Before a decision was made to establish aharbour (now the second largest in Denmark) at Esbjerg in 1868, the area consisted of only a few farms. Esbjerg developed quickly with the population rising to 13,000 by 1901 and 70,000 by 1970. In addition to its fishing and shipping activities, it also became an important centre for agricultural exports. Over the years, many of the city's visitors have arrived by ferry fromHarwich,Essex, England, but this service closed in September 2014 having run since 1875. The harbour facilities are being expanded to answer the needs of thewind-turbine industry andcontainer shipping traffic. Esbjerg is served byEsbjerg Airport with flights toAberdeen, Scotland andStavanger, Norway.
The town itself was not established until 1868 when it was built as a replacement for the harbour inAltona,[3] which had previously been Denmark's most importantNorth Sea port but came under German control after theSecond Schleswig War in 1864. At the time, Esbjerg consisted of only a few farms. Developed under royal decree from 1868 until 1874,[4] theharbour was officially opened in 1874, with rail connections toVarde and toFredericia, an important hub on the east coast ofJutland. Initial planning of the town was conducted by chartered surveyor H. Wilkens in 1870 with streets laid out in the form of a rectangular grid. Themarket square (Torvet) was positioned at the centre, midway between the harbour and the railway station.[5] From only 400 inhabitants at the beginning of the 1870s, the town and its population grew rapidly,[6][7] with 1529 residents mentioned in 1880, and 4,211 in 1890.[4]
Esbjerg in May 1945
In 1893, Esbjerg became a municipality in its own right (initially known as Esbjerg Ladeplads), receiving the status and privileges of amarket town in 1899 and incorporating the parish of Jerne (east of the centre) in 1945. A number of institutions and facilities were soon established, including thecourthouse and town hall (1891), the gas and waterworks (1896) and the power plant (1907).[8] From the beginning of the 20th century, Esbjerg prospered not only as a fishing port but became one of the country's major export centres. Established in 1895 by nine local dairies, the butter-packaging factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employed some 150 workers until 1920, packing and dispatching butter for the London market. It was later extended to include egg marketing under the name Dansk Andels Ægeksport. Ultimately, it handled produce from 140 dairies spread across the whole of Jutland.[9] After theSecond World War, the town developed several agricultural industries, especially meat processing and packaging with a plant employing over 300. The slaughterhouse and meat packaging facility, Esbjerg Andels-Slagteri, established in 1887, became Denmark's sixth largest by 1962. It later became part of Vestjyske Slagterier in 1986, and in 2001, it was acquired byDanish Crown.[10][11]
Left: Shopping in Esbjerg. Right: Skandi Fjord in Esbjerg dock
Once Denmark's principal fishing port, the Port of Esbjerg is still a driving force for the town's economy. While it has a long history of ferry services to England, the town is by no means a tourist destination.Lonely Planet remarked that "nobody comes to Esbjerg for a holiday, in fact, as with many industrial ports, most visitors rush through as quickly as possible".[12] Esbjerg is the main town for Denmark's oil and offshore activities, with companies likeMaersk,Ramboll, Stimwell Services,ABB,Schlumberger,COWI andAtkins all having offshore-related activities in the town.Halliburton has an office in Esbjerg.[13] The port has served the Danish offshore industry sinceoil and gas were first extracted from theNorth Sea in the early 1970s. More recently, it has become a centre for shippingoffshore wind turbines. In addition to handling 65 percent of all Danish wind turbines, which supply 3 gigawatts (4,000,000 hp) of offshore wind power, components have been shipped to various British wind farms. In order to cope with enormous future increases in Danish offshore wind power, 12 companies, includingDONG Energy and Bluewater Energy Services are already planning the establishment of a Green Offshore Centre in Esbjerg.[14] In connection with this, in June 2013, the port was significantly expanded with the opening of the Østhavn (East Harbour), covering an area of 650,000 m2 (7,000,000 sq ft).[15]
Historically, in addition to its success as a fishing port, Esbjerg established its position as one of the country's major export centres. BeforeWorld War II, there was a large butter factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employing some 150 workers while after the war the town developed agricultural industries, especially for meat processing and packaging with a plant employing over 300.[11] Latterly owned byDanish Crown and employing 500, the plant closed in May 2012.[16]
More recently, Esbjerg has grown into an important centre for education with campuses belonging to theUniversity of Southern Denmark (1998) andAalborg University (1995).[7] The town holds an annual music festival spanning two weekends (nine days) in mid-August. It is focused around the central Torvet Square which hosts the main stage. The music includes everything from church concerts to opera and pop.[17]
The town is situated on the southwestern coast of Denmark, and is a port on theNorth Sea. By road, it is 71 kilometres (44 mi) west ofKolding, 164 kilometres (102 mi) southwest ofAarhus, 298 kilometres (185 mi) west ofCopenhagen and 274 kilometres (170 mi) southwest ofAalborg.[18] By sea, it is situated roughly 610 km (380 mi) northeast of Harwich, England. As a result of planned development, the older sections of the town look like a chessboard with long, wide streets with rectangular corners.[7]
Esbjerg is on the southwest coast of Denmark at Fanø Bay, across fromFanø island on theNorth Sea, and west ofKolding
The high ground of Esbjerg stretches along the east coast of theWadden Sea (now aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site)[19][20] between the rivers ofVarde andSneum, encompassing the coastal area ofHo Bugt and the seaside district ofHjerting to the north. Opposite Esbjerg, acrossFanø Bay, is the island ofFanø, 16 by 5 km (10 by 3 mi), withNordby as its principal settlement, connected to Esbjerg by ferry. To the west of Esbjerg, the town boundary is defined by a number of small streams. The highest point is some 25 m (82 ft) above sea level.[21] The town is located on top of steep slopes leading down to the flatlands of the harbour area. The built-up area itself is not very hilly but there are considerable differences in terrain. Apart from the cliff in the town park overlooking the harbour, the valley of Fourfelt Bæk, 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) in length, is the main feature of the landscape, resulting in differences of up to 20 m (66 ft) with the surroundings.[21]
Esbjerg experiences anoceanic climate (Cfb in theKöppen classification; Do in theTrewartha climate classification) due to its geographical location, being next to theNorth Sea. Due to the presence of the sea's temperate marine currents, the city sees warm summers and rather mild winters, moderating the weather in all seasons to be mild. Unlike Denmark's eastern portion (which consists of islands), the city hardly sees any continental influences to its weather.
