Hjørring is the biggest and most important city of the Norjylland region in Denmark. It is also one of the oldest cities in Denmark.
The name of the city comes from the Old Norse: Hjórr- (in this language it means “sword”) and -ing (a typical ending for the Old Danish cities). The most important date in the history of the city is 31 March 1243, when Hjørring was granted its City Charter and trade privileges by King Eric IV. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Hjørring was the seat of Jutland local parliament and the citizens made a living mostly by handicraft and trade. After the Thirty Years’ War, Hjørring started to deteriorate. Its revival started after 1750. It was flourishing the most in the 60’s of the 20th century.
Nowadays, Hjørring is a commercial, industrial, educational and tourist centre of the region. The city is an administrative centre of Hjørring Kommune, one of the biggest communes in the district of Nordjylland.
The art is highly appreciated in Hjørring, which can be confirmed by more than 160 sculptures of Danish and Scandinavian artists which are located in the city. It is the result of an action called “Let’s make our everyday life beautiful” which started in about 1970. In the city, there are lots of museums and galleries.
Since 1982, Hjørring hosts Dana Cup, i.e. the world’s largest football tournament for children and youth (aged from 10 to 19). In 2016, there were about 1100 teams from all over the world which played around 3000 matches.
Monuments / attractions:
- St. Catherine’s Church (Danish: Sct. Catherine Kirke) – a church dedicated to Saint Catherine from Alexandria, the patroness of the city. Originally constructed in about 1250, in the Gothic style. It is situated near the Old Market.
- Saint John the Baptist Church (Danish: Sct. Hans Kirke) – the church dates back to the 12th century, it consists of a presbytery and a central aisle that was built of granite blocks.
- Saint Olaf’s Church (Danish: Sct. Olai Kirke) – the oldest church in the city. It is dedicated to Saint Olaf II of Norway and it was built in 1038 by his son, Magnus the Good, who was the king of Denmark from 1042 to 1047. The present-day granite church is around 100
North Danish College of Business and Technology (EUC Nord) – the university was formed by merging technical schools from Hjørring and Frederikshavn. Four out of six school faculties are located in Hjørring.
Culture:
- Vendsyssel Historical Museum (Danish: Vendsyssel Historiske Museum) – the museum presents the history of both the city and region starting from prehistoric times up to the present day.
- Vendsyssel Kunstmuseum) – the museum has got rich collections of paintings that were inspired by the surrounding landscape. There are some sculptures and handicrafts as well.
-
Artisan’s House (Danish. Håndværkernes Hus) – a living museum of craft, where it is possible to learn about the work of, among others, a turner, smith or a furniture maker. The museum is situated in the city centre
Industry:
Hjørring is the city that is intensely industrialised in commercial, manufacturing and service sectors. The biggest companies are the ones representing the following lines of business: information processing, graphics processing, food production, furniture making and wood processing, metallurgy, textiles and manufacture of wearing apparel.
