22-482: Slagelse ( Danish pronunciation: [ˈslɛːjl̩sə] ) is a town on Zealand , Denmark . The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality , and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør , 16 km north-east of Skælskør , 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 km west of Sorø . Slagelse has been inhabited since at least the Viking Age, where it was a Pagan site. Trelleborg ,
44-474: A ring castle , was built near the current location of Slagelse in 980, which made the location strategically important. A church was built at Slagelse's current location in the 1000s. Around this time, coins were minted in Slagelse. Antvorskov was built in the 1100s by Valdemar I , who had recently acquired Zealand. He built the monastery in an attempt to gain control and favor with the locals. The monastery
66-510: A piece of land and transported it to Denmark, which became Zealand. The vacant area was filled with water and became Mälaren . However, since modern maps show a similarity between Zealand and the Swedish lake Vänern , it is sometimes identified as the hole left by Gefjun. Gefjun is queen of King Skjöldr , eponymous ancestor of the Scyldings , related to the etymological debate. Zealand is
88-477: Is a remarkable example of a ring fortress from the Viking Age . The impressive remains of this ancient royal stronghold are still visible in the picturesque Tude ådal landscape. Slagelse Park (Danish: Slagelse Lystanlæg ) is a park located centrally in Slagelse. It is a green recreational area, with lakes, playgrounds and a maze. The Antvorskov Monastery Ruins are located in southern Slagelse. They are
110-546: Is joined in the west to Funen, by the Great Belt Fixed Link, and Funen is connected by bridges to the country's mainland, Jutland . On 5 June 2007 the regional subsidiary of national broadcaster DR reported that Kobanke in the southeast near the town Rønnede in Faxe Municipality , with a height of 122.9 metres (403 ft), was the highest natural point on Zealand. Gyldenløveshøj , south of
132-507: Is named after the Dutch province of Zeeland , which is sometimes referred to as and/or anglicized to Zealand, but is not to be confused with the Danish island. However, there is a historical connection between Denmark and New Zealand based on 19th century immigration of Scandinavians, especially Danes, to New Zealand's North Island, particularly to the districts of the southern Hawkes Bay and
154-591: The Capital Region , while the major and more rural part of the island belongs to the Zealand Region . The origin of the Danish name Sjælland is not exactly known. Sjæl in modern Danish means "soul"; a derivation from siô / sæ (meaning "lake" or "sea") has been assumed. However, today a common hypothesis is that the Old Danish form Siâland is based on the word * selha- with
176-565: The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel to Germany is planned. Copenhagen , the capital of Denmark, with a population between 1.3 and 1.4 million people in 2020, is located mostly on the eastern shore of Zealand and partly on the island of Amager . Other cities on Zealand include Roskilde , Hillerød , Næstved , Helsingør , Slagelse , Køge , Holbæk and Kalundborg . Administratively, Zealand is divided between two Danish regions: The Copenhagen metropolitan area and North Zealand belong to
198-850: The Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons , who formed the Anglo-Saxons . The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes . Valdemar's Zealandic Law was a civil code enacted in the 13th century. Prior to the adoption of the Jutlandic, Zealandic and the Scanian laws, there had been no uniformity of laws throughout settlements in Denmark. Ringsted and later Roskilde were
220-570: The city Roskilde , has a height of 126 metres (413 ft), but that is due to a man-made hill from the 17th century and its highest natural point is only 121.3 metres (398 ft). Zealand gives its name to the Selandian era of the Paleocene . Urban areas with 10,000+ inhabitants: List of European islands by area This is a list of islands in Europe ordered by area (excluding
242-784: The country's population. Zealand is the 13th-largest island in Europe by area and the 4th most populous . It is connected to Sprogø and Funen by the Great Belt Fixed Link and to Amager by several bridges in Copenhagen. Indirectly, through the island of Amager and the Øresund Bridge , it is also linked to Scania in Sweden. In the south, the Storstrøm Bridge and the Farø Bridges connect it to Falster , and beyond that island to Lolland , from where
