Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in 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 ...

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 13,505 (1 January 2025)BY3: Population 1. January by 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 ...

and is located in Thy, in northwestern

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 ...

. Market town status was given to Thisted in 1500.

Name

The town's name derives from the Germanic deity Tyr and could be translated as ''Tyr's Stead''.

History

During the Jutland Peasant rebellion of 1441,

Christopher of Bavaria Christopher of Bavaria (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Christoffer''; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kristofer''; 26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), King of Sw ...

, King of Denmark, approached the rebel camp at Husby Hole near St. Jørgen's Hill in northern Jutland and sent word that anyone who left the camp and went home, would not be punished for rebellion. The men from Thisted, as well as those of

Mors Mors may refer to: *Mors (mythology), the personification of death in Roman mythology *Mors, Latin for death *Mors (automobile), a French car manufacturer from 1895 to 1925 :* American Mors, Mors vehicles produced under licence in America by the S ...

, left for which they were afterwards called cowards and traitors. In 1882, Thisted was connected with the Danish rail network as the

Thy railway line The Thy Line () is a long standard gauge single track railway line in Denmark which runs between Struer and Thisted through the historical region of Thy. The railway opened in 1882. It is owned and maintained by Rail Net Denmark and served ...

between Thisted and Struer opened.

Geography

Thisted is located in northwestern

, in the traditional district of Thy, which forms the western part of the

North Jutlandic Island The North Jutlandic Island (), Vendsyssel-Thy, or Jutland north of the Limfjord (''Jylland nord for Limfjorden'') is the northernmost part of continental Denmark and of Jutland. It is more common to refer to the three traditional districts of V ...

. It is located on the northern shore of

Thisted Bredning Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,505 (1 January 2025)body of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rare ...

between Thy and the island of

, which itself is a part of 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 ...

, a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

separating the North Jutlandic Island from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. Thisted is located on three ridges, divided by two streams.

Demographics

Thisted has a population of 13,461, of which 6,622 males and 6,839 females (1 January 2022).

Economy

Thisted has a cluster of industries within food production: the Tican Slaughterhouse, Dragsbæk Maltfactory, Dragsbæk Margarinefactory, the brewery

Thisted Bryghus Thisted Brewery ( Danish: ''Thisted Bryghus'') is a regional brewery in Thisted in the north of Denmark founded in 1902. The brewery supplies the local market with pilsner beer, and has gained recognition internationally for beers like ''Porse Gul ...

, known for its high quality organic beer, and Premier Ice.

Cityscape

Burial mound

Langdos, the largest

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 ...

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

in Denmark, is located in Thisted. The burial mound is 175 meters long and was built between 1800 and 1000 BC.

Thisted Church

Thisted features a Gothic-style church,

Thisted Church Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,505 (1 January 2025)Romanesque-style church around 1490. The exterior of the church contains a stone with

Runic inscriptions A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of E ...

Sports

Soccer

Thisted has a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team

Thisted FC Thisted Fodbold Club () is an association football club based in the town of Thisted, North Jutland, Denmark, that competes in the Danish 2nd Division, the third tier of the Danish football league system. Founded in 1989, it is shortly known as ' ...

in the

Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division () is a professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Football Association (Danish FA; DBU) as part of the nation-wide Da ...

(2022–2023 season)

Infrastructure

Rail

Thisted is served by Thisted railway station () which opened in 1882. It is the northern

terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

of the

which connects Thisted with Struer to the south. Thisted station offers frequent

local train Regional rail is a public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connecting smaller cities a ...

services to Struer station with onward connections by train from Struer to the rest of Denmark. Until 2019, it also offered direct

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

services to

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 ...

Air

The small Thisted Airport () is owned by

Thisted municipality Thisted Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in North Jutland Region, Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,072 km², and has a total population of 42,698 (2025). The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Thisted ...

, and is located 15 kilometers from Thisted. The airport opened in 1970, and until 2007 serviced daily flights between Thisted and the Danish capital,

. Today, the nearest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

from Thisted with scheduled national and

international flight An international flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the Takeoff, departure and the arrival take place in different Country, countries. Regular international passenger air service began in August 1919 with a flight ...

s is

Aalborg Airport Aalborg Airport () is a dual-use (civilian/military) airport located in Nørresundby, Aalborg Municipality, Denmark, which is northwest of Aalborg. History Aalborg Airport was opened in 1938 as the second national airport. During World War II, ...

east of Thisted (road distance).

Education

There are several educational institutions in Thisted. There are three schools, Østre skole, Rolighedskolen, and Tingstrup skole. There's also a gymnasium, Higher Preparatory Examination, Higher Commercial Examination Programme and Higher Technical Examination Programme.

Notable people

Conrad Malte-Brun Conrad Malte-Brun (; born Malthe Conrad Bruun; 12 August 177514 December 1826), sometimes referred to simply as Malte-Brun, was a Dano- French geographer and journalist. His second son, Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun, was also a geographer. Today he ...

