Assentoft is a town on the peninsula of

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, with a population of 3,811 (2022). The town is located eight kilometers east of

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Stadsarkitektens Kontor (2011). ''Assentoft & Drastrup:'' ''Landsbyregistreringen 2011''. http://ipaper.ipapercms.dk/RandersKommune/MiljoogTeknik/stadsarkitekten/Landsbyregistering2011/AssentoftogDrastrup/ etrieved 2016-07-22 p. 4 and is a part of Randers Municipality in the Central Denmark Region.

History

Prehistory

In present Assentoft there have been found remains of e.g. a

round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

with a grave from the Stone Age, two round barrows from

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

, a settlement from the late

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, and another settlement which seems to have been inhabited from the late Stone Age to the late

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

Name

In place names the last particle ''-toft'' means "the adapted", and refers to an area which is adapted to a house. A

toft Toft may refer to: People * Albert Toft (1862–1949), English sculptor * Alfonso Toft (1866–1964), English pottery artist * Christian Toft (born 1968), Danish Olympic swimmer * Claude Toft (1922–1981), Irish politician and Mayor of Galway ...

was therefore perhaps first an area specified for settlement by a farm owner in a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. Names with ''-toft'' must to a wide extent be from the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period The ...

, as there are many names with ''-toft'' in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. In settlement names with the last particle ''–toft'', the first particle is often a Nordic first nameGyldendal. ''–toft'' in ''Den Store Danske'' http://denstoredanske.dk/Sprog,_religion_og_filosofi/Sprog/Navne/Stednavnes_orddele/-toft etrieved 2016-07-24/ref> - in this case perhaps ''Asgun''. However, in some cases the first particle refers to e.g. animals, terrain or vegetation, and the first particle in Assentoft is probably the Old Danish word ''æsking'', which means " ash stand". An inhabitant of Assentoft is supposedly called an Esking.

Early history

In the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

HaldherredNielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, pp. 841-842 the church Essenbæk (Eskingbec)Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 847 was probably built in the 12th century in the middle of Essenbæk Parish, which was an annex of Virring ParishWeitemeyer, Harald (1901). ''J. P. TRAP: KONGERIGET DANMARK. TREDJE OMARBEJDEDE UDGAVE. UNDER MEDVIRKNING AF V. FALBE-HANSEN OG H. WESTERGAARD. UDARBEJDET AF H. WEIETMEYER. FJERDE BIND. HJØRRING, THISTED, AALBORG, VIBORG OG RANDERS AMTER''. Copenhagen, Denmark: Universitstsboghandler G. E. C. Gad., p. 925 from age-old time. Most of Essenbæk Parish was

tenured Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...

Essenbæk Abbey Essenbæk Abbey ('' da, Essenbæk Kloster'') was a Benedictine monastery located in Essenbæk Parish eight kilometers east of Randers and 1.7 kilometers north of Assentoft, Denmark. History Early history The monastery was established by ...

, and at the latest from March 9, 1467, Essenbæk Farm (Æskinbechgard; ''Essenbækgård'') stood by the church.

Modern history

After the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

, the king confiscated Essenbæk Abbey and its estate in 1540, and from 1579 Assentoft (Assentofftt) is known. When it, Essenbæk Farm and e.g. Essenbæk Mill (Essenbech Møllested; ''Essenbæk Mølle'') were acquired August 22, 1661 from the king by

Hans Friis Hans Friis (1716 – 12 November 1762) was a Norwegian priest and poet. He was born in Trondheim, a son of Mathias Friis and Elen Opdal. Friis grew up in a merchant family and received his early education at the Trondheim Cathedral School. He ...

, there were 10 farms, four smallholdings and five houses in what was then Assentoft. The town's location on

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

hills shows that

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

was prioritized there, but

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

was probably kept on the

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artif ...

s below the town. Hans Friis gave March 18, 1695 Essenbæk Home Farm (''Essenbæk Ladegård''), including adjoining estates, to his nephew Christian Friis, who February 15, 1726 incorporated them in the

entailed estate In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

of Tustrup. In 1739 the estate owner established a school in Assentoft, but October 30, 1782 the king gave permission to sell the estate. Essenbæk Home Farm was sold at auction at Tustrup December 18, 1783 to

Christian Kallager Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, and June 11, 1785, the deed was signed. However, already June 10, 1787 he sold it to

Peter Severin Fønss Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

and Johan Frederik Carøe.Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 848 Essenbæk Farm was sold in 1789 to

Niels Christensen Kutsch Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nicolaos after Saint ...

