Viborg, Denmark
| Viborg | |||
|---|---|---|---|
View of Viborg and its monumental cathedral (Viborg Domkirke), as seen from the Søndersø lake.
|
|||
|
|||
 Viborg
|
|||
| Coordinates: 56°27′12″N 09°24′07″E / 56.45333°N 9.40194°E | |||
| Country | Denmark | ||
| Region | Central Denmark (Midtjylland) | ||
| Municipality | Viborg | ||
| Earliest evidence | 8th century | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Torsten Nielsen (Det Konservative Folkeparti) | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 1,474.05 km2 (569.13 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 51 m (167 ft) | ||
| Population (1 January 2014) | |||
| • Density | 62.0/km2 (161/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 39,228 | ||
| • Municipal | 94,985 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 8800 | ||
| Area code(s) | (+45) 8 | ||
| Website | www |
||
Viborg (Danish pronunciation: [ˈʋib̥ɒːˀ]), a city in central Jutland, Denmark, is the capital of both Viborg municipality and Region Midtjylland. Viborg is also the seat of the Western High Court, the High Court for the Jutland peninsula. Viborg Municipality is the second-largest Danish municipality, covering 3.3% of that country's total land area.
Viborg is one of the oldest cities in Denmark, with Viking settlements dating back to the late 8th century. Its central location gave the city great strategic importance, in political and religious matters, during the Middle Ages. A motte-and-bailey-type castle was once located in the city. Viborg takes its name from a combination of two Old Norse words: vé, meaning a holy place, and borg, meaning a fort.
Viborg is famous for Viborg Cathedral. The construction of the cathedral started in 1130 and took about 50 years. The building has burned to the ground and been re-built several times. Only the crypt of the original cathedral is still preserved. The cathedral was and is the locus of cult of Saint Kjeld of Viborg who was dean of the cathedral chapter there and had a great shrine there in the Middle Ages. The newest parts of the church are from 1876. The cathedral is famous for its many paintings by Danish painter Joakim Skovgaard, which depict stories from the Bible. Next to the cathedral is the Skovgaard museum, founded in 1937.
Before the Protestant Reformation Viborg was the home of five monasteries, about 12 parish churches, several chapels and of course the cathedral. Today only the cathedral and a few remains of the Franciscan and the Dominican monasteries are left.
...
Wikipedia