(1775 in Thisted – 1826) a Dano-French geographer, coined the name

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

* Hendrik Pontoppidan (1814 in Thisted – 1901) a Danish merchant, consul and philanthropist *

Christen Mikkelsen Kold Christen Mikkelsen Kold (sometimes spelled Kristen or Cristen; 29 March 1816 — 6 April 1870) was a Danish teacher, notable for creating the Danish Folk high school system, for non-degree education of adults. Kold was born in Thisted, Jutl ...

(1816 in Thisted – 1870) a teacher, created the Danish high-school system * Knud Graah (1817–1909) a Norwegian industrialist and pioneer in the Norwegian textile industry *

Jens Peter Jacobsen Jens Peter Jacobsen (7 April 1847 – 30 April 1885) was a Danish novelist, poet, and scientist, in Denmark often just written as "J. P. Jacobsen". He began the naturalist movement in Danish literature and was a part of the Modern Br ...

(1847 in Thisted – 1885) a Danish novelist, poet and scientist * Peter Tom-Petersen (1861 in Thisted – 1926) a painter and graphic artist of cityscapes and interiors *

Grethe Rask Margrethe P. Rask (1930 – 12 December 1977), better known as Grethe Rask, was a Danish physician and surgeon in Zaïre, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After setting up her own hospital in the village of Abumombazi in 1972, she tr ...

(1930 in Thisted – 1977) a physician and surgeon in

Zaïre Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, one of the first non-Africans to die of AIDS *

Yutte Stensgaard Yutte Stensgaard (born 14 May 1946) is a Danish actress born in Thisted, Jutland, Denmark, best known for her starring role in Hammer's '' Lust for a Vampire'' (1971). Career Born Jytte Stensgaard, she moved to the United Kingdom to improve her ...

(born 1946) an actress, known for her role in

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

's ''

Lust for a Vampire ''Lust for a Vampire'', also known as ''Love for a Vampire'' or ''To Love a Vampire'' (the latter title was the one used on American television), is a 1971 British Hammer Horror film directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Barbara J ...

'' (1971) * Mogens Dahl (born 1953 in Thisted) a Danish conductor, founded Mogens Dahl Concert Hall *

Kato (DJ) 235px, Kato (left) and Jon Nørgaard in April 2010 Thomas Kato Vittrup, better known as Kato (born 13 September 1981), is a Danish disc jockey and music producer mostly in the house genre. Musical career Kato started DJing at nightclubs in 200 ...

(born 1981 in Thisted) stage name of ''Thomas Kato Vittrup'', a DJ and music producer *

Junior Senior Junior Senior was a Danish pop duo. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion) (born 7 February 1979) and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen (vocals, programming) (born 25 December 1977). T ...

(active 1998–2008) a pop duo from Thisted, Denmark

Sport

* Annette Jørgensen (born 1966 in Thisted) a swimmer, competed in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

Jesper Grønkjær Jesper Grønkjær (; born 12 August 1977) is a Danish former professional Association football, footballer, who most recently worked as a pundit for Scandinavian media network Viaplay. A pacey winger (association football), winger, Grønkjær p ...

(born 1977 in Nuuk, Greenland) raised in Thisted, is a former Danish professional footballer * Mads Agesen (born 1983 in Thisted) a Danish footballer, captain at

Randers FC Randers FC () is a professional association football, football club based in Randers, East Jutland metropolitan area, East Jutland, that plays in the Danish Superliga, the top flight of the Danish football league system. Founded on 1 January 200 ...

* Frederikke Thøgersen (born 1995 in Thisted) a Danish professional football player, plays for

Fortuna Hjørring Fortuna Hjørring is a women's association football team from Hjørring, Denmark. The club was formed in 1966 and play in green and white. Their biggest achievement in European football was reaching the 2002–03 UEFA Women's Cup final where the ...

and the

Denmark women's national football team The Denmark women's national football team () represents Denmark and Greenland in international Women's association football, women's football. The team is governed by the Danish Football Association (DBU) and competes as a member of UEFA in var ...

* Malthe Jakobsen (born 2003 in Thisted) a Danish racing driver

Emigrants to the United States

Hans Ditlev Bendixsen Hans Ditlev Bendixsen (October 14, 1842 – February 12, 1902) was a Danish-American shipbuilder who was instrumental in the development of the merchant marine industry on the West Coast of the United States. His lumber schooners were built in o ...

(1842 in Thisted – 1902) (emigrated c.1865) an American shipbuilder, developed the merchant marine industry on the West Coast of the United States * Lawrence Waldemar Tonner (1861 in Thisted – 1947) (emigrated 1870) companion and personal secretary of composer and pianist Francis Grierson for more than 40 years

References

{{Authority control Municipal seats of the North Jutland Region Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Thisted Municipality