Gilleleje | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Boats in the Gilleleje inner harbour | |
  Gilleleje Location in Denmark Show map of Denmark.svg) Gilleleje Gilleleje (Capital Region) Show map of Capital Region | |
| Coordinates:56°07′N12°19′E / 56.117°N 12.317°E /56.117; 12.317 | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Region | Capital (Hovedstaden) |
| Municipality | Gribskov |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 5.4 km2 (2.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
| • Urban | 6,702 |
| • Urban density | 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi) |
| • Gender[2] | 3,158 males and 3,544 females |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | DK-3250 Gilleleje |
Gilleleje (Danish pronunciation:[kiləˈlɑjə]) is afishing town andseaside resort on the north coast of the peninsulaNorth Zealand,Denmark. The town is located at the northernmost point of the island ofZealand. It is one of the main towns of theGribskov municipality inRegion Hovedstaden inDenmark. As of 1 January 2024, it has a population of 6,702.[1]
The nameGilleleje is made up from the combination of the obsoleteDanish wordgil, which is acrevice orcleft, andleje, which is a place where fishermen come in specific seasons to fish. It was probably concatenated from Gilbjerg Leje, whereGilbjerg ("cleftmountain") is a rather dramatic name for a rather mundane point just west of town limits. The towns ending in -leje are often from the 16th century, when the fishermen actually settled and regular townships appeared. Compare with theSwedish endingläge.[citation needed]
The earliest confirmed permanent residence in Gilleleje is in the early 16th century. An excavation, done in 1979 by the city museum, revealed a lot from a house under the layers of sand. The house had most likely been built shortly after 1536, as a coin was found, dated 1534-36. There were also found ceramics reminiscent of other finds, so the archeologists assumed that theculture layer was from the late 15th century. Additionally, the house was found on the addressFabersvej 10 which is not the closest to the beach, and the habit was to build from the beach and inwards.
At around this time, it is also known that the village had enough financial means to build a church and hire a priest. This required considerable funds, and the general consensus, then, is that the township went from seasonal fishing to year-round fishing, and the fishermen settled down in the years surrounding 1500. Town hall has established 1488 as the "official" founding year to make celebrating easier. The church was inaugurated in 1538 by the newly ordained priest Hans Lauridtzen.
In 1588, the vassal ofKronborg made a list of the taxes that the fishermen should pay. This was one or a half barrel of cod. From this list, we can see who the earliest citizens were. There are about 70 names (a name is analogous to a house - there were probably about 500 citizens), with the surnamesLauritsen,Rasmussen,Jensen andSkomager being the most common. Note thatpatronymic surnames were the norm then, but from this, it gives an impression of what first names were in vogue among the citizens.
Aside from the fishing, the taxes allowed people to grow various types of crops south of the town, such as wheat. There was also a pasture, on which there were many cows and sheep. Most of the town was on the eastern side of the stream that came fromSøborg ("Lakecastle" - ironically, the lake has since been drained and the castle is now a ruin) in the south and went out in the ocean just east of thedrying grounds.
Unfortunately, the influx of fishermen made hard on the fishing, and several families could not catch enough fish to both sustain a living and pay the taxes. In 1632, only 18 families were left. This stabilized the conditions somewhat, and in 1682, the number was up to 30, according to the records ofChristian V. A new problem was present, though. The shifting sand would bury boats and nets, and had to be shoveled away, delaying the real work somewhat. Part of the eastern side of the town was even deserted as a few houses had gradually been buried under dunes.
South of the town wasNellerupgård, the local manor, home to Carl Christian Lembach and Catrine Marie Milan (a descendant ofGabriel Milan) in the late 18th century. They owned most of the land in the area, especially after extracting "their" parts of the common pasture, letting the common citizens get the furthermost areas.
During the 1810s and 20s, the city expanded a lot, and many new houses were built in the eastern area that had once been abandoned. A real harbor was built in 1873, where the drying ground had been. This meant larger ships and thus more jobs, making more people move to the town. In 1890, the town was at 865 households, 112 of which were fishermen. In 1896, Gilleleje was connected with theDanish rail network as the Græsted–Gilleleje section of theGribskov railway line betweenHillerød and Gilleleje opened. The outer harbor was finished in 1902, and in 1916 Gilleleje was connected withElsinore as the Hornbæk-Gilleleje section of theHornbæk railway line was opened.[3]
At the same time, Gilleleje developed into aseaside resort that attracted a large number of holidaymakers every year. At the turn of the century, the town thus contained aguest house, abathing hotel, manyvillas, asanatorium andrecreation homes.[4]
Gilleleje continued to thrive on its fishing until 1940 whenNazi-Germany occupied Denmark.Like most other Danes at the time, the Gillelejere were against the oppression and helped the Jews by hiding them various places in the town. However, on 2 October 1943, theGestapo set out to capture allDanish Jews. The Jews in Gilleleje were hidden on the church-loft, and the fishermen prepared for taking them across the sound toSweden in theircutters. They could not leave immediately, though, because of the German patrols in the street. After several days of hiding, an informer let the Germans know where the roughly 75 Jews were hiding, and they were all captured, bar a single boy who hid behind a gravestone in the cemetery. According to local lore, the priest was so mortified by the situation that he never really became normal again.
A memorable exchange resulted after the Gestapo seized Jewish families in the town. "The poor Jews!" exclaimed one villager to a Gestapo officer. When the German responded that it was "written in the Bible that this shall be their fate,” the villager retorted, “but it is not written that it has to happen in Gilleleje.”[5]
After the occupation was over, several memorials have been put up in the town, both commemorating the Jews and the fishermen who lost their lives when colliding with sea mines.
The eastern areas (calledStæremosen - "Starling moor") that had been used for pasture became the industrial area in and around 1950, creating more jobs, meaning more newcomers.
Gilleleje harbor is the 5th largest commercial fishing harbor inDenmark.
TheHornbæk railway line connects Gilleleje withHelsingør and theGribskov railway line connects Gilleleje withHillerød.Gilleleje railway station is the principal railway station of the town. The town is also served by therailway haltsGilleleje East,Stæremosen andFjellenstrup.
Hope: Entwined with a Lock of Hair. — Naomi Benaron
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56°07′N12°19′E / 56.117°N 12.317°E /56.117; 12.317
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