The Central Denmark Region (), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid-Jutland, is an administrative

region of Denmark The five Regions of Denmark () were created as administrative entities at a level above the municipalities and below the central government in the public sector as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, when the 13 Counties of Denmark, countie ...

established on 1 January 2007 as part of the

2007 Danish municipal reform The Strukturreformen or ''Kommunalreformen'' ( ''English'': ''structural reform'') meant large changes to the administrative structure of local government in Denmark. The reforms reduced 271 municipalities to 98 and replaced 13 counties with 5 ...

. The reform abolished the traditional

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

(''amter'') and replaced them with five new administrative regions. At the same time, smaller

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

were merged into larger units, cutting the total number of municipalities from 271 to 98. The reform diminished the power of the regional level dramatically in favour of the local level and the national government in Copenhagen. The Central Denmark Region comprises 19 municipalities.

Toponymy

The Danish name of the region means "Region of Mid Jutland" and describes the location in the central part of the

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 ...

peninsula, in contrast to Northern Jutland and

Southern Jutland Southern Jutland (; ) is the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark and north of the Eider (river) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The region north of the Kongeå is called . Both territories had their own ting assemblies in the Mi ...

(which, together with

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

and some smaller islands, forms the

Region of Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark (, ; , ; ) is an administrative region of Denmark established on Monday 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regions ...

). For communication in English, the regional administration decided to use another term which is not a direct translation of the Danish name, supposing that the name ''Jutland'' might be too unknown to the English-speaking public. A similar policy is followed by the

North Denmark Region The North Jutland Region (), or in some official sources, the North Denmark Region, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform, which abolished the traditional counties () an ...

(whose Danish name, ''Region Nordjylland'', can be translated to "Region of North Jutland"). However, the name of the region is usually untranslated when used in English-language publications that are not by the regional council itself, but by governmental authorities such as

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark () is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing, reporting to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating statistics on the Danish society ...

. From 2007 to 2013, five so-called State Administrations or governorates existed in Denmark, covering the five regions as separate entities from the regional councils. One of these was named the "State Administration of Central Jutland" in English and covered the same area as the regional council, but had its administration in Ringkøbing as opposed to the regional council in Viborg. In English-language media and literature by various authors, the names Central Jutland (or Mid Jutland) are also commonly used.

Geography

The Central Denmark Region comprises most of the traditional geographical regions of ''Østjylland'' ( East Jutland), ''Midtjylland'' ( Central Jutland), and ''Vestjylland'' ( West Jutland, identical with

Hardsyssel Hardsyssel or Harsyssel is a traditional district and an ancient syssel in Denmark, forming the western part of central Jutland. Hardsyssel is roughly identical with the former Ringkjøbing County. Today it forms the western half of Region Midtjy ...

). Smaller areas within these larger designations include the peninsula of

Djursland Djursland () is a 1,417 km2 hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, which its ...

, the hilly lake district of

Søhøjlandet Søhøjlandet (English: ''The Lake-highland'') is the highest lying region in Denmark and at the same time, it has the highest density of lakes.Kronjylland (or Ommersyssel), Fjends, Bjerreherred, and the peninsulas of

Salling Salling is a peninsula located in the north-west of the larger Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The largest city in Salling is Skive, and smaller towns and villages includes Jebjerg, Roslev and Glyngøre. The Sallingsund Bridge connects the penin ...

and Thyholm. The region borders the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

in the west, the

Limfjord The Limfjord ( common Danish: ''Limfjorden'' , in northwest Jutlandish dialect: ''Æ Limfjord'') is a shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark where it has been regarded as an inlet ever since Viking times. However, it now has entries both ...

in the northwest, and

Kattegat The Kattegat (; ; ) is a sea area bounded by the peninsula of Jutland in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the Swedish provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Scania in Swede ...

in the east. It includes the islands of

Samsø Samsø (Anglicized: "Samso" or "Samsoe") is a Denmark, Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 3,724 inhabitants (2017) (January 2010:4,010) called ''Samsings'' and is ...

, Anholt, and the smaller Endelave, Tunø, Hjarnø and Alrø in Kattegat, as well as Venø,

Jegindø Jegindø, locally pronounced 'Jenø', is a Danish island in the western part of the Limfjord. Since 1916 the island has been connected with the peninsula Thyholm via a dam. The main settlement is . Until 2007, the island was part of Thyholm Mu ...

and

Fur A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

in the Limfjord. The western parts of the region are characterised by coastal dunes and inland heaths, while the slightly elevated central parts and the relatively hilly eastern parts are characterised by forests, lakes and streams, with plenty of fertile soils. The eastern parts (''Østjylland'') are the most densely populated area within the region and form a large part of the proposed

East Jutland metropolitan area East Jutland metropolitan area () is a potential metropolitan area in Jutland and Funen, Denmark. Aarhus is the most populated city in the region. The National Planning Report of 2006, published by the Danish Environment Ministry, argued that ...

with a population of about 1.4 million.

