Silkeborg

Silkeborg
Skyline of Silkeborg
Silkeborg Location in Denmark
Coordinates: 56°11′00″N 9°33′06″E / 56.18333°N 9.55167°E / 56.18333; 9.55167Coordinates: 56°11′00″N 9°33′06″E / 56.18333°N 9.55167°E / 56.18333; 9.55167
Country	Denmark
Region	Central Denmark (Midtjylland)
Municipality	Silkeborg
Area
• City	864.89 km2 (333.94 sq mi)
Elevation	31 m (102 ft)
Population (2014)
• City	43,158
• Density	50/km2 (130/sq mi)
• Urban	90,016
Time zone	Central Europe Time (UTC+1)
Postal code	8600
Area code(s)	(+45) 89
Website	Silkeborg Kommune

Silkeborg (Danish pronunciation: [ˈselɡ̊əˌb̥ɒːˀ]) is a Danish city with a population of 43,158 (1 January 2014). Silkeborg is the seat of the council of Silkeborg municipality with 90,016 inhabitants (2015) and is also part of the East Jutland metropolitan area, with 1.2 million inhabitants.

Silkeborg is located in the middle of the Jutlandic peninsula, slightly west of the geographical centre of Denmark. The city is situated at the Gudenå River in the hilly and lush landscape of Søhøjlandet, surrounded by Denmark’s largest forest district and a great number of lakes. The lakes between Silkeborg and Ry that are linked by the Gudenå, are known collectively as Silkeborgsøerne (the Silkeborg lakes).

The city is divided north and south by the lake of Silkeborg Langsø, which at the eastern side of the city, resolves into the Gudenå River.

Although Silkeborg was not formally founded until 1844, the origin of the city can be traced to the 15th century. The word "Silkeborg" means "silk castle", which suggests that the city may owe its name to a castle that once stood on an islet in the lake of Silkeborg. The archaeological remains of the castle can be seen today not far from the town square.

The modern history of the city begins in 1844, when Christian and Michael Drewsen, from the company Drewsen og Sønner in Copenhagen, moved to Jutland to establish a paper mill. The brothers opened Silkeborg Papirfabrik (Silkeborg Paper mill) at a location near the Gudenå River where Silkeborg castle once stood. They chose the spot in order to exploit the river as a source of energy for the mill; as a resource for paper production; and as a transportion route. The younger of the two brothers, Michael Drewsen, regarded as the founder of the city, was responsible for the daily management of the mill. Today a statue of Michael Drewsen stands in front of the old city hall in the town square.

During the German occupation of Denmark, the Gestapo turned the Silkeborg Bad (Silkeborg Baths), which served at that time as the municipal sanatorium, into its Danish headquarters. The remnants of German bunkers can still be seen today in the city proper, and in the forested city outskirts as well. One of these bunkers is now a public museum. In 1944, during the city's de facto centenary, the Gestapo executed the priest and playwright, Kaj Munk, near present-day Silkeborg.