As of 1 January 2019, Esbjerg has a population of 72,168,[24] making it the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in west Jutland. Until the harbour was developed in the 1860s, the area was sparsely inhabited with just a few farms. Thereafter, it grew rapidly: by 1880, there were some 1,500 inhabitants, rising to some 13,000 by 1901 when it was already larger than neighbouringVarde andRibe. By the end of the 1950s, with almost 60,000 inhabitants, it had become Denmark's fifth-largest city. By 1970, Esbjerg had seen a fivefold increase in population since 1901, reaching some 70,000. After 1970, the increase in population slowed, reaching a maximum of 73,422 in 1998.[11][25]
Esbjerg Harbour from the watertower
In contrast to Denmark's four largest cities (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg andOdense) where there were substantial increases in population between the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014, Esbjerg Municipality experienced an increase of only 44 inhabitants (from 115,051 to 115,095) over the same period.[26] In May 2014, Esbjerg was noted to be one of the least attractive of Denmark's top 20 cities for house purchases and apartment rentals, dropping to 19th place, along withHerning.[27]
Esbjerg's city council for the period January 2014 to December 2017 consists of 31 members, 15 of whom areVenstre, Liberal Party of Denmark and nine,Social Democrats. The mayor, also from the Venstre, Liberal Party, isJohnny Søtrup, who has been mayor of both the former municipality in the period 1994 to 2006 and subsequently in the expanded municipality since the beginning of 2007. There are also eight special committees which prepare the work of the council covering the areas of finance, labour market, health, children & family, culture & leisure, planning & environment, social services, and technology & supply.[28][29]
The oldCourthouse on the main square was designed byHans Christian Amberg and completed in 1892 when the town had only 4,000 inhabitants. The red-brick building withstepped gables, round-arched windows and a tower reaching 30 metres (98 feet) in height resembles a medieval castle. After comprehensive renovation work in 2010, it is now used as a venue for weddings and houses the tourist office.[31]
Man Meets the Sea (Mennesket ved Havet) is a monument of four 9-meter-tall (30-foot) white-coloured men located to the west of Esbjerg, overlookingSædding Beach. One of the area's major tourist attractions, the sculpture was designed bySvend Wiig Hansen and installed on 28 October 1995. It was funded by theEsbjerg Municipality authorities, theKunstfond arts foundation and private sponsors to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the municipality in 1994. The monument can be seen by ferry leaving or entering Esbjerg.[32]
The largest hotel in Esbjerg is Hotel Britannia.[34] Other hotels in the city center includes Cabinn and Hotel Ansgar in Skolegade. Danhostel Esbjerg in a former high school is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the northwest of the city along Gammel Vardevej near sports facilities. An equivalent distance North are hotel and conference facilities at ECH Park. Most of the restaurants in Esbjerg are to the east of Torvet.[35] Of particular note areSand's Restaurant which servesDanish cuisine such assmørrebrød,meatballs, smoked eels and the fried beef pattypariserbof, and thePaddy Go Easy Irish pub near the main square.[35] Housed in a listed building on the main square,Dronning Louise serves everything from full meals to sandwiches and occasionally offers live music.[5][36]
The first church to be built in Esbjerg was the red-brickChurch of Our Saviour designed by Axel Møller, which was completed in 1887. In 1896, it was expanded with transepts and galleries on either side of the nave, doubling the seating capacity.[37] Several more churches were established after the Second World War when there was a marked increase in the city's population. The first of these, the yellow-brickTrinity Church with its large triangularstained-glass windows, was designed to accommodate a large congregation while offering additional facilities for both young and old. Breaking with tradition, its square-shaped nave was built directly adjacent to lower ancillary buildings including a hall with a stage, meeting rooms and a kitchen. The bell tower stands alone, quite separate from the church.[38]
St Nikolaj is a Roman Catholic church, built in 1969. Unusual for a church, it is built of aerated concrete. Its innovative square-shaped design byJohan Otto von Spreckelsen served as a basis for hisGrande Arche in Paris.[39] The dimensions of the inner cube of St Nikolaj Church are very close to those of the "holy of holies" inSolomon's Temple as described inEzekiel 40:5.[40]
The modern red-brickGrundtvig's Church, southeast of the town centre, was designed by Ole Nielsen. With its strangely shaped, red-tiled roof, it was completed in 1969. Inside, the large wall surfaces are broken only by 12 narrow windows on the east side, creating a contrast with the much brighter tower room which opens into the chancel with light entering from a window high on the east side of the tower.[41]
Designed byInger and Johannes Exner,Sædden Church with wave-like folds in its red-brick walls was inaugurated in 1978. Daylight focusing on the altar is supplemented by 803 electric light bulbs.[42]Gjesing Church, a red-brick building north of the city centre, was completed 1983. Like many other modern churches in the area, it has a free-standing bell tower as well as a church hall and meeting rooms.[43] Other churches include Zion's Church and Jerne Church.
