Assentoft is a Danish town on the peninsula of

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 ...

with a population of 3,956 in 2025. 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 List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().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 the Randers Municipality in the Central Denmark Region.

History

Prehistory

In Assentoft, 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 The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, 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 () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, 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 historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

have been found.

Name

In place names, the last syllable, ''-toft,'' means "the adapted", and refers to an area in which a house is built. A toft was therefore potentially an area specified for settlement by a farm owner in a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. Names with ''-toft'' are mainly from the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

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

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. In settlement names with ''–toft'', the first part of the name is often a

Nordic Nordic most commonly refers to: * Nordic countries, the northern European countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and their North Atlantic territories * Scandinavia, a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern ...

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 part refers to animals, terrain, or vegetation, and the first part of Assentoft's name is probably the

Old Danish The Danish language developed during the Middle Ages out of Old East Norse, the common predecessor of Danish and Swedish. It was a late form of common Old Norse. The Danish philologist Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen divided the history of Danish in ...

word ''æsking'', which means " ash stand". An inhabitant of Assentoft is also supposedly called an Esking.

Early history

In the era of the Hundreds of Denmark, 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 built 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 in approximately the 12th century CE in the middle of Essenbæk Parish, which was an annex of Virring Parish.Weitemeyer, 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 Most of Essenbæk Parish was

tenured Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...

Essenbæk Abbey Essenbæk Abbey (') 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 (Hvide), who was killed in ...

, and as of March 9, 1467, Essenbæk Farm (Æskinbechgard; ''Essenbækgård'') has stood by the church.

Modern history

After the

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

, the king confiscated Essenbæk Abbey and its estate in 1540, and established Assentoft (Assentofftt) in 1579. When Essenbæk Farm and Essenbæk Mill (Essenbech Møllested; ''Essenbæk Mølle'') were acquired on August 22, 1661 from the king by Hans Friis, there were 10 farms, four smallholdings and five houses in Assentoft. The town's location on

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), 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 gla ...

hills reveals that

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

was prioritized there, and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

were 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 they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s below the town. On March 18, 1695, Hans Friis gave Essenbæk Home Farm (''Essenbæk Ladegård'') and its adjoining estates to his nephew Christian Friis, who incorporated them into the

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

of Tustrup on February 15, 1726. In 1739, the estate owner established a school in Assentoft, but on 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 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 ''Chr ...

, and on June 11, 1785, the deed was signed. On June 10, 1787, Kallager 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 sur ...

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 again in 1789 to Niels Christensen Kutsch, and during the next year, Assentoft was sold to the

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

in the village. When they divided it among themselves on July 15, 1790, there were nine whole farms, two half farms, four smallholdings, and four houses in Assentoft. Within each pastorage, a main

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

and its annex(es) were established in 1803, and were called 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 gov ...

, which from January 1, 1868 was called parish municipality. One of the municipalities was the Virring-Essenbæk Municipality, which 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 decrepit church in Essenbæk Parish was torn down in the autumn of 1865, and on 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 Chur ...

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 includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

.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 on 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 builtByriel, 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''), which was known as Assentoft's

village hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...

; it included a

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

, a gathering hall, and six free

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

s. Assentoft Waterworks (''Assentoft Vandværk'') was established on May 15, 1895. On January 26, 1900, the Assentoft Cooperative Society (''Assentoft Brugsforening'') was established; its newly built store opened for sale on July 1 of the same year. In 1907, a newer and larger school was built in the village, and Essenbæk Mill, which was rebuilt after a fire on April 23, 1889, was torn down in 1922. On July 23, 1937,

motorcycle racing The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

occurred for the first time on the Volk Mill (''Volk Mølle'') hills at Essenbæk Farm. The racetrack was ca. 300 meters long with a steep elevation, and motorcycles were converted on site to race there. In 1939, the Assentoft Sports Club (''Assentoft Idrætsforening'') was established and has participated in series football ever since.SIF Assentoft. ''SIF Historien''. http://jac9636.wix.com/assentoft#!historie/c1viv etrieved 2016-07-22/ref> All motorcycling races were suspended while the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was fought, but in 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 soluti ...

for motorcycles was raced on the 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.

