Høje-Taastrup Municipality Høje-Taastrup Kommune (Danish) | |
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 Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates:55°38′52″N12°16′12″E / 55.6477°N 12.27°E /55.6477; 12.27 | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Region | Hovedstaden |
| Established | 1970 |
| Seat | Taastrup |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael Ziegler (C) |
| Area | |
• Total | 78.41 km2 (30.27 sq mi) |
| Population (1. January 2025)[1] | |
• Total | 59,059 |
| • Density | 753.2/km2 (1,951/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Municipal code | 169 |
| Website | www |
Høje-Taastrup Municipality (Danish:Høje-Taastrup Kommune) is a municipality (Danish,kommune) in theCapital Region on the island ofZealand (Sjælland) in easternDenmark. The municipality covers an area of 78 km2 (30 sq mi), and has a total population of 59,059 (1. January 2025). It was formed by the1970 Danish Municipal Reform, and its 1974 adjustment, by merging the parish municipalities ofHøje Taastrup,Sengeløse, the Fløng part ofHvedstrup-Fløng and the Reerslev part ofReerslev-Vindinge. Since 1 January 2006 the mayor of the municipality has beenMichael Ziegler, a member of theConservative People's Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti)political party.
The main town is the town ofTaastrup. Other towns in the municipality includeHøje Taastrup (without hyphenation),Hedehusene,Fløng, Sengeløse, Vridsløsemagle and Reerslev.
| Taastrup | 34,248 |
| Hedehusene | 12,250 |
| Sengeløse | 1,550 |
| Reerslev | 653 |
| Vridsløsemagle | 270 |
Neighboring municipalities areAlbertslund andVallensbæk to the east,Egedal to the north,Roskilde to the west, andGreve andIshøj to the south. The Holbæk Motorway and the West Forest (Vestskoven) help define the municipality's eastern perimeter.
The Holbæk Motorway bisects the municipality east-to-west, and is a major roadway connectingCopenhagen through Roskilde toHolbæk; it extends all the way to the tip ofSjællands Odde, apeninsula sticking out into theKattegat where a ferry connects to Denmark's mainland (theJutland peninsula) at the town ofEbeltoft. Additionally Motorring 4 splits off from the Holbæk Motorway at the municipality's eastern border leading to the various motorways servicing the northern parts of Zealand. The municipality's good position in the traffic network has led to the development of Høje-Taastrup Transportation Center, which includesCarlsberg Brewery's huge bottle depot.
The West Forest is located where the three municipalities of Høje-Taastrup, Albertslund, and Ledøje-Smørum border on one another. It is part of a system of green areas surrounding the Copenhagen metropolitan area. It offers an extensive system of hiking and bike trails through grass and marsh areas. It connects to other parts of the greenway system, allowing one to seamlessly make a tour around the metropolitan area.
Another throughway in this municipality is historic Roskilde Way (Roskildevej), which runs from Copenhagen to Roskilde. The first major road connecting these two cities was built in 1642 by KingChristian IV. It was called The King's Road (Kongevejen), and was replaced in the 18th century by the current roadway. At Hedehusene, one of the towns in the municipality, the road changes name to Copenhagen Way (Københansvej), i.e. the road leading from Roskilde to Copenhagen. The Holbæk Motorway runs into, and has replaced part of the old Roskilde Way.
Road signs indicating that one is leaving the Copenhagen metropolitan area are mounted within the municipality, where thesuburban residential area gives way to the countryside, and the more agricultural side of the municipality.
Høje-Taastrup municipality was not merged with other municipalities on 1 January 2007 as the result of nationwideKommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007).
The towns of Høje Taastrup, Taastrup, and Hedehusene are railway station towns in theGreater Copenhagen Authority (Hovedstadens Udviklingsråd (HUR)). The station at Høje Taastrup is one of the largest in Denmark and offers excellent local (Copenhagen-area), regional (includingRoskilde,Holbæk andKalundborg), and national and even international train connections (for example, toHamburg, Germany).
The town of Høje Taastrup is a new development, centered on thetrain station. Behind the former town hall lies the old village of Høje Taastrup, with its typical country church, picturesque thatch-roofed buildings, and a village pond complete with duck houses. It is a reminder of the area's agricultural past. The farmland that used to lie in the vicinity of the old village has been pretty much developed as of 2005.
Located at the south end of the railroad station complex is another area landmark— the 26.3-meter-tall (86 ft) sculpture "Thor's Tower" (Torstårnet), the tallest sculpture in the Nordic countries. It was made byBjørn Nørgaard, and was inaugurated on 4 December 1986. There are several unique buildings in the same area, including the train station itself with its distinctive three arches. The three arches have become a symbol of the municipality, and have given rise to the moniker "The City of Arches" (Danish:Buernes By, which in aplay on words sounds remarkably similar to the phraseByernes By or "The City of Cities").
The city has a sizeable number of immigrants, mostly from Vietnam and Arab countries.
The town is home to City 2 shopping centre, Denmark's second largest shopping centre or mall.
The town of Taastrup is a railway town adjacent to Copenhagen suburbia. It lies to the east of Høje Taastrup, and its central street and shopping is around Taastrup hovedgade, formerly called Køgevej. Some of the shops are cafés, fastfood parlors, barbers, and jewelry stores. The housing project of Tåstrupgård is located in Taastrup.
Hedehusene lies to the west of Høje Taastrup, on the stretch of railway connecting Copenhagen-Høje Taastrup-Roskilde. The town got its name with the building of the King's Road leading to Roskilde. King Christian IV wanted a house built for an official who would keep watch over entry gates on the road. This became the first house (Danish:hus) on theheath (Danish:hede) or Danish prairie. Thus the town became Hedehusene (lit. "The houses on the heath")
Today the town has grown physically into neighboring Kallerup, Fløng, and Baldersbrønde. The most important commercial area is Roskilde Street (Roskildevej).Rockwool International, immediately west of the town, is the largest employer.[citation needed]
Hedeland, close by, is a unique nature area created at the site of a former gravel excavation area. It also features a 4,000 seat amphitheatre.
One of Denmark's oldestrunestones, theKallerup Stone (Kallerupstenen) from ca. 800-825 is erected at Ansgarkirken.
There are between 1000 and 1500 immigrants, the vast majority coming fromTurkey (Sivas andKonya). And there are small groups from Pakistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Iran and Iraq.
Høje-Taastrup's municipal council consists of 21 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since theMunicipal Reform of 2007.
| Election | Party | Total seats | Turnout | Elected mayor | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | F | L | O | V | Ø | ||||||
| 2005 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 65.3% | Michael Ziegler (C) | ||||
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 64.5% | ||||||
| 2013 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 69.1% | ||||||
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 65.8% | ||||||
| Data fromKmdvalg.dk 2005,2009,2013 and2017 | |||||||||||||
Several historicchurches are located in Høje-Taastrup including: Blaakilde Church, City Church, Høje Taastrup Church,Reerslev Church, Rønnevang Church, Sankt Pauls Church, Sengeløse Church, Skt. Maria & Skt. Markus Church and Taastrup New Church.
Høje-Taastrup istwinned with:[2]
Media related toHøje-Taastrup Kommune at Wikimedia Commons
Places adjacent to Høje-Taastrup Municipality | ||||||||||||||||
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