The municipality has a number of museums, libraries and music and drama venues. TheEsbjerg Performing Arts Centre (Musikhuset Esbjerg) is a complex with two auditoriums. Its concert hall, with seating for over 1,100, can also be adapted for theatrical productions. Completed in 1997 to designs byJan Utzon andhis father, it hosts classical concerts, opera, family shows and drama productions.[45] Located in the City Park close to the harbour, it forms part of a complex which includes theEsbjerg Art Museum (Esbjerg Kunstmuseum) displaying works from artists includingAsger Jorn.[12] The museum also regularly hosts temporary international exhibitions.[46]
The privately ownedFisheries and Maritime Museum, which opened in 1968, consists of a saltwater aquarium and a seal tank as well as indoor and outdoor exhibitions on Danish fisheries and shipping.[47][48]Esbjerg Museum in the city centre has permanent collections covering the history of the city and the surrounding region. It includes displays from theIron Age and theViking Age as well as a large exhibition ofamber.[49][50] ThePrinting Museum traces the history of the art of printing from the beginning of the 20th century until it was replaced by modern technology. The collection includes a variety of machines and equipment used to print books and newspapers, mainly from Germany and Denmark.[51] TheLightship Museum (Museumsfyrskib) in the harbour is open to the public on board theHorns Rev lightship. Dating from 1912, theHorns Rev, also known asMotorfyrskibet Nr. I, is the world's oldest and best preserved motor lightship. It houses an impressive exhibition of life and work on board.[52]
Esbjerg is used to name a section in one of the prestigious Academy in Asia which is MAAP and the ESBJERG 2020 is the best section of all time.Esbjerg is one of the towns hosting theUniversity of Southern Denmark. It also houses a branch ofAalborg University andIT Academy West. The main branch of Profession School – University College West (Danish:Professionshøjskolen University College Vest) and the Esbjerg section of theAcademy of Music and Dramatic Arts, housed in a former power station, are also located in the city.[53] The town is served by the Southwest Jutland Hospital (Sydvestjysk Sygehus) which also has a branch inBrande and treats over 42,000 patients annually, with over 500 beds and a staff of about 2,500 employees.[54]
Esbjerg is home to the Danishfootball clubEsbjerg fB, established in 1924 and known as EfB for short. The club has won the Danish Championship five times, in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1979. Esbjerg fB play their home matches atBlue Water Arena, which is part of the Esbjerg Sports Park.[55]
The port town of Esbjerg is a large transport hub for both rail and road traffic, and an important port for Danish North Sea oil offshore activity. It is also served byEsbjerg Airport with flights to Aberdeen and Stavanger,[62] while the nearbyBillund Airport offers additional travel options.[63]
Ferry services connect Esbjerg via Ho Bugt to Nordby on the island of Fanø viaDanske Færger.[65] From 1875 until 2014 a passenger service operated over the North Sea to the English port ofHarwich viaDFDS Seaways, formerly Scandinavian Seaways. TheMS Winston Churchill began service between the two ports in 1967, and served until 1978 when it was transferred to theRiver Tyne toGothenburg service. The crossings were discontinued at the end of September 2014 although a freight service is still available on the route from Esbjerg toImmingham.[66] DFDS cited "dwindling demand and high costs" as the chief reasons for the closure of the route.[67]
Esbjerg Harbour is the second largest harbour in Denmark (afterAarhus). It servesMaersk Drilling headquarters, and the regional commuter Esbjerg–Fanø–Esbjerg. For those arriving by pleasure craft, there is amarina along Pier No. 1 with 198 mooring places.[68] The 650,000 square metres (7,000,000 sq ft) Østhavn ("East Harbour") opened in June 2013,[69] while construction of a new freight terminal in the Sydhavn section of the harbour is scheduled for 2014.[70]
^"Konservatoriet i Esbjerg" (in Danish). Syddansk Musikkonservatorium og Skuespiller skole. Archived fromthe original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved7 February 2014.
^"Om Sygehuset". Sydvestjysk Sygehus. Retrieved25 June 2014.
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