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 ...

, with a population of 280,000, is the largest city of Jutland and the second-largest city of Denmark, as well as the hub of Eastern Jutland. Other cities with a population above 30,000 include Randers, Silkeborg, Horsens, Herning, Viborg and Holstebro. Most of these are situated in the eastern part. The administration and regional council is situated in the sixth-largest city, Viborg, which has a population of 40,000 and was the medieval capital of Jutland. Administratively, Central Denmark Region consists of the former counties of Ringkjøbing and

(except the western half of Mariager municipality which joined

Region Nordjylland The North Jutland Region (), or in some official sources, the North Denmark Region, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform, which abolished the traditional counties () an ...

), most of the former county of Viborg, and the northern half of

Vejle County Vejle County () is a former county ( Danish: '' amt'') on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in southern Denmark. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it was divided between Region Midtjylland (i.e. ''Region Central Jutlan ...

. The areas in question from the two latter counties were the former municipalities of

Bjerringbro Bjerringbro is a railway town located at the Langå-Struer Line, railway line between Viborg, Denmark, Viborg and Randers and lying on both sides of the Gudenå (''River Guden''). Until 1 January 2007 it was the municipal seat of the former Bjerr ...

, Fjends,

Hvorslev Hvorslev is a Danish village of Region Midtjylland with a population of 212 (1 January 2023).Karup Karup is a town in Viborg Municipality, Denmark. Sport The Uhrebanen is a motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over ...

Kjellerup Kjellerup is a Danish town with a population of 5,247 (1 January 2025).Møldrup, Sallingsund, Skive, Spøttrup, Sundsøre, Tjele and Viborg from

Viborg County Viborg County () is a former county ( Danish: '' amt'') in the north-central part of the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The county was abolished on 1 January 2007, when most of it merged into Region Midtjylland The Central Denmark Re ...

and

Brædstrup Brædstrup is a former railway town in Jutland, Denmark at the railway between Horsens and Silkeborg which was closed in 1968. Until 1 January 2007 it was the municipal seat of the former Brædstrup Municipality and today, with a population of 3, ...

Gedved Gedved is a small town with a population of 2,459 (1 January 2025),Hedensted,

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

, Juelsminde, Nørre-Snede and Tørring-Uldum from

. The neighbouring administrative region to the south is the

(), as it includes not only the southern parts of Jutland but also the island of

and smaller neighbouring islands. Furthermore, '' Sønderjylland'' (Southern-Jutland) is the traditional name for North Slesvig, which is the Danish part of the former Duchy of Schleswig/Slesvig.

Geologically Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

, the region lies in the northern part of Denmark, which is rising because of

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

. For statistical purposes, the region has two divisions or

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

: East Jutland and West Jutland. These are almost, but not entirely, identical with the parliamentary constituencies of East Jutland and West Jutland. The western constituency is much larger in area but has a smaller population than the eastern one. Significant local antagonism arose before the region came into effect in 2007 and in the first years of its existence. Citizens in the northwestern areas protested against the closure of the hospital of

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).2009 regional election, a local protest party called ''Fælleslisten'' ("The Common List"), surged to 40% of the votes in the northwestern municipalities but failed to get any seats in the 2013 election.

Municipalities

The region is subdivided into 19 municipalities: *

* Favrskov * Hedensted *

Herning Herning () is a Denmark, Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 51,782 (1 January 2025)

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

* Ikast-Brande *

Lemvig Lemvig is a market town located on the Limfjord in North Jutland, Denmark. The town has a population of 6,741 (2025),Norddjurs *

Odder Odder is a town in Jutland, Denmark. The town is the seat of Odder municipality, and is the biggest town in the municipality. It is located 20 km south of Aarhus and 16 km south-east of Skanderborg. Odder is part of Business Region Aar ...

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 ().Ringkøbing-Skjern *

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Skanderborg Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg Municipality, Denmark. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj S ...

* Skive * Struer * Syddjurs * Viborg

Economy

The

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

(GDP) of the region was €62.2 billion in 2018, accounting for 20.7% of the country's economic output. The GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €35,400 or 117% of the EU27 average that same year. The GDP per capita employed was 107% of the EU27 average.

Regional Council

The five regions of Denmark each have a regional council of 41 members. These are elected every four years, during the local elections.

References

External links

*
Central Denmark Office to the EU
{{Authority control States and territories established in 2007 Regions of Denmark 2007 establishments in Denmark