Sakskøbing (), previously spelled Sakskjøbing, is a town on the island of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

in south

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 ...

. It has a population of 4,514 (1 January 2025).BY3: Population 1. January by rural and urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from

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 ...

Until 1 January 2007 it was the seat of the former Sakskøbing Municipality ( Danish: '' kommune''), and is now situated in Guldborgsund Municipality in

Region Sjælland Region Zealand () is an administrative region of Denmark. It is one of the five classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Denmark. It was established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional ...

. The town is located on the northeast coast of Lolland where the Sakskøbing River flows into the Sakskøbing Fjord, a narrow but

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

sea inlet, the innermost part of which constitutes the port of Sakskøbing. Mentioned for the first time in 1240, it arose as a ford over the river, and is referred to as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

as early as 1270.

History

The town is mentioned for the first time as "Saxakopingh" in the ''

Danish Census Book The Danish Census Book or the Danish book of land taxation (, ) dates from the 13th century and consists of a number of separate manuscripts. The original manuscripts are now housed in the Danish National Archives (''Rigsarkivet'') in Copenhage ...

'' from 1240. Already in 1270 it was referred to as a

together with the town of

Nakskov Nakskov is a market town on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. The town has a population of 12,200 (1 January 2025) and is the largest town on the island of Lolland. It is located in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland. Nakskov is situ ...

in Western Lolland. In 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 ...

, Sakskøbing was a

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

, where the coins were minted with the two sheep shears known from the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. Before he was king, King Christopher II of Denmark (1276–1332) resided in Sakskøbing from 1289 to 1315 when he was

Duke of Lolland The Duke of Lolland () was a Danish title first created for Canute, Duke of Estonia in 1249. The title was frequently held by princes of the Danish Royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While ...

, and again in his last years. The town suffered from several fires, including in 1728, 1784 and 1800. In 1874, Sakskøbing was connected to the Danish rail network as the

Lollandsbanen The Lolland Line () is a long railway line in Denmark which runs mostly on the island of Lolland between the cities of Nykøbing Falster and Nakskov via Maribo. The railway line opened in 1874. It is currently operated by the regional railway c ...

railway line between

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a city on the island of Falster in southern Denmark. It has a population of 16,682 (1 January 2025). Including the satellite town Sundby (Lolland), Sundby on the Lolland side, with a populatio ...

and

was opened.

Geography

Sakskøbing is located on the north-eastern part of the island of

in a flat and fertile

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 ...

landscape. The town is located by a

tunnel valley A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

, a glacial terrain formation which runs from Sakskøbing in the northwest to the

Guldborgsund Guldborgsund is the strait between the Danish islands of Lolland and Falster. It connects Smålandsfarvandet in the north with the Bay of Mecklenburg in the south. The strait is about 30 kilometers long; its breadth varies from 150 meters a ...

strait in the southeast. It is located where the Sakskøbing River () empties into the

Sakskøbing Fjord Sakskøbing (), previously spelled Sakskjøbing, is a town on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It has a population of 4,514 (1 January 2025).navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

inlet of

Smålandsfarvandet Smålandsfarvandet ( lit. "The small-land waterway") is a body of water in Denmark. It connects Storebælt in the west with Storstrømmen and Guldborgsund in the east and serves as a waterway for coastal traffic, yachts, and other small craft. ...

, the body of water between the islands of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

, Lolland,

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

and

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...

, and which on the last stretch to Sakskøbing narrows completely so that it looks more like a river than a

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

Landmarks

Sakskøbing Church

Sakskøbing Church is a late Romanesque brick building with a late Gothic tower. It was built around the year 1200; in the following centuries, the original church was extended with a nave and tower. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

, which dates back to the 16th century, is a late Gothic wood carving work from

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

. The present spire, which is 48 metres high, was built in 1852.

Water tower

The water tower in Sakskøbing, nicknamed "Saxine" or "the smiling water tower", is a 33 meter tall water tower and a landmark for the town. The tower was built in 1908 by

Christiani & Nielsen Christiani & Nielsen was a construction contractor with major operations worldwide. It still trades in Thailand. History Christiani & Nielsen was established by Rudolf Christiani, a Danish civil engineer, and Aage Nielsen, a captain in the Roya ...

, but did not receive its smile until 1982, when the architect Flemming Skude decorated it.

