Roskilde is the main city in
Roskilde MunicipalityRoskilde municipality is a municipality in Region Sjælland, 30 km west of Copenhagen on the island of Zealand in east Denmark....
,
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...
on the island of Zealand. It is an ancient
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
, dating from the
Viking AgeViking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the eighth to eleventh centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
.
Roskilde train station is a major stop between
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...
and the region of Denmark located to its west. The city is an economic center for the region.
Roskilde has a pedestrian street with myriad shops, restaurants, and cafes running down the center of the city. Several tourist attractions draw visitors from around Denmark and the world. The local university has an education program that invites international students to attend for a year.
History
According to
Adam of BremenAdam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
and
Saxo GrammaticusSaxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :...
, in the 980s,
Harald I of DenmarkHarald Bluetooth Gormson was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. He died in 985 or 986 having ruled as King of Denmark from around 958 and king of Norway for a few years probably around 970...
built a church and a royal estate in Roskilde. Saxo Grammaticus associates the name Roskilde with the legendary
King RoarHroðgar, Hrothgar, Hróarr, Hroar, Roar, Roas or Ro was a legendary Danish king, living in the early 6th century.A Danish king Hroðgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics Beowulf and Widsith, and also in Norse sagas, Norse poems, and medieval Danish chronicles...
who possibly lived there in the 6th century. Harald was buried at the church which is on the same site as today's
Roskilde CathedralRoskilde Cathedral , in the city of Roskilde on the Island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, was the first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick and its construction encouraged the spread of this Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe. It was built during the 12th and 13th centuries, and...
.
In 1020,
Roskilde became a bishopricRoskilde is a Catholic titular see. The former see, suppressed in the sixteenth century, was Roskilde in Denmark.-History:...
, making it the church's most important town in Denmark.
AbsalonAbsalon was a Danish archbishop and statesman. He was the son of Asser Rig of Fjenneslev , at whose castle he and his brother Esbjørn were brought up along with the young prince Valdemar, afterwards King Valdemar I.-Early life:After giving Absalon the rudiments of a sound education at home, which...
, the Danish bishop, had a brick church built there in 1170 which later became the cathedral. In the following years, under Absalon's influence, many other churches were built in the town.
Roskilde was given the status of a market town in 1268. It was probably the largest and most important town in Denmark at the time. With the support of the Roman Catholic Church, it continued to thrive until 1443. But as a result of the
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...
and the closure of the Roman Catholic Church in Denmark it lost its earlier status. Roskilde Cathedral did however continue to be the place where the kings and queens of Denmark were buried.
The town suffered from plague, wars with the Swedes and a number of devastating fires in the 17th century but began to recover in the 18th century with the opening of the railway from Copenhagen in 1847. More recently, with the establishment of the Viking Ship Museum in 1969, Roskilde has been recognised as a cultural and educational centre in Denmark with the first
Roskilde FestivalRoskilde Festival is held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in 1971 and the university which opened 1972.
Tourist Attractions
Roskilde Cathedral
The city's early importance is evident from the fact that the
Roskilde CathedralRoskilde Cathedral , in the city of Roskilde on the Island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, was the first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick and its construction encouraged the spread of this Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe. It was built during the 12th and 13th centuries, and...
was the only cathedral in Zealand until the 20th century. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, it was the first
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral to be built of brick and its construction encouraged the spread of this style throughout northern
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. The cathedral is the burial site for
Danish monarchs and is a major tourist attraction with more than 125,000 visitors annually. Since 1995 the cathedral has been listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
. A working church, it also hosts concerts throughout the year.
Connected to the church is Roskilde Palace, built during 1733-36. Built on the former location of another palace (that of a former bishop of Roskilde), today it is a museum and the residence of the current bishop of Roskilde.
The Cathedral is one of the biggest in Denmark and stands on the top of a hill, with a great view over the fjords. Next to the Cathedral is one of Roskilde's many high schools. Every day a few hundred tourists visit the Cathedral and the surroundings.
Viking Ships
Another attraction in the city is the
Viking Ship MuseumThe Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde is the Danish national museum for ships, seafaring and boatbuilding in the prehistoric and medieval period....
