Ringkøbing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ringkøbing is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in Ringkjøbing County on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 401 km², and it has a total population of 17,890 (2005). Its mayor is Hans Østergaard, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party.
The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Ringkøbing.
Neighboring municipalities are Videbæk and Trehøje to the east, Ulfborg-Vemb to the north, Holmsland to the west, and Skjern to the south. Parts of its western border are defined by the waters of the North Sea and Ringkøbing Fjord.
By January 1, 2007 Ringkøbing municipality will cease to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It will be merged with existing Egvad, Holmsland, Skjern, and Videbæk municipalities to form the new Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality. This will create a municipality with an area of 1,485 km² and a total population of 57,818 (2005). The new municipality will belong to the new Region Midtjylland ("Mid-Jutland Region").
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[edit] The town of Ringkøbing
[edit] History
Archeological finds suggest that the town was founded in the 13th century. At that time it was the only real harbour town along the Danish west coast, being sheltered from the North Sea by the wall of Holmsland Dunes (Holmsland Klit).
In the 17th century the exit out of Ringkøbing Fjord started moving south, caused by wind and tide; Ringkøbing was then cut off from the sea. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that a new opening to the sea was created at the town of Hvide Sande, in nearby Holmsland municipality. This enabled boats to come to Ringkøbing again from the North Sea.
The name Ringkøbing means "The market town near Rindum". Already in the 11th century, a church was build in the small village Rindum. The village is probably even older, and there has been found proof of settlements dating as far back as the 6th century.
[edit] Attractions
Today the centre of Ringkøbing has some quaint old streets, most of which lead towards the water of the fjord.
Ringkøbing Church was built in the early 1400s, and its tower, which is wider on top than on the bottom, was erected ca. 1550. The church houses two organs: the oldest in the west pulpit was built by Demant & Son in 1861 with a baroque facade from 1633; the other from 1974 is by Theodor Frobenius & Sons. As the result of a restoration in 1995-1996, the church has a number of modern features, including an altarpiece by Arne Haugen Sørensen and a glass baptismal font.
[edit] External links
- Municipality's official website
- The new Ringkøbing Fjord municipality's official cooperation and tourism information website
- West Jutland tourism information, covering Ringkøbing area
[edit] References
- Municipal statistics: NetBorger Kommunefakta, delivered from KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
- Municipal mergers and neighbors: Eniro new municipalities map
