Vejle ( Danish pronunciation: [ˈvɑjlə] ) is a city in Denmark , in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord , where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ( kommune ) and the Region of Southern Denmark . The city has a population of 61,706 (as of 1 January 2024) making it the ninth largest city in Denmark. Vejle Municipality has a population of 122,022 (as of October 2024) making it the fifth largest municipality in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region , which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Fredericia and it is located 110 kilometres (68 miles) north of Germany.
48-585: Vejle is most known for its forested hills, Vejle fjord, harbour, shopping, pedestrian mall, and windmill. The word "Vejle" derives from the Old Danish word wæthel , meaning " ford " or "wading place" due to its location at a busy crossing over the Vejle River. During Viking times, the wetlands around Vejle had to be crossed at the Ravning Bridge , a nearly half-mile wooden boardwalk, west of
96-565: A career in national politics, including former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Liberal), the former Minister of the Treasury Troels Lund Poulsen (Liberal), former Minister of Health Torben Lund (Social Democrat), and former Minister of Transportation Flemming Hansen ( Conservative ). Historically speaking, Vejle's development has been guided by the city's central location in the country and its location on Vejle Fjord. Vejle's pedestrian street today runs along
144-553: A culvert underneath downtown. In addition to the shopping experiences in the city, Vejle also has its own shopping centre, the Bryggen shopping centre , located in the center of the city. The shopping centre contains 38 stores and two restaurants and lies within the pedestrian street. Street food concepts can also be experience at the Paladspassagen Social Dining at the former Mary's Shoppingcenter. Vejle
192-543: A hill formed during the last ice age . In a country where the highest natural elevation is only about 170 m (558 ft) above sea level, Vejle is known for the forested hills that rise to the north and south of the town and fjord . The valleys of the two rivers that converge at Vejle are both unique in Denmark: Vejle River Valley ( Vejle Ådal ) is the longest tunnel valley in Denmark, and
240-482: A low bridge that allows crossing over a river or stream when water is low but may be treated as a ford when the river is high and water covers the crossing. The word ford is both a noun (describing the water crossing itself) and a verb (describing the act of crossing a ford). A ford is a much cheaper form of river crossing than a bridge , and it can transport much more weight than a bridge, but it may become impassable after heavy rain or during flood conditions. A ford
288-599: A range of nature restoration projects. The most ambitious of these has been the restoration of the Kongens Kær wetlands around the Vejle River just outside the city limits. The city has also undertaken a project to establish two new public beaches for swimming, Albuen and Tirsbæk Strand. Vejle is home to the headquarters of University College Lillebælt, which is a merger of several educational institutions in East Jutland and Funen. Adult and professional education
336-655: A river can be crossed". Although today brod in the Serbo-Croatian means 'ship', Slavonski Brod in Croatia, as well as Makedonski Brod in North Macedonia and other place names containing Brod in Slavic countries, where brod is still the word for 'ford', are named after fords. In historic times, positioning an army in large units close to a river was thought best for direct defense as well as to attack
384-516: A second bridge will be built over Vejle Fjord, bypassing Vejle Station. The Port of Vejle , in its current location, was inaugurated in 1827. In the years following World War II , it grew to become the second largest port in Denmark after the Port of Copenhagen . Up until 1932, the steamboats Hvidbjerg (named after a local seaside community) and Jeppe Jensen (named after the harbour's founder) plied
432-400: Is a free edutainment center for both children and adults, focusing on technology, ecology, recycling, etc. Ford (crossing) A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading, or inside a vehicle getting its wheels wet. A ford may occur naturally or be constructed. Fords may be impassable during high water. A low-water crossing is
480-609: Is a special program for athletically talented students starting in late primary school and continuing through Vejle Handelsskole. The city's traditional football club, Vejle Boldklub (Vejle Football Club), has won the Danish Superliga Championships five times and the Danish Cup six times. Vejle Boldklub has trained many talented football players, among others one of Danish football history's few international stars: Allan Simonsen , who in 1977 became
528-777: Is available in Vejle through the Region of Southern Denmark , the Folkeuniversitet (Adult Education Centre), the Vejle Idrætshøjskole (Athletics Professional College), and Skolen for Gastronomi, Musik & Design (School for Gastronomy, Music, and Design). On the secondary education level, Vejle offers several options: Vejle Handelsskole (Vejle Business School) offers business and professional programs; Vejle Tekniske Gymnasium (Vejle Technical School) offers vocational and technical education; and Rødkilde Gymnasium (on
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#1732771930711576-431: Is home to one of the largest chewing gum factories in the world, producing Stimorol brand chewing gum. The Tulip slaughterhouses were also an important employer in the city. Today, Tulip has closed its factory at the harbour, but still maintains production in northern Vejle. Today, Vejle's economy is shifting out of the industrial sector and into the high-tech sector, with a number of software companies operating out of
624-558: Is located in and is the seat of Vejle Municipality which in its current configuration was formed under the Municipal Reform of 2007 . Vejle's municipal council consists of 31 members, elected every four years. Ever since Social Democrat Christian Jacobsen became Vejle's first elected mayor in 1919, the town has been a stronghold for the Social Democrats and trade unions. The longest serving Social Democratic mayor
672-529: Is one of the world's largest producers of chewing gum. "Stimorol" is its primary brand of gum, which came onto the market in 1956. It was initially sold only in Scandinavia , but later became available in other countries throughout Europe, beginning with the Netherlands in 1959. In 1978, the company introduced a sugar-free gum, and by the 1990s it had various fruit and mint flavors. In 2002, most of
720-478: Is the cultural and economic centre of Vejle Municipality and, as part of the unofficial Triangle Area ( Trekantområde ), is rich in industry, business, and the service sector . Historically speaking, industry has been very important for the city's development, while today more weight is placed on business and service, as well as high-tech firms. During the Industrial Revolution , Vejle was known as
768-556: Is the principal transport hub for public transport