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#1732772136359264-466: The ending * wundia- . The latter means "indicates, resembles". The word * selha- may have two different meanings: "seal" (in modern Danish sæl ) or "deep bay, fjord". Since Roskilde is a major and ancient settlement on Zealand, accessible by sea through the narrow Roskilde Fjord (branched from the Isefjord ), it has been assumed that the sailors named the island after this. The Swedish name of
286-470: The first important political and religious centres on the island, a role later taken over by Copenhagen. Other important religious centres prior to the Reformation were Sorø Abbey at Sorø and Esrom Abbey at Esrum . With its strategic location at the entrance to the Øresund, especially after the construction of Kronborg Castle and the introduction of Sound Dues , Helsingør would later develop into
308-535: The island is Själland , a direct translation to the different script used in that language. The English form may be borrowed from the German form Seeland . These forms might be based on the assumption that the first part means sea or lake (German See ), or they could simply be based on an alternative Danish form of the name, Sælland , which was common until the 19th century. The island nation of New Zealand has no etymological relations to Zealand. New Zealand
330-621: The most important town and seaport outside Copenhagen. Most of North Zealand was for centuries, starting in the late 16th century, owned by the crown and used mainly as a royal hunting domain. Local manors played a central role in the economy on the rest of the island. Early industrial centres outside Copenhagen included Mølleåen with its watermills, the Kronborg Arms Factory at Hellebæk , Johan Frederik Classen 's Frederick's Works at Frederiksværk and Niels Ryberg's Køng Textile Factory at Vordingborg. Substantial parts of
352-497: The most populous Danish island. It is irregularly shaped, and is north of the islands of Lolland , Falster , and Møn . The small island of Amager lies immediately east. Copenhagen is mostly on Zealand but extends across northern Amager. A number of bridges and the Copenhagen Metro connect Zealand to Amager, which is connected to Scania in Sweden by the Øresund Bridge via the artificial island of Peberholm . Zealand
374-503: The national railway company DSB and local train services to Tølløse operated by the regional railway company Lokaltog . Zealand (Denmark) Zealand ( Danish : Sjælland [ˈɕeˌlænˀ] ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island , which are larger in size) at 7,031 km . Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising 40% of
396-402: The northern Wairarapa . The tribal Danes came from Zealand and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic . Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes . The Jutes migrated to Great Britain eventually, some as mercenaries of Brythonic King Vortigern , and were granted the south-eastern territories of Kent ,
418-408: The ruins of Antvorskov Monastery, a monastery built in 1164 by Valdemar I . It was the first Knights Hospitaller monastery in Denmark, and was used as monastery until 1536 when the crown took over ownership and turned into a castle. Frederik II used the castle between 1580 and 1584. After that it was used by fief lords until 1717, when it became a ryttergods - a location for the Danish cavalry. It
440-486: The southernmost part of the island was in the 18th century part of Vordingborg Cavalry District . The first railways on the island were constructed by Det Sjællandske Jernbaneselskab (1847-1888). The first section opened between Copenhagen and Roskilde in 1847. In Norse mythology as told in the Gylfaginning , the island was created by the goddess Gefjun after she tricked Gylfi , the king of Sweden. She removed
462-602: Was sold in 1774 and most of the castle was torn down in 1816. Slagelse is located on the main line Copenhagen–Fredericia railway from Copenhagen to Funen and Jutland , and the Tølløse Line connects Slagelse with Tølløse on the Northwest Line . Slagelse railway station is the principal railway station of the town, and offers direct InterCity services to Copenhagen , Funen and Jutland , regional train services to Copenhagen and Odense operated by
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#1732772136359484-783: Was used by the Knights Hospitaller . Slagelse was granted the status of a market town in 1288 by Eric V . This gave the town a series of privileges, though eventually put it in competition with the neighboring market towns of Korsør and Skælskør. In the 1780s a road from Copenhagen to Korsør was built, and this road ran through Slagelse. Explore the Viking era up close at the Trelleborg Viking fortress, located near Slagelse in West Zealand County . Built around 980 by King Harald Bluetooth , Trelleborg
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