Nykøbing Sjælland

Nykøbing Sjælland is a town in Denmark, located in northern Odsherred on the island of Zealand. Located on the Isefjord, it has a population of 5,195 (1 January 2015). It is located in Odsherred municipality which is part of Region Sjælland. The town is a popular seaside resort.

Nykøbing Sjælland is one of the oldest market towns on Zealand, first mentioned in the last part of the 13th century, although the local church dates from the first half of the 13th century. The town was destroyed by followers of Marsk Stig in 1290, and it has since been swept by several fires. The town and surrounding land was pawned by the crown to the Diocese of Roskilde in 1370, but was redeemed by Queen Margaret I. In the Middle Ages, the town was known for its harbour and its role in herring fishing. It received a charter in 1443, after which commerce replaced fishing as the main occupation. A school teaching in Latin was established in 1590, and replaced by a school which taught in Danish by 1740. At this time, the population was a mere 350, making it one of Zealand's smallest towns.

The local courthouse was erected in 1868 on Holtets Plads near the church. This building also served as city hall and prison. It has been a protected structure since 1991 and is now the home of Restaurant Madkunsten.

In 1915 the Hospital for the Insane (in Danish "Sindsygehospitalet") was opened in Nykøbing Sjælland. After changing the name several times, the final name, The was given in 2000. In addition being a general Psychiatric hospital it also contains Denmark's first (founded November 4, 1915) and to date only closed psychiatric ward (Sikringen) for the criminally insane and particular dangerous psychotic patients. Psychiatric Hospital had its own Chapel and cemetery, both now part of the , known as "The Brainless Cemetery".

The name "The Brainless Cemetery" (i.e., de hjerneløses kirkegård) was not a name out of disrespect for the patients buried there. Between 1945 and 1982 an estimate of up to 2,000 brains were removed from patients prior to being buried in the cemetery. After the removal the brains were sent to Psychiatric Hospital in Risskov (Aarhus, Denmark) to be used in research. The removal was done in the hospital's Chapel that also contains a room used for dissections. The removal of the brains were carried out by the nursing staff which beside their normal nursing care of psychiatric ill patients had had this additional task. During the period that the removals were carried out, relatives to the patients were not asked for permission neither were they informed. Most if not all of the patients buried at the cemetery have been buried without their brains.

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