Hundested

Hundested
Town
The Rørvig ferry in the harbour
Hundested
Coordinates: 55°58′N 11°51′E / 55.967°N 11.850°E / 55.967; 11.850Coordinates: 55°58′N 11°51′E / 55.967°N 11.850°E / 55.967; 11.850
Country	Denmark
Region	Capital Region
Municipality	Halsnæs
Population (2015)
• Total	8,543
Time zone	GMT (UTC+1)
Postal code	3390 Hundested

Hundested is a town with a population of 8,543 (1 January 2015) and a former municipality (Danish, kommune) in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark.

The former municipality is surrounded by water on three side: to the north is the Kattegat, to the west is the channel leading into the Isefjord, and to the south is Roskilde Fjord and the channel leading into it from the Isefjord.

The area is characterized by sand and dunes, especially on its northern side facing the Kattegat, but also found in the central areas and in the south. Kikhavn on the northern side of the peninsula, not far to the east of the town of Hundested, is the oldest fishing village in the area.

Hundested is situated at the tip of the Halsnæs peninsula which projects west from the northwestern corner of North Zealand, forming the west side of the entrance to Issefjord. The south coast of the peninsula is fronted by two cliffs which at Store Karlsminde Klint rises to 33 metres. It is located opposite the northern tip of Horns Herred, defining Kulhuse Rende, the one kilometer long entrance to Roskilde Fjord. To the west of Store Karlsminde Klint is the lower Skuldslev Klint which continues for about 1 kilometer to Kynæs Harbour. in the southern part of Hundested. The cliffs have formerly been subject to continuous erosion but is now sheltered by the harbor. The erosion has resulted in a shallow-watered area with water depths of only about one metre. To the east of Store Karlsminde Klint is a low area with coastal meadows, Sølager, which further inland gives way to forested slopes.

The name Hundested is first mentioned in 1682 as Hundersted. Hunde- does not refer to "dogs" (Danish: Hunde) but to seals (Danish: Sælhunde) while -sted means "place". The name supposedly comes from royal seal hunts on a stone reef known as the "dog (seal) reef". The reef disappeared when the stones were used in the construction of some of the harbours on the nearby Øresund coast.