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 on April 20, 1951. The track raced on was 750 meters long. In the autumn of 1954, a 2,500-meter-long track was approved by an international track inspection, and on August 28, 1955,

Motocross des Nations The Motocross of Nations (MXON), also known by its original French name (''MXDN'') is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the " Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since ...

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

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 Ye ...

shows a race participant that crashed on the track. During 1954, there were no retirement homes in the village hall, as they were outmoded, but on November 6, 1957, the new Essenbæk House (''Essenbækhus'') was opened as a retirement home in the village hall's previous kitchen garden. In the 1950s and 1960s, several national and international motocross races, including world championships and both European and Danish championships, occurred on the Volk Mill hills, and

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 tribunal, wh ...

occurred on the hills from the beginning of the 1960s. The village's first

single-family home A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...

neighborhoods were also established at the start of the 1960s; they were built near the western part of Assentoft.Randers Kommune (2013). ''Kommuneplan Randers 2013''. http://kommuneplan.randers.dk/dk/planens_indhold/centerbyer/assentoft/assentoft_02.htm etrieved 2016-07-22/ref> Assentoft Sports Club was united with the Langkastrup Gymnastics Association (''Langkastrup Gymnastikforening'') as Sønderhald Sports Club (''Sønderhald Idrætsforening'') on 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; it was 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. Virring-Essenbæk Municipality was superseded on April 1, 1970 by

Sønderhald Municipality Until 1 January 2007 Sønderhald municipality was a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in the former Aarhus County in the eastern part of the Jutland peninsula ( Djurs) in central Denmark. It covered an area of 138 km2, and had a total popul ...

, and on 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 residen ...

of Assentoft East (''Assentoft Øst'') by Essenbæk Farm. After February 28, 1973, the municipality decided to expand its residential area with parts of the nearby village ( Drastrup) such as the Sønderhald School (''Sønderhaldskolen''), which is now nearly 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 The Sønderhald School was built from June to October, 1975, and a

sports hall An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances or sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may ...

, Assentoft Gymnasium (''Assentofthallen''), was opened for use on 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 A second sports hall was built in Assentoft and opened on November 14, 1980. A

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

added to the Assentoft Gymnasiums (''Assentofthallerne,'' which the two sports halls are collectively called) was opened for use in the spring of 1981. On November 12, 1986, Randers 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 Assentoft's northern rim lies on the top of a ca. 50 meters high slope between

riverine A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

meadows and moraine hills south of

Randers Fjord Randers Fjord is a long Danish fjord in Northern Europe leading to the sea of Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden. The fjord is the outlet from Denmark's longest river, Gudenå. The upper , starting at the town Randers, looks more like a broad ...

. Assentoft's erosion gullies are wooded, and

promontories A promontory is a raised mass of landform, land that projects into a Upland and lowland, 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 erosion, e ...

are used for the growth of the town. However, certain parts of the town lie on steep plots closely surrounded by wood and meadows, and roe deer can be seen grazing in gardens nearby. From the town's southern side, the flatter moraine landscape is seen.

Infrastructure

The

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

in Assentoft consists primarily of residential streets. The town's residential areas east of the Grenå Road, which is south of Assentoft, relieve 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

The town contains

services 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 ...

, industries, and some

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 ar ...

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

Education

The Assentoft School is the largest state school in Randers Municipality, having 750 pupils (2013).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 Michael Aastrup Jensen (born 16 March 1976) is the Danish ambassador to the Council of Europe (CoE). He is a former politician, a member of the Folketing for the political party Venstre and the former chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee. He ...

(born 1976), politician, Mayor of Randers Town Council in 2002, aged 26.

References

Cities and towns in the Central Denmark Region Randers Municipality