Viborg Municipality is located in the western part of Denmark – in the middle of the peninsula Jutland. It is the 10th largest municipality in Denmark in terms of citizens and the 2nd largest when it comes to size. The municipality has almost 98,000 citizens and stretches over a total area of 1,409 m2. Viborg with its approximately 42,000 citizens is the largest town in Viborg Municipality and the second largest is Bjerringbro with approximately 7,500 citizens.
Basic facts
- Approx. 98,000 citizens
- Area: 1.409 km2
- Approx. 6,200 employees (Viborg Municipality)
- Approx. 5,000 businesses located in Viborg Municipality
- Approx. 50,000 people employed by companies, institutions and organisations located in Viborg Municipality
History and old town
Viborg is the second oldest city in Denmark and has been an episcopal residence since 1060.
The actual formation of the city started around 1000 but before that, the place was already a sacred gathering place. The name Viborg means the holy hill in that ‘vi’ stems from the old word ‘wii’ which means holy and the word ‘borg’ is derived from the old word ‘berg’ which means hill or mountain.
Viborg was both a religious and a political power centre in Jutland and also in Denmark from the 10th to the 17th century. It was a stronghold for the Catholic church with its cathedral and cathedral college that both date back to the 10th century.
As roads from north, south, west and east meet in Viborg, the city became an obvious settlement and meeting place for traders and craftsmen making Viborg a major regional trading and market city.
The region’s landsting met in Viborg and at the annual meeting of the landsting, property owners paid their annual deeds, mortages, taxes, etc. to the landsting. The landsting was a group of regionally appointed nobility and gentry who acted both as legislator and court.
Being a landsting city was special as all Danish kings were acclaimed by the country’s main landsting cities. This meant that until the Danish autocracy in 1660, all Danish kings were acclaimed in Viborg. The last king was acclaimed in 1655.
Viborg experienced a devastating fire in 1726 which raced for three days and reduced half of the city to ashes. Many of the houses that were not destroyed still exist today and can be seen the old part of Viborg.
Viborg is famous for its cathedral which is the city’s landmark and occupies a prominent place in the heart of the city. Its old boulders date back to 1134 but because the cathedral was severely damaged by the 1726 fire, it was closed in 1862 and torn down. The existing cathedral was inaugurated in 1876.