, and the next year Assentoft was sold to the

tenant farmers A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...

in the village. When they subdivided it to each other July 15, 1790, there were nine whole farms, two half farms, four smallholdings and four houses in Assentoft. Within each pastorage, i.e. main

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

and its annex(es), was established in 1803 a

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, which from January 1, 1868 was called parish municipality. One such was Virring-Essenbæk Municipality, which e.g. included Assentoft. Assentoft gamle og nye skole ca

In 1840 a new and larger school was built in the village.Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 25 The then decrepit church in Essenbæk Parish was torn down in the autumn of 1865, and November 28, 1869, the consecration of a new

Essenbæk Church Essenbæk Church () is a parish church in Assentoft, Denmark. It oversees Essenbæk Parish in Randers Southern Provostship within the Diocese of Aarhus. A church is believed to have existed on the site since the 12th century. Old Essenbæk Church ...

in Assentoft occurred. At that time the village was growing north of the

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

.Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 18 In Assentoft the Savings and Loans Bank of Virring and Essenbæk Parishes (''Virring og Essenbæk Sognes Spare- og Laanekasse'') was established in 1871. To provide medical assistance for its members,Newspaper article in Sønderhald Egnsarkiv (1971). ''Formuen var 50 rigsdaler''. the Craftmen's Society of Essenbæk Parish (''Essenbæk Sogns Haandværkerforening'') was established March 6 of the same year,Bestyrelsen for Essenbæk Sogns Haandværkerforening (1906). ''LOVE for Essenbæk Sogns Haandværkerforening''. Ørsted, Denmark; Ørsted Bogtrykkeri and in the summer of 1889 the society had built in AssentoftByriel, Ellen (2014). ''Assentoft Kro'' in ''Årsskrift 2014''. Auning, Denmark; Lokalhistorisk Forening for Sønderhald, p. 41 the Foundation of the Craftmen's Society of Essenbæk Parish (''Essenbæk Sogns Haandværkerforenings Stiftelse''), called the

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

. In it was a

taproom Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, a gathering hall and six free

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

s. Assentoft Waterworks (''Assentoft Vandværk'') was established May 15, 1895. Storegade ca

January 26, 1900 the Assentoft Co-operative Society (''Assentoft Brugsforening'') was established, the newly built store of which opened for sale July 1 of the same year. In 1907 a new and larger school was built in the village, and Essenbæk Mill - rebuilt after a fire April 23, 1889 - was torn down in 1922. July 23, 1937

motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. ...

occurred the first time on Volk Mill (''Volk Mølle'') hills at Essenbæk Farm. The track that was raced on was then ca. 300 meters long with a steep elevation at last, and typically ordinary motorcycles that were converted for it on site were raced there. In 1939 Assentoft Sports Club (''Assentoft Idrætsforening'') was established, which from that year participated in series football.SIF Assentoft. ''SIF Historien''. http://jac9636.wix.com/assentoft#!historie/c1viv etrieved 2016-07-22/ref> All motoring races were suspended while the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

was fought, but from 1946

hill climbing numerical analysis, hill climbing is a mathematical optimization technique which belongs to the family of local search. It is an iterative algorithm that starts with an arbitrary solution to a problem, then attempts to find a better solutio ...

for motorcycles was again raced on Volk Mill hills. From that time many of the races on the track could attract 10,000-20,000 spectators. In 1949 the only Danish hill climbing championship was raced there. Volk Mølle banen

Motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

was first raced on Volk Mill hills April 20, 1951. Then the track that was raced on was 750 meters long. In the autumn of 1954 the then 2,500 meters long track was approved by international track inspection, and August 28, 1955

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

was raced there with 24 participants and ca. 40,000 spectators. The first photograph that was elected as

World Press Photo of the Year The World Press Photo of the Year award is part of the World Press Photo Awards, organized by the Dutch foundation World Press Photo. Considered one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in photojournalism, The World Press Photo of the Yea ...

shows one of the race's participants that crashes on the track. Essenbæk Sogns Haanværkerforenings Stiftelse (senere Assentoft Kro) og Essenbækhus ca

Essenbæk Sogns Haanværkerforenings Stiftelse (senere Assentoft Kro) og Essenbækhus ca

From 1954 there were no retirement homes in the village hall, as they were outmoded, but November 6, 1957 the new Essenbæk House (''Essenbækhus'') was opened as retirement homes on the village hall's previous kitchen garden. Volk Mølle banen i 1956

In the 1950s and 1960s several national and international motocross races, including world championships and both European and Danish championships, occurred on Volk Mill hills, and from the beginning of the 1960s

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...

