Vendsyssel
Encyclopedia
Vendsyssel is the northernmost traditional district of Denmark
and of Jutland
. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord
, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island
. Vendsyssel is part of the North Denmark Region.
Vendsyssel neighbours Hanherred
to the southwest and Himmerland
to the south, across the Limfjord. Whether the island Læsø
is also a part of Vendsyssel, is a matter of definition. The major towns of Vendsyssel are Hjørring
, Frederikshavn
, Brønderslev
, Sæby
, Hirtshals
, Løkken
, Nørresundby
and, on its northern tip, Skagen
. The dominating city is, however, Aalborg
which is mainly situated outside Vendsyssel on the southern shore of the Limfjord with Nørresundby as a secondary, northern centre.
tribe of the Vandals
. Syssel
is an ancient form of administrative region. Vendel (Old Danish Wændil) was also the ancient name of the Limfjord
itself.
to Norway
and Western Sweden
. The European routes E39
and E45
cross the area as motorways. National route 11 connects Vendsyssel with Hanherred
and Thy before crossing the Limfjord to western Jutland on the Oddesund
Bridge. Danish national road 40
also passes through Vendsyssel.
:
To Norway
:
To mainland Jutland
:
To the island of Læsø:
To the Faroe Islands
:
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...
and of 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...
. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord
Limfjord
The Limfjord is a shallow sound in Denmark that separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. It extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres long and of an irregular shape with several bays, narrowings,...
, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island
Vendsyssel-Thy
The North Jutlandic Island , Vendsyssel-Thy, or simply Jutland north of the Limfjord are lesser-used names for the northernmost part of Denmark and of Jutland. It is more common to refer to the three traditional districts Vendsyssel, Hanherred and Thy...
. Vendsyssel is part of the North Denmark Region.
Vendsyssel neighbours Hanherred
Hanherred
Hanherred or Hanherrederne is a traditional district in northern Jutland, Denmark. It lies between Thy in the west and Vendsyssel in the east. To the north it faces the North Sea and to the south the Limfjord. There are only two towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants, Fjerritslev and...
to the southwest and Himmerland
Himmerland
Himmerland is a peninsula in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. It is delimited to the north and the west by the Limfjord, to the east by the Kattegat, and to the south by the Mariager Fjord. The largest city is Aalborg; smaller towns include Hobro, Aars, Løgstør, Støvring and Nibe...
to the south, across the Limfjord. Whether the island Læsø
Læsø
Læsø is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish mainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality on that island...
is also a part of Vendsyssel, is a matter of definition. The major towns of Vendsyssel are Hjørring
Hjørring
Hjørring Municipality is a municipality in North Denmark Region on the west coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 929,58 km², making it the largest in Vendsyssel, and it has a total population of 67,121...
, Frederikshavn
Frederikshavn
This article is about a Danish town. For the German town, see Friedrichshafen, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Frederikshavn is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to...
, Brønderslev
Brønderslev
Brønderslev is a town with a population of 11,840 . It is the municipal seat of Brønderslev municipality, Vendsyssel in Region Nordjylland, the northernmost part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark....
, Sæby
Sæby
Sæby is a Danish town, with a population of 8,875 , in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland on the northeast coast of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark.-Attractions:* Sæby Harbour* Sæby Church...
, Hirtshals
Hirtshals
Hirtshals is a town in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland on the north coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe.-The town of Hirtshals:...
, Løkken
Løkken
Løkken may refer to the following locations:*Løkken-Vrå, a former municipality in Denmark, Now part of Hjørring.*Løkken a small sea side town in that municipality*Løkken Verk, a village in Norway....
, Nørresundby
Nørresundby
Nørresundby, a part of Aalborg Municipality, is a northern neighbourhood in Aalborg, north of the Limfjord, in Vendsyssel, in Denmark. The urban area has a population of 21,376 ....
and, on its northern tip, Skagen
Skagen
Skagen is a projection of land and a town, with a population of 8,515 , in Region Nordjylland on the northernmost tip of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark...
. The dominating city is, however, Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
which is mainly situated outside Vendsyssel on the southern shore of the Limfjord with Nørresundby as a secondary, northern centre.
History
According to historians and linguists, the name Vendsyssel may be derived from the GermanicGermanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
tribe of the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
. Syssel
Sýsla
A sýsla is a police district in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and formerly in Denmark.Spelled syssel, the name still can be found in the Danish district Vendsyssel and in Norway in the title: sysselmann .-Faroe Islands sýsla:* Norðoyar* Eysturoy* Streymoy* Vágar* Sandoy*...
is an ancient form of administrative region. Vendel (Old Danish Wændil) was also the ancient name of the Limfjord
Limfjord
The Limfjord is a shallow sound in Denmark that separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. It extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres long and of an irregular shape with several bays, narrowings,...
itself.
