Ribe is the oldest town of
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
, situated in southwest
JutlandJutland , historically also called Cimbria, forms the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish-German border to its south...
. Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding
MunicipalityRibe Municipality is a former municipality in Denmark. It was located on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula and belonged to Ribe County. It was abolished effective 1 January 2007. The municipal seat was located in the town of Ribe....
, and
CountyRibe Amt is a former county on the Jutland peninsula of southwest Denmark. It includes Denmark's fifth largest city, Esbjerg. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region Syddanmark .- List of County Mayors :- Municipalities :...
. Ribe is now part of the enlarged Esbjerg Municipality in Region of Southern Denmark.
Established in the first decade of the 8th century and first attested in a document dating from 854, Ribe is the oldest town in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
.
When
AnsgarSaint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. The see of Hamburg was designated a "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North".-Life:After his mother’s early death Ansgar was brought up in Corbie Abbey, and made rapid...
the
Archbishop of Hamburg-BremenThe Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
, set out on the "Mission to bring Christianity to the
NorthNorthern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:** ** ** Ireland** Svalbard and Jan Mayen** ** Channel Islands: and...
", he made a request in 860 to the King of Denmark, that the first
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n church be built in Ribe.
Ribe is the oldest town of
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
, situated in southwest
JutlandJutland , historically also called Cimbria, forms the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish-German border to its south...
. Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding
MunicipalityRibe Municipality is a former municipality in Denmark. It was located on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula and belonged to Ribe County. It was abolished effective 1 January 2007. The municipal seat was located in the town of Ribe....
, and
CountyRibe Amt is a former county on the Jutland peninsula of southwest Denmark. It includes Denmark's fifth largest city, Esbjerg. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region Syddanmark .- List of County Mayors :- Municipalities :...
. Ribe is now part of the enlarged Esbjerg Municipality in Region of Southern Denmark.
History
Established in the first decade of the 8th century and first attested in a document dating from 854, Ribe is the oldest town in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
.
When
AnsgarSaint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. The see of Hamburg was designated a "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North".-Life:After his mother’s early death Ansgar was brought up in Corbie Abbey, and made rapid...
the
Archbishop of Hamburg-BremenThe Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
, set out on the "Mission to bring Christianity to the
NorthNorthern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:** ** ** Ireland** Svalbard and Jan Mayen** ** Channel Islands: and...
", he made a request in 860 to the King of Denmark, that the first
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n church be built in Ribe. This was not coincidental, since Ribe already at that point, was the most important trade city of Scandinavia.
However we can only confirm the presence of a bishop and thus a cathedral in Ribe from the year 948.
The town has many well-preserved old buildings,
Ribe CathedralOur Lady Maria Cathedral is located in the ancient city of Ribe on the western coast of southern Jutland, Denmark- History :...
, c. 110 houses are under Heritage Protection. Denmark's oldest
town hallA city hall or town hall is the chief administrative building of a city or town's administration and usually houses the city or town council, its associated departments and their employees...
is found on the town's Von Støckens Plads. The building was erected in 1496, and was purchased by the city for use as a town hall in 1709.
Timeline
- Early 8th century, founding of Ribe.
- The Treaty of Ribe
The Treaty of Ribe was a proclamation at Ribe made by King Christian I of Denmark to a number of German nobles enabling himself to become Count of Holstein and regain control of Denmark's lost Duchy of Schleswig...
was proclaimed in 1460.
- 1580, 3 September: A great fire destroys a large part of the town. 11 streets and 213 houses burn down.
- 1634, 11-12 October: A storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
floods the city with waterlevels rising to 6.1 meters above average.
- 2007, 1 January_ The Municipality of Ribe
Ribe Municipality is a former municipality in Denmark. It was located on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula and belonged to Ribe County. It was abolished effective 1 January 2007. The municipal seat was located in the town of Ribe....
ceased to exist as it merged with the municipalities of EsbjergEsbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region Syddanmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
and BrammingUntil January 1, 2007 Bramming was a municipality in Ribe County on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 170 km², and had a total population of 13,638 . Its last mayor was Karl Kristian Knudtzen, a member of the Venstre political party...
, now forming a new municipality of Esbjerg.
Attractions
- Churches
- Ribe Cathedral (Ribe Domkirke) — the bells of Ribe Cathedral playing the folk song about Queen Dagmar called "Dronning Dagmar ligger i Ribe syg" ("Queen Dagmar lies in Ribe sick").
- Saint Catharinæ Church and Monastery.
- Museums
- The Night Watchman in Ribe. Every evening from 1st of May until 15th of September you may accompany the night watchman in Ribe on his route through the old town, while he is singing to alert citizens about bedtime approaching.
- Wadden Sea Center (Vadehavscentret)
- Mandø Mill (Mandø Mølle)
- The Mandø House (Mandøhuset)
- Mandø Island
Mandø is one of the Danish Wadden Sea islands off the southwest coast of Jutland, Denmark in the Wadden Sea, part of the North Sea. The island covers an area of 7.63 km² and has 62 inhabitants...
nature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, about 30 kilometres southwest
Famous people
(Alphabetic by Surname)
- Playwright Kjeld Abell
Kjeld Abell was a Danish playwright and theatrical designer. Born in Ribe, Denmark, Abell's first designs were seen in ballets directed by George Balanchine at Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre and London's Alhambra Theatre....