(
Vikingeskibsmuseet). The centrepieces of its collection are the well-preserved remains of five
Viking shipsThe Skuldelev ships is a term used for 5 Viking ships recovered from Peberrenden by Skuldelev, c. 20 km north of Roskilde in Denmark. The remains of the ships were excavated over 4 months in 1962. The recovered pieces, which constitute 5 types of ships and have been dated to the 11th century,...
, excavated from nearby
Roskilde FjordRoskilde Fjord is the fjord north of Roskilde, Denmark, and is located at . It is a long branch of the Isefjord.-Cities:The cities Frederiksværk, Frederikssund, Jægerspris, Jyllinge and Roskilde, , all have coastline at Roskilde Fjord...
in the late 1960s. The ships were scuttled there in the 11th century to block a navigation channel, thus protecting the city, then the Danish capital, from seaborne assault. The museum also undertakes research in
experimental archaeologyExperimental archaeology employs a number of different methods, techniques, analyses, and approaches in order to generate and test hypotheses, based upon archaeological source material, like ancient structures or artifacts...
centered on Viking shipbuilding and seaworthiness. These five ships represents several distinct classes of Viking Ships, such as the Longship, and Warship, and smaller fishing and ferry boats. The ships on display range from 10 feet (3 m) to 50 feet (15 m).
Roskilde Festival
Since 1971 the
Roskilde FestivalRoskilde Festival is held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
, a
rock musicRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
festival, has been held annually on the fairgrounds near Roskilde. It has grown to become one of the biggest music festivals in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, with a diverse selection of music, including (but not limited to) rock, metal, hip-hop, electronica, dance and world music. All profits from this festival are donated to charities. The fairgrounds are also the site of regionally popular agricultural and animal exhibitions, as well as large flea markets.
Transportation
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Railway station
Roskilde has a four platform railway station with seven tracks which serves as a central hub connecting southern Zealand, the islands of Falster and Lolland, west Zealand and Jutland to Copenhagen.
It is the oldest railway station in Denmark still operating and the first built of stone. The first train arrived from Copenhagen on June 26, 1847.
Airport
Opened April 1, 1973, Roskilde has a small
airportRoskilde Airport , officially known as Copenhagen Airport, Roskilde , is located 4 nautical miles southeast of Roskilde near the town Tune. It was opened in 1973 as the first of three planned relief airports around Copenhagen. These plans were shelved shortly after, and the two other relief...
, serving light aircraft for training, taxi and flight instruction. There are existing plans to expand the airport for use by larger aircraft, which are pending an environmental impact assessment. The airport currently handles up to 100,000 operations (flights) per year.
Schools in Roskilde
There are eleven public primary schools in the municipality split up between eleven school districts, six
gymnasiumsThe Danish Gymnasium offers a 3-year general academically-oriented upper secondary programme which builds on the 9th-10th form of the Folkeskole and leads to the upper secondary school exit examination...
, offering Upper Secondary School Exit Examinations,
Higher Preparatory ExaminationsThe Higher Commercial Examination Programme is a business-oriented education in Denmark. The 3-year HHX programme requires a completed 9-year folkeskole and offers general subjects in addition to business administration, economics, and foreign language...
,
Higher Commercial Examination ProgrammeThe Higher Commercial Examination Programme is a business-oriented education in Denmark. The 3-year HHX programme requires a completed 9-year folkeskole and offers general subjects in addition to business administration, economics, and foreign language...
and Higher Technical Examination Programme. There are many adult education, technical and trade schools in addition to the gymnasiums.
Roskilde University
Roskilde UniversityRoskilde University is a Danish public university founded in 1972 and located in Trekroner in the Eastern part of Roskilde. The university awards bachelor and master's degrees as well as Ph.D...
(Danish:
Roskilde Universitet, RUC) was founded in 1972. Roskilde University is located in the eastern side of Roskilde in a neighborhood called Trekroner (after a signalman's cabin on the Roskilde-Copenhagen line). RUC hosts students from around the world. RUC has on-campus dormitory style housing and apartments, however, many students commute from Copenhagen to attend RUC.
External links