Hundested

Hundested is a town and a former municipality (Danish, "kommune") in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand ("Sjælland") in eastern Denmark.

The former municipality is surrounded by water on three side: to the north is the Kattegat, to the west is the channel leading into the Isefjord, and to the south is Roskilde Fjord and the channel leading into it from the Isefjord.

The area

A ferry connects Hundested to the town of Rørvig in Frederiksværk municipality. For many years the municipality had two other ferry connections, one to Grenå in Grenå municipality on the Jutland peninsula from the town of Hundested which began service July 14, 1934, and the other to Kulhuse in Jægerspris municipality from the town of Sølager. These have, however, in recent years been disbanded, to the great dismay of residents. The ferry to Rørvig celebrated its 75th anniversary of service on May 16, 2003. Ferry service in the area has a long history. When Lynæs Inn, south of the town of Hundested, was established in 1804, it was licensed as an inn catering to ferry passengers, although in those days service was highly irregular.

The area is characterized by sand and dunes, especially on its northern side facing the Kattegat, but also found in the central areas and in the south. Kikhavn on the northern side of the peninsula, not far to the east of the town of Hundested, is the oldest fishing village in the area.

Hundested municipality

On January 1, 2007 Hundested municipality ceased to exist due to "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with Frederiksværk municipality to form the new Frederiksværk-Hundested municipality. The name was changed to Halsnæs municipality on January 1, 2008. This created a municipality with an area of 120 km² and a total population of 30,253.

Origin of name

The name Hundested is thought to come from royal seal hunts on a stone reef known as the "dog (seal) reef" (Danish, "hund sted", lit. "dog place"). This reef has now disappeared, the stones having been used for harbours in the nearby Øresund ("The Sound"). Today, the dog seals live further out at sea on the reefs around the island of Hesselø.

Attractions

The Knud Rasmussens house in the town of Hundested was the home of polar explorer Knud Rasmussen, who lived there between his many expeditions to Greenland. The house is situated 30 metres above the beach, and offers a beautiful view of the Kattegat. It has been turned into a museum dedicated to the explorer and his work. It is full of photographs and paintings of Greenland.

One of Denmark's largest dolmens, "Grønnessedyssen Karlstenen", can be seen at nearby Grønnesse Wood.

The area boasts several interesting churches, including Torup church, which dates from the 12th century. It has, among other things, a granite Romanesque baptismal font, frescoes from about 1250, a crucifix from about 1300 and the nave from 1750.

The former municipality offers two harbours to pleasure boaters and sports fisher: Hundested Harbour, in the center of the town of Hundested, and Lynæs Harbour, located south of the town near the entryway into the Roskilde Fjord.

External links

* [http://www.fhkommune.dk/ Frederiksværk-Hundested municipality's official website] da icon
* [http://www.visithundested.dk/ENGELSK/E-menu.html Hundested tourism bureau]

References

* Municipal statistics: [http://www2.netborger.dk/Kommunefakta/ NetBorger Kommunefakta] , delivered from [http://www.kmd.dk/ KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)]
* Municipal mergers and neighbors: [http://kommune.eniro.dk/region/media/nyekommuner.shtml Eniro new municipalities map]