.
- Hans Adolf Brorson, Danish Pietist clergyman and hymn writer.
- The poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Anders Christensen Bording.
- Emil Christian Hansen
Emil Christian Hansen was a Danish mycologist and fermentation physiologist.Born in Ribe, he financed his education by writing novels and he was awarded a gold medal in 1876 for an essay on fungi....
, the father of Modern Brewing: At the CarlsbergThe Carlsberg Group is a Danish brewing company founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen after the name of his son Carl. The headquarters are in Copenhagen, Denmark...
Laboratories in CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
, he was the first to discover that yeastYeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. Most reproduce asexually by budding, although a few do so by binary fission...
was composed of different kinds of fungi and that the yeast culture could be cultivated. With this discovery, he was able to produce hybrid yeast. This yeast, known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, which allowed the brewing of lager beer, is today used in the vast majority of beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
production worldwide.
- Björn Dunkerbeck
Björn Dunkerbeck is a professional windsurfer who has won Professional Windsurfers Association Overall World Championships a record twelve times....
, Windsurfing World Champion.
- Rued Langgaard
Rued Langgaard was a late-Romantic Danish composer and organist. His then-unconventional music was at odds with that of his Danish contemporaries and was recognized only 16 years after his death.- Life :Born in Copenhagen, Rued Langgaard was the only son of composer and Royal Chamber musician...
romantic composer and organist, born 28 July 1893 in Copenhagen - died 10 July 1952 in Ribe.
- Holger K. Nielsen
Holger Kirkholm Nielsen is a Danish politician, member of the Danish parliament for the Socialist People's Party. He became leader of the Socialist People's Party in 1991 at a time when the party was going through some major ideological soul-searching following the collapse of socialism in...
former leader of the Socialist People's PartyThe Socialist People's Party is a green and socialist political party in Denmark.-1959-1969:The SF was founded on February 15 1959 by Aksel Larsen, a former leader of the Communist Party of Denmark and CIA agent...
, was born 23 April 1950 in Ribe and graduated from Ribe KatedralskoleRibe Katedralskole is a Cathedral school in the Town of Ribe, Denmark. The school is first mentioned 1145. The oldest building still in use, Puggård, is from the 14th century...
in 1969.
- Jacob A. Riis
Jacob August Riis , was a Danish American social reformer, muckraking journalist and photographer. He is known for his dedication to using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City, which was the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography...
, an American immigrant photographer famous for his book How the Other Half LivesHow the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York was a pioneering work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting the squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s...
, a pioneering work of photojournalismPhotojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
. He was also a longtime friend of Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He is well remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" image. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Bull Moose Party...
.
- Maren Spliid (Splids), Maren Splids was burned at a fire at the Gallows Hill near Ribe on November 9th 1641. She was probably the most well known Danish victim for persecutions of witches.
- Hans Tausen
Hans Tausen , the protagonist of the Danish Reformation, was born at Birkende on Funen in 1494. The quick-witted peasant lad ran away from the plough at an early age, finally settling down as a friar in the Johanniter cloister of Antvorskov near Slagelse...
, protagonist of the Danish ReformationThe Reformation in Denmark meant the transition from Roman Catholicism to Protestant Lutheranism in the Church of Denmark which was implemented in 1536 at the decision of King Christian III...
was the BishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Ribe from 1542-1562.
Official Honorary Citizens
The following citizens have been declared Honorary Citizens of Ribe: (By year)
- Stiftsfysikus J.J. Kiær (1911)
- Town Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
C.N. Termansen (1934)
- Editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video, or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media...
C. Willemoes (1946)
- Chairman of the Ny Carlsbergfondet, H. E .Nørregård-Nielsen (2005)
Education
The town of Ribe has a long history as a center of education, namely the Gymnasium (
High School) called
Ribe Katedralskole (
cathedral schoolThe idea for widespread schools dates back to Charlemagne, a king of the Franks. He knew that the Frankish empire would be weak without an education. Because a Frankish King started it, it quickly spread throughout northern and central France. Over time, the schools were fused with the church and...
) has its roots in the Latin School of Ribe, dating back to at least 1145. Although confirmed to be older, this is the date for the oldest still existing document that confirms the school’s existence. Ribe Katedralskole is more than 850 years old, and is the oldest continuously existing school in
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
.
Schools
Demographics
The following table shows the population of Ribe. Data from before the 18th century are estimates, the rest are taken from the official census.
| Year |
Population |
| 1500 |
~5000 |
| 1591 |
~4500 |
| 1641 |
~3500 |
| 1672 |
~2000 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1769 |
1827 |
| 1801 |
1994 |
| 1850 |
2984 |
| 1901 |
4243 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1976 |
7452 |
| 1981 |
7646 |
| 1986 |
7709 |
| 1990 |
7636 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 1996 |
8105 |
| 2000 |
7984 |
| 2001 |
8031 |
| 2002 |
8033 |
|
| Year |
Population |
| 2003 |
8006 |
| 2004 |
7990 |
| 2006 |
8081 |
|
Twin cities and towns
(alphabetic list)
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. Krems, federal state of
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- ("
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").
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