too. Also in the beginning of the 1960s the first single-family house neighborhoods were established in Assentoft by the western part of the village,Randers Kommune (2013). ''Kommuneplan Randers 2013''. http://kommuneplan.randers.dk/dk/planens_indhold/centerbyer/assentoft/assentoft_02.htm etrieved 2016-07-22/ref> and Assentoft Sports Club was united with Langkastrup Gymnastics Association (''Langkastrup Gymnastikforening'') as Sønderhald Sports Club (''Sønderhald Idrætsforening'') April 25, 1964. In 1966 the Savings and Loans Bank of Virring and Essenbæk Parishes was acquired by the Savings Bank for Randers Town and Environs (''Sparekassen for Randers By og Omegn''), and in 1968 the village hall was sold, and then refashioned as Assentoft Inn (''Assentoft Kro''). That same year the last race with spectators occurred on Volk Mill hills, and in 1969 the last training race occurred there. E.g. Virring-Essenbæk Municipality was superseded April 1, 1970 by Sønderhald Municipality, and November 11, 1970, it decided to establish the

residential area A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family res ...

of Assentoft East (''Assentoft Øst'') by Essenbæk Farm. From February 28, 1973, the municipality decided to expand the residential area with e.g. parts of the nearby village Drastrup, including the Sønderhald School (''Sønderhaldskolen''), which is now getting to be surrounded by Assentoft.Stadsarkitektens Kontor (2011). ''Assentoft & Drastrup:'' ''Landsbyregistreringen 2011''. http://ipaper.ipapercms.dk/RandersKommune/MiljoogTeknik/stadsarkitekten/Landsbyregistering2011/AssentoftogDrastrup/ etrieved 2016-07-22 p. 13 At the Sønderhald School was built from June to October 1975 the sports hall Assentoft Gymnasium (''Assentofthallen''), which was opened for use October 25 of the same year. The Essenbæk School (''Essenbækskolen'') was built near the Sønderhald School in 1979,Arkitektfirmaet Gorm Nielsen m.a.a. (2012). ''Folkeskolernes fysiske rammer 2012''. http://docplayer.dk/12734806-Soenderhaldskolen-i-dag-kaldet-bc-skolen-bestaar-af-tre-parallelle-klassefloeje-i-en-etage-der-bindes-sammen-af-lave-tvaerbygninger-indeholdende.html etrieved 2016-07-24 p. 2.1 and beside the Assentoft Gymnasium another sports hall was built which was opened for use November 14, 1980. A

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

added to the Assentoft Gymnasiums (''Assentofthallerne''), which the two sports halls are collectively called, was opened for use in the spring of 1981. November 12, 1986 the municipality decided to establish the industrial area of Virkevangen in Assentoft East, and in 1989 the Sønderhald School and the Essenbæk School were united as the Assentoft School (''Assentoftskolen''). Sønderhald Sports Club became SIF Assentoft in June 2011. File:Assentoft og omegn 1842-1899.png, Map from 1899 File:Assentoft og omegn 1901-1971.png, Map from 1971 File:Assentoft og omegn 1953-1976.png, Map from 1976 File:Assentoft og omegn 1980-2001.png, Map from 2001 File:Assentoft og omegn 2016.png, Map from 2016

Demography

Geography

Most of Assentofts northern rim lies on the top of a ca. 50 meters high slope between the

riverine A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wat ...

meadows and the moraine hills south of Randers Fjord. The deep erosion gullies are wooded, and

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the soft ...

by promontory used for the growth of the town. However, certain parts of the town lie down on steep plots closely surrounded by wood and meadows, so close to nature that one can e.g. see

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

grazing in the gardens. From the towns southern side the flatter moraine landscape is seen.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure in Assentoft consists primarily of tranquil residential streets. To especially the town's residential areas towards east the Grenå Road south of Assentoft to some degree relieves Storegade, which is also characterized as residential street.Stadsarkitektens Kontor (2011). ''Assentoft & Drastrup:'' ''Landsbyregistreringen 2011''. http://ipaper.ipapercms.dk/RandersKommune/MiljoogTeknik/stadsarkitekten/Landsbyregistering2011/AssentoftogDrastrup/ etrieved 2016-07-22 p. 5

Business

In the town there is a selection of

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

and industry, and a few

retail stores The retail format (also known as the retail formula) influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are ...

along Storegade. Assentoft Silo A/S, which e.g. produces low-oxygen steel silos, was established in the summer of 1940.

Education

The Assentoft School is with 750 pupils (2013) the largest state school in Randers Municipality.Assentoftskolen (2013). ''Assentoftskolens uddannelsesplan for lærerstuderende på 1. årgang''. https://praktik.via.dk/laerer-silkeborg/Uddannelsesplaner/Assentoftskolen.pdf etrieved 2016-07-24 p. 3

Notable people

* Michael Aastrup Jensen (born 1976), politician, Mayor of Randers Town Council in 2002, aged 26

References

Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Randers Municipality