Sakskøbing Municipality

The former Sakskøbing Municipality, including the small island of Vigsø, covered an area of 176 km², and had a total population of 9,299 (2005). Its last mayor was Kaj Petersen a member of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

(''Socialdemokraterne'')

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

. To the north is Tår's Cove (''Tårs Vig'') and beyond that Rågø Strait (''Rågø Sund''), the waterway which separates Lolland from

. A finger of Rågø Strait cuts into the former municipality forming Sakskøbing Fjord and then Sakskøbing River (''Sakskøbing å'') which meanders through the former municipality, as well as through Nykøbing Falster and Nysted until it terminates near the town of Bregninge. On 1 January 2007 Sakskøbing Municipality ceased to exist as the result of ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with existing

Nysted Nysted is a town in Guldborgsund Municipality in Region Zealand on the southeastern coast of the island of Lolland in south Denmark. Nysted is located on the southern coast of Lolland, and has a population of 1,265 (1 January 2024).Nørre Alslev Nørre Alslev () is a town with a population of 2,363 (1 January 2025) ...

Stubbekøbing Stubbekøbing () is a town with a population of 2,196 (1 January 2024) ...

, and

Sydfalster Until 1 January 2007 Sydfalster was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the former Storstrøm County on the southern end of the island of Falster in south Denmark. Overview The municipality covered an area of 113 km², and had a total popu ...

municipalities to form the new Guldborgsund Municipality. This created a municipality with an area of 907 km² and a total population of 63,533 (2005). The new municipality belongs to

(Region Zealand).

Transport and Infrastructure

The town is served by Sakskøbing railway station, located on

, a railway line between and , which is operated by the railway company Lokaltog A/S since 2015. Sakskøbing is located on

European route E47 European route E47 is a road (part of the United Nations international E-road network) connecting Lübeck in Germany to Helsingborg in Sweden via the Danish capital Copenhagen. It is also known as the Vogelfluglinie (German) or Fugleflugtslinj ...

connecting

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

via

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 ...

, as well as the

Danish national road 9 Danish national road 9 ( Danish: Primærrute 9) is part of the Danish national road network. It runs between Odense on Funen and Nykøbing Falster on Falster by way of Svendborg, Tåsinge, Siø and Langeland, and involves a ferry crossing betw ...

connecting

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

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 ...

to Nykøbing Falster on

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

by way of

Langeland Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446.

and

. Lolland Falster Airport is located south of Sakskøbing between the towns of Holeby and

Rødby Rødby is a town located on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It has a population of 1,957 (1 January 2024).Christopher II of Denmark Christopher II (; 29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332) was King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was a younger son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in a near-total di ...

(1276–1332), King of Denmark 1320 to 1326 and 1329 to 1332. He was given a simple house at Sakskøbing shortly before his death. *

Peter Ilsted Peter Ilsted (14 February 1861 – 16 April 1933) was a Danish printmaker and painter. He was most associated with domestic interior scenes. Biography Peter Vilhelm Ilsted was born at Sakskøbing in Guldborgsund, Denmark. He was the son of m ...

(1861–1933), a Danish artist and printmaker of domestic interior scenes *

Jon Iversen Jon Iversen (, 1 December 1889 – 17 August 1964) was a Denmark, Danish stage and film actor and film director. Selected filmography *''Blind Justice (1916 film), Blind Justice'' – 1916 *''Hotel Paradis'' – 1931 *''Week-end (1935 film) ...

(1889–1964), a Danish stage and film actor and film director IMDb Database
retrieved 12 June 2020 * Philip R. Rosendahl (1893–1974), journalist and acting governor of North Greenland 1925 to 1928 and Governor 1929 to 1939 * Svend Erik Hovmand (born 1945), a Danish politician. He was Tax Minister 2001 to 2004. * Troels Gustavsen (born 1988), a Danish singer/songwriter

Sport

* Carl Andersen (1879–1967), a Danish gymnast who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

and became a neo-baroque architect *

Arnold Schwartz Arnold Bernhard Schwartz (11 March 1901 – 24 December 1975) was a Danish rower. He competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, ...

(1901–1975), a Danish rower. He competed at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

. * Berit Kristensen (born 1983), a Danish team handball player. He plays for

Randers HK Randers HK is a women's handball club based in Randers, Denmark. They competes in the Danish 1st Division for the 2024/25 season and plays their home matches in Arena Randers. History Randers HK was founded in 1996 as a collaborative effort ...

and

. * René Holten Poulsen (born 1988), a sprint canoeist, silver medallist at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Jens Stryger Larsen (born 1991), a footballer who plays for

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

and has 54 caps for

References

* Municipal statistics
NetBorger Kommunefakta
delivered fro
KMD
aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data) * Municipal mergers and neighbors
Eniro new municipalities map

External links

Guldborgsund municipality's official website (Danish only)

Fællesrådet for Sakskøbing og Omegn's website (Danish only)

ermakvagus.com
Weather forecast Sakskøbing, Denmark
weather-atlas.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakskobing Former municipalities of Denmark Cities and towns in Guldborgsund Municipality Lolland