Herning () is a Danish town in the

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

of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of

Herning Municipality Herning Municipality is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The municipality covers an area of and has a population of 89,230 (1 January 2022). Its mayor is Dorte West, a mem ...

. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)BY3: Population 1st January by urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark ( da, Danmarks Statistik) is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing and which reports to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating st ...

including the suburbs of Tjørring, Snejbjerg, Lind, Birk, Hammerum, and Gjellerup, making Herning the 11th most populous

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

in Denmark.

History

Herning was established at the beginning of the 1790s, during the period of heath reclamation, as a commercial centre providing goods and services to the farmers in the area. A textile industry later developed in and around the town. This industry was once Herning's principal economic activity. Today, the town has a more diversified industrial base. Herning became a market town in 1913. Herning has twice been awarded the title of Danish City of the Year.

Industry

There are many small furniture and textile businesses in and around Herning.

Attractions

Herning is home to

Messecenter Herning The MCH Messecenter Herning is an exhibition centre and entertainment complex in Herning, Denmark. The complex is the largest fair and exhibition center in Denmark– beating the Bella Center in Copenhagen. Located on , the complex hosts m ...

, the largest exhibition centre in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

, which hosts many trade fairs.

Carl-Henning Pedersen Carl-Henning Pedersen (23 September 1913 – 20 February 2007) was a Danish painter and a key member of the COBRA movement. He was known as the "Scandinavian Chagall", and was one of the leading Danish artists of the second half of the 20th c ...

and Else Alfelt's Museum of Art (also known as Herning Art Museum) is located in the city. The city is the site of three buildings designed by the architect Jørn Utzon. One is publicly owned and two are privately owned. The town is also home to sculptor

Ingvar Cronhammar Ingvar Cronhammar (17 December 1947 – 20 May 2021) was a Swedish-Danish sculptor, who lived in Denmark from 1965 until his death. He gained a unique place in Danish art with his dark monumental works, often presenting an eerie confrontation ...

's monumental work Elia. The sculpture is located near the Herning Art Museum. The old Herningsholm Estate in Herning is open to the public for touring. Classensborg Estate, now called Skarrildhus, is located 25 km south of the town, but is closed to the public because it is a private hotel and educational facility. The grounds, however, can be toured and are known for their beautiful rhododendron displays during the spring. The Herning Museum displays a history of Herning, as well as the development of moorland agriculture and ancient textile production. The museum operates traveling educational exhibits.

Sports

Herning Blue Fox Herning Blue Fox is a Danish professional ice hockey team based in Herning, Denmark, playing in the Metal Ligaen, the top tier of Danish ice hockey. The club was founded in 1947 and play their home games in the KVIK Hockey Arena which has a capa ...

is a Danish professional ice hockey team playing in the top Danish

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

league, the Oddset Ligaen. Having won 16 championships and 29 medals in all (following the 2011–2012 season), Herning Blue Fox has accumulated the greatest number of victories in the history of professional ice hockey in Denmark. FC Midtjylland is a football team playing in the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

. It was formed in 1999 following a merger of Herning Fremad and Ikast FS and won the national championship of Denmark for the first time in 2015 having twice been the runner up. FC Midtjylland play their home matches at

MCH Arena The MCH Arena is an association football stadium situated in the south of Herning, Denmark, that is part of MCH Messecenter Herning complex and owned by MCH Group A/S. It has been the home ground of FC Midtjylland since March 2004. An integrated ...

, which is situated next to the largest sports and concert venue in Denmark,

Jyske Bank Boxen Jyske Bank Boxen is an indoor arena, located in Herning, Denmark, that is part of the Messecenter Herning. Opened in October 2010, it has a maximum capacity of 12,500. It hosts concerts, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, team handball and gymn ...

. Herning also is a centre of Danish cycling. The GP Herning is a professional bicycle race held annually in Herning. The

2012 Giro d'Italia The 2012 Giro d'Italia was the 95th edition of Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in the Danish city of Herning, and ended in Milan. The complete route of the 2012 Giro d'Italia was announced in mid October. For the firs ...

started in Herning. Bjarne Riis, first Dane to win the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, was born in Herning. Fourteen years after his win, Riis admitted using illegal performance-enhancing drugs for the competition; however, he retained the Trikot since the statute of limitations had already expired prior to his admission. The final of the 2019 World Men's Handball Championship was played in

. Herning has been appointed to host the ECCO FEI World Championships
Denmark 2022
in jumping, dressage, para-dressage and vaulting

Transport

Road and rail

Herning is the hub for both road and rail transport in central Jutland. The rail lines crossing the peninsula intersect at

Herning railway station Herning station ( da, Herning Station or ''Herning Banegård'') is the main railway station serving the city of Herning in Jutland, Denmark. Herning station is an important railway junction where the Vejle-Holstebro Line and the Skanderborg-S ...

, the principal railway station of the town, with connections to

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the ...

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

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022) ...

and Holstebro. There are also several daily trains to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. The town is also served by the

railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

s Birk Centerpark and Herning Messecenter. Herning lies at the intersection of three major roads: route 18, that traverses the Jutland Peninsula from southeast to northwest; route 15, that crosses the peninsula from Aarhus in the east to Ringkobing in the west; and route 12, from Esbjerg in the southwest to Viborg to the northeast.

Airport

Herning is served by

Karup Airport Midtjyllands Airport ( da, Midtjyllands Lufthavn) , formerly known as Karup Airport, is an airport in Denmark. The airport is situated 3 km west of the town of Karup and carries passengers primarily from nine municipalities in mid- and west ...

situated to the northeast of the city. There are several flights a day connecting it to

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordi ...

Notable people

Informal meeting of health ministers (iEPSCO)

* Anton Marius Jenssen (1879–1967) a Norwegian merchant and politician. * Professor

Gudmund Hatt Professor Aage Gudmund Hatt (1 October 1884 – 27 January 1960) was a Danish archaeologist and cultural geographer. He was a professor of cultural geography at the University of Copenhagen from 1929 through 1947. Also an ethnologist, he was t ...

(1884 in Vildbjerg – 1960) an archaeologist and cultural geographer * Captain

Richard Gustav Borgelin Captain Richard Gustav Borgelin (10 February 1887 – 8 December 1966) was a Danish officer and company commander of the Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps (DBAC) in 1919 during the Estonian and Latvian War of Independence. Borgelin attended and s ...

(1887–1966) company commander of the

Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps (, DBAC) was a Danish company of military volunteers, established 1919 as a non-governmental initiative to help in the Estonian and Latvian war of independence. It was originally planned to send several companies ...

Børge Møller Grimstrup Børge Møller Grimstrup (15 February 1906 – 30 October 1972) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 26 films between 1948 and 1972. He was born in Timring, Herning Municipality, Denmark and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * '' ...

(1906 in Timring – 1972) a Danish film actor *

Niels Holst-Sørensen Niels Holst-Sørensen (born 19 December 1922) is a Danish former athlete and air force officer and centenarian. He served as the commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force in 1970–1982 and Denmark's military representative to NATO in 19 ...

(born 1922) former Danish athlete, air force officer and commander-in-chief of the Royal Danish Air Force * Eva Sørensen (1940–2019) a Danish sculptor and ceramist of granite and marble works * Lars Larsen (born 1948 in Arnborg) a Danish businessman, owner and founder of Jysk * Helge Sander (born 1950 in Ørre) a national politician and Mayor of Herning 1998 to 2001 *

Kristine Jensen Kristine Jensen (born 1956), is a Danish architect who has specialized in landscape architecture. Biography Jensen was born in Herning where her father was an architect. When she was 19 she went to Aarhus to study landscape architecture at the ...

(born 1956) a Danish architect who has specialized in landscape architecture * Claus Pilgaard (born 1965 in Tjørring) a Danish musician and entertainer *

Jesper Baehrenz Jesper Baehrenz (born 8 September 1965) is a Danish radio host, television host, producer, board game developer and screenwriter. In the 1990s he was a popular Danish radio and TV host, interviewing a wide range of Danish and international popsta ...

(born 1965) a Danish radio & TV host, producer and board game developer IMDb Database
retrieved 23 May 2020 * Søren Pind (born 1969) a Danish lawyer and Venstre politician * Dorthe Nors (born 1970) a Danish writer *

Ellen Trane Nørby Ellen Trane Nørby (born 1 February 1980 in Herning) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. From 28 November 2016 to 27 June 2019 she was Denmark's Minister of Health. Background Ellen Trane ...

(born 1980) a Danish Venstre politician, Minister of Health

Sport

* Otto Jensen (1893–1972) a Danish cyclist, competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, b ...

* Kristen Nygaard (born 1949 in Sund) a former footballer, 363 club caps and 36 for

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

* Bjarne Riis (born 1964) a Danish former professional road bicycle racer *

Claus Elming Claus Elming (born 20 March 1969 in Herning, Denmark) is a former Danish American football player and current TV host and commentator on TV 2 Sport.''Fra fodbold til football. Portræt/interview: Claus Elming '' Politiken 19.12.2002 Elming first ...

(born 1969) a former Danish American football player, TV host on TV 2 Sport *

Gitte Madsen Gitte Madsen (born 24 March 1969 in Herning, Midtjylland) is a former Danish team handball player and Olympic champion. She received a gold medal with the Danish national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the ...

orn 1969) a former team handball player, team gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics * Michael Blaudzun (born 1973) a Danish former professional road bicycle racer * Kenneth Jonassen (born 1974) a badminton player * Jesper Nøddesbo (born 1980) Danish-Norwegian handball player for FC Barcelona and Denmark *

Rasmus Ankersen Rasmus Ankersen (born 22 September 1983) is an author, public speaker, director of football at Southampton F.C., Southampton and president of Göztepe S.K., Göztepe. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sport Republic, the major shareholder of EFL C ...

(born 1983) Chairman of FC Midtjylland and a Director of Football at Brentford F.C. and author *

Frans Nielsen Frans Nielsen (born 24 April 1984) is a Danish former professional ice hockey Forward who played with the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). Nielsen was the first Danish citizen to play in the NHL. ...

(born 1984) hockey player for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

, the first Danish NHL player * Michael Pedersen (born 1986) a Danish cricketer and former national team captain * Frederik Andersen (born 1989) goaltender for the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

Kim Astrup Kim Astrup Sørensen (born 6 March 1992) is a Danish badminton player. As junior player, he won the bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships in the boys' doubles. He later won a gold in the mixed doubles and bronze medals in the boys' ...

(born 1992) a Danish badminton player *

Nicklas Jensen Nicklas Jensen (born 6 March 1993) is a Danish ice hockey winger. He is currently playing for SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). After beginning his career with Danish team Herning Blue Fox at the junior and men's level, J ...

(born 1993) a Danish hockey player currently playing for Jokerit of the

KHL The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs b ...

Nicklas Porsing Nicklas Andre Porsing (born 7 January 1993) is a Danish motorcycle speedway rider who has raced in leagues in Denmark, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Career Born in Herning, Porsing started his senior career at Holsted Speedway Klub in De ...

(born 1993) a Danish speedway rider *

Oliver Bjorkstrand Oliver Bjorkstrand (born 10 April 1995) is a Danish professional ice hockey forward for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bjorkstrand was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round, 89th overall, of the 2013 ...

(born 1995) a professional ice hockey player

References

External links

Webpage of Herning Municipality
{{Authority control Municipal seats of the Central Denmark Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Herning Municipality