (architecture), functionalist architect. He was most notable for his design work on the J.F. Willumsens Museum in Frederikssund. Biography Hvass was born in Viborg M ...

(1885 in Randrup1963) a Danish functionalist architect * A. W. Sandberg (1887–1938) a Danish film director and screenwriter * Jens Klok (1889–1974) a Danish architect with the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

* Gudrun Houlberg (1889–1940) actress *

Olaf Wieghorst Olaf Wieghorst (April 30, 1899 – April 27, 1988) was a Danish-American painter who specialized in depictions of the American frontier. His art was in the vein of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. In 1992, he was inducted into the Hal ...

(1899–1988), painter of the American West *

Peter Seeberg Peter Seeberg (22 June 1925 – 8 January 1999) was a Danish modernist novelist and playwright, inspired by the French existentialists. He made his literary debut in 1956 with the novel ''Bipersonerne''. He was born in Skrydstrup in Hadersle ...

(1925–1999), writer, worked in Viborg as a museum custodian *

Johann Otto von Spreckelsen Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 – 16 March 1987) was a Danish architect, best known for designing the Grande Arche of La Défense in Puteaux, near Paris. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark. Life He was born ...

(1929–1987), architect *

Peer Hultberg Peer Hultberg (8 November 1935 – 20 December 2007) was a Danish author and psychoanalyst. Peer Hultberg was born in Vangede northwest of Copenhagen and lived in Horsens and Viborg during his child and teenage years. From 1953 he studied ...

(1935–2007), a Danish author and psychoanalyst, lived in Viborg as a child * Freddy Milton (born 1948 in Overlund) a Danish comics artist and writer * Poul Martin Bonde (born 1958) songwriter and spokesperson of

Smukfest Smukfest (also known as the Skanderborg Festival) is an annual music festival, held during the second weekend of August in Denmark. Its location, in a beech forest in the vicinity of Skanderborg, has given rise to the slogan "Denmark's Most Beautif ...

Frank Hvam Frank Hvam Nielsen, known professionally as Frank Hvam (born 12 September 1970) is a Danish stand-up-comedian. Hvam was born in Viborg and grew up on a farm in Ørum Sønderlyng. His legal name is Nielsen, but he uses only his middle name prof ...

(born 1970) stand-up-comedian * Morten Lund (born 1972) jazz drummer *

Lise Rønne Lise Rønne (born 1 November 1978) is a Danish journalist and television presenter, best known in Denmark for presenting four seasons of ''X Factor'' as well as two seasons of ''Dansk Melodi Grand Prix''. She is best known outside Denmark for p ...

(born 1978) a Danish journalist and TV presenter IMDb Database
retrieved 26 May 2020 *

Rasmussen The surname Rasmussen () is a Danish and Norwegian surname, meaning ''Rasmus' son''. It is the ninth-most-common surname in Denmark, shared by about 1.9% of the population.Charles Buchwald Charles von Buchwald (22 October 1880 in Bjerringbro, Viborg – 19 November 1951 in Hørsholm) was a Danish amateur football player, who played seven games as a defender for the Denmark national football team. He won silver medals at the 1 ...

(1880 in Bjerringbro1951) amateur footballer, won silver medals at the 1908 and

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Finn Døssing Finn Døssing Jensen (27 April 1941 – 24 June 2022) was a Danish footballer who played as a centre forward. He began his career with Viborg FF and represented the Denmark under-21 team before joining Dundee United in 1964. He scored 76 goa ...

Jensen (born 1941) former footballer, 349 appearances for

Ulrik Wilbek Ulrik Wilbek (born 13 April 1958) is a Danish politician and former professional handball coach who is the incumbent Mayor of Viborg Municipality, serving in office since 2018. He is the most successful Danish team handball coach ever, having wo ...

(born 1958) successful handball coach and Mayor of Viborg since 2018 *

Nicolai Vollquartz Nicolai Vollquartz (born 7 February 1965) is a Danish football referee. He was born in Viborg. He was promoted to the FIFA referees list in 1999 and took charge of his first UEFA Cup match – a first round tie between Rapid București and Liverp ...

(born 1965) football referee *

Nikolaj Jacobsen Nikolaj Bredahl Jacobsen (born 22 November 1971) is a Danish professional handball coach and former handball wing player and currently the coach of the Denmark men's national handball team, Danish national team. He was named World Coach of the Y ...

(born 1971) a handball coach and former player with 148 caps for

Steffen Højer Steffen Højer (born 22 May 1973) is a Danish professional Association football, football coach and former player, who is the head coach of the Denmark U21 national team. He is regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe with his style being b ...

(born 1973) former football player, 380 club caps, many for

* Brian Buur (born 1977) (as Brian Sorensen) a former Danish darts player *

Henrik Dalsgaard Henrik Dalsgaard (born 27 July 1989) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Danish Superliga club AGF. Dalsgaard began his professional career in his homeland with AaB, with whom he won the Danish league and cup dou ...

(born 1989 in Roum) footballer, over 300 club caps, played for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

In popular culture

In the

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

book ''

The Corridors of Time ''The Corridors of Time'' is a science fiction novel by the American writer Poul Anderson that was first published in 1965 as a serial in ''Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 ...

'' by

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson ( ; November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won the Hugo Award seven times an ...

, a Danish-American writer who did considerable research on Danish history, a large part of the plot takes place in 16th-century Viborg. The protagonist - an American

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

ler from the 20th century - arrives in the city in 1535 and gets involved with the adherents of the overthrown King

Christian II A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Ch ...

and of the peasant rebel leader

Skipper Clement Klemen Andersen "Skipper" Clement ( – 9 September 1536) was a Danish merchant, captain, privateer who led a peasant rebellion against the Jutlandish gentry that was part of the Count's Feud (''Grevens Fejde''), a civil war. Background Clement ...

, who face savage persecution in the city. Viborg is also the setting of " Number 13", a ghost story by the English writer

M.R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English Medieval studies, medievalist scholar and author who served as provost (education), provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936) as w ...

Twin towns—sister cities

Viborg is twinned with: *

Bayeux Bayeux (, ; ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is also known as the fir ...

, France

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 56, 26, N, 9, 24, E, region:DK_type:city, display=title Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Municipal seats of Denmark Towns and settlements in Viborg Municipality