Hundested
Encyclopedia
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, kommune
Municipalities of Denmark
This is a list of Municipalities of Denmark.-Region Hovedstaden:* Albertslund Municipality* Allerød Municipality* Ballerup Municipality* Bornholm Regional Municipality* Brøndby Municipality* Copenhagen Municipality* Dragør Municipality* Egedal Municipality...
) in Region Hovedstaden
Region Hovedstaden
The Capital Region of Denmark is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the...
in the northern part of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
The former municipality is surrounded by water on three side: to the north is the Kattegat
Kattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
, to the west is the channel leading into the Isefjord
Isefjord
The Isefjord, Danish Isefjorden, is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island Zealand.From its relatively narrow entrance from the Kattegat at Hundested and Rørvig, branches of the Isefjord stretch 35 km inland and divide the northern part of Zealand into the peninsulas of...
, and to the south is Roskilde Fjord
Roskilde Fjord
Roskilde Fjord is the fjord north of Roskilde, Denmark, and is located at . It is a long branch of the Isefjord.-Cities:The cities Frederiksværk, Frederikssund, Jægerspris, Jyllinge and Roskilde, , all have coastline at Roskilde Fjord...
and the channel leading into it from the Isefjord.
The area
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
connects Hundested to the town of Rørvig
Rørvig
Rørvig is a small town with a population of 1,056 in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Rørvig is surrounded by water on three sides: to the north is the Kattegat, to the east is the channel leading into the Isefjord, and to the south is Roskilde Fjord. There is a...
in Odsherred municipality, another to Kulhuse in Jægerspris municipality from the town of Sølager. For many years the municipality had a ferry connection to Grenå
Grenå
Grenaa or Grenå is a town in central Denmark with a population of 14,308 . The town centre is about 2 km west of the east coast of the Djursland peninsula in Jutland's Region Midtjylland...
in Grenå municipality
Grenå municipality
Until January 1, 2007, Grenaa municipality or Grenå municipality was a municipality in Aarhus County on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 196 km², and had a total population of 18,641 . Its last mayor was Gert Schou, a member of the...
on the Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
peninsula from the town of Hundested which began service July 14, 1934. This has, however, in recent years been discontinued, to the great dismay of residents. The ferry to Rørvig celebrated its 75th anniversary of service on May 16, 2003. Ferry service in the area has a long history. When Lynæs Inn, south of the town of Hundested, was established in 1804, it was licensed as an inn catering to ferry passengers, although in those days the service was highly irregular.
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 municipality
On January 1, 2007 Hundested municipality ceased to exist due to Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with FrederiksværkFrederiksværk
Frederiksværk is a town with a population of 12,257 in Halsnæs Municipality on Zealand in Region Hovedstaden in Denmark.-History:A French cannon founder, Peyrembert, received permission to build a cannon factory here...
municipality to form the new Frederiksværk-Hundested municipality
Frederiksværk-Hundested municipality
Halsnæs Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 120 km², and has a total population of 30,824 ....
. The name was changed to Halsnæs municipality on January 1, 2008. This created a municipality with an area of 120 km² and a total population of 30,253.
Origin of name
The name Hundested is thought to come from royal sealPinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
hunts on a stone reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
known as the "dog (seal) reef" Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, hund sted, lit. "dog place"). This reef has now disappeared, the stones having been used for harbours in the nearby Øresund
Oresund
The Sound , is the strait that separates the Danish island Zealand from the southern Swedish province of Scania. Its width is just at the narrowest point between Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden...
("The Sound"). Today, the dog seals live further out at sea on the reefs around the island of Hesselø
Hesselø
Hesselø is a small island of Denmark, belonging to Halsnæs Municipality, in Region Hovedstaden. The island is situated in the Kattegat, about 25 km north of Sjælland, and has an area of 0.71 km²....
.
Attractions
The Knud Rasmussens house in the town of Hundested was the home of polar explorer Knud Rasmussen, who lived there between his many expeditions to GreenlandGreenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. The house is situated 30 metres above the beach, and offers a beautiful view of the Kattegat. It has been turned into a museum dedicated to the explorer and his work. It is full of photographs and paintings of Greenland.
One of Denmark's largest dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s, Grønnessedyssen Karlstenen, can be seen at nearby Grønnesse Forrest.
The area boasts several interesting churches, including Torup church, which dates from the 12th century. It has, among other things, a granite Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es from about 1250, a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
from about 1300 and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
from 1750.
The former municipality offers two harbours to pleasure boaters and sports fisher: Hundested Harbour, in the center of the town of Hundested, and Lynæs Harbour, located south of the town near the entryway into the Roskilde Fjord.