Places of interest
- HirtshalsHirtshalsHirtshals is a town in Hjørring municipality in Region Nordjylland on the north coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark, Europe.-The town of Hirtshals:...
lighthouse - Mårup ChurchMårup ChurchMårup Church was a Romanesque church located in Vendsyssel in Denmark's northern Jutland. The church was built on Lønstrup Klint, a cliff on the North Sea near the town of Lønstrup in the Hjørring municipality. The area is noted for its windswept landscape, constantly shifting sands and eroding...
- North Sea OceanariumNordsøen OceanariumNordsøen Oceanarium is a public aquarium and museum that opened in 1998 on the shores of the North Sea in Hirtshals, north Jutland, Denmark. It is the largest public aquarium in Northern Europe....
- Rubjerg Knude lighthouseRubjerg Knude LighthouseRubjerg Knude Lighthouse is located on the coast of the North Sea in Rubjerg, in the Jutland municipality of Hjørring in northern Denmark. It was first lit on December 27, 1900. Construction of the lighthouse began in 1899....
Infrastructure
Vendsyssel is an important gatehead for transport from the European continentContinental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Western Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The European routes E39
European route E39
E 39 is the designation of a 1330 km long north-south road in Norway and Denmark, running from Klett just south of Trondheim to Aalborg, via Orkanger, Vinjeøra, Halsa ... Straumsnes, Krifast, Batnfjordsøra, Molde ... Vestnes, Skodje, Ålesund ... Volda ... Nordfjordeid ... Sandane, Førde,...
and E45
European route E45
The European route E 45 goes between Sweden and Italy, through Denmark, Germany and Austria. With a length of about , it is the longest north-south European route...
cross the area as motorways. National route 11 connects Vendsyssel with Hanherred
Hanherred
Hanherred or Hanherrederne is a traditional district in northern Jutland, Denmark. It lies between Thy in the west and Vendsyssel in the east. To the north it faces the North Sea and to the south the Limfjord. There are only two towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants, Fjerritslev and...
and Thy before crossing the Limfjord to western Jutland on the Oddesund
Oddesund
Oddesund is a strait in the Danish Limfjorden. A bridge spans the fjord connecting the mainland of Jutland with Thy. According to the Heimskringla, a battle took place in Oddasund between the Swedish king Jorund and a Norwegian pirate from Hålogaland....
Bridge. Danish national road 40
Danish national road 40
Danish national road 40 , is a Danish national road in Vendsyssel in North Jutland between Skagen and Frederikshavn. The length of the road is 45 km .-Names of the road:...
also passes through Vendsyssel.
Bridges
Vendsyssel is linked to mainland Jutland by bridges and a tunnel:- Limfjord Railroad Bridge (in Aalborg, linking Vendsyssel to the rail network)
- Limfjord Bridge (road, linking Nørresundby to central Aalborg)
- Limfjord Tunnel (motorway E45, east of Aalborg)
- A further bridge crossing the Limfjord west of Aalborg (carrying the E39) has been proposed.
Railways
- Frederikshavn-Hjørring-Brønderslev-Aalborg, Danish State Railways, single trackSingle track (rail)A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
, hourly Intercity trains, usually running through to Århus and CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... - Hjørring-Hirtshals, local railway (and transit to Norway)
- Frederikshavn-Skagen, local railway
Ferries
To SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
:
- Frederikshavn-GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
(also for railway freight cars)
To Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
:
- Hirtshals-KristiansandKristiansand-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
(also for railway freight cars) - Hirtshals-LarvikLarvikis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
- Hirtshals-StavangerStavangerStavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
- Hirtshals-BergenBergenBergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
- Hirtshals-OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
- Hirtshals-LangesundLangesundis the administrative centre of the municipality of Bamble, Norway.The town of Langesund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
- Frederikshavn-OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
To mainland 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...
:
- HalsHals MunicipalityHals Municipality ceased to exist on January 1, 2007, due to Kommunalreformen It was located in North Jutland County. The municipality covered an area of 191 km², and had a total population of 11,448 . Its last mayor was Bent Sørensen, a member of the Social Democrats political party...
-Egense (crossing the eastern mouth of the Limfjord)
To the island of Læsø:
- FrederikshavnFrederikshavnThis article is about a Danish town. For the German town, see Friedrichshafen, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Frederikshavn is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to...
-LæsøLæsøLæsø is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish mainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality on that island...
To the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
:
- Hirtshals-TórshavnTórshavnTórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...
Airports
- Aalborg AirportAalborg AirportAalborg Airport is a dual-use airport located in Nørresundby, Denmark, which is northwest of Aalborg. Aalborg Airport is the third largest airport in Denmark with approximately 1.4 million travellers per year.-Duty Free Shopping:...
(international) - Sindal Airfield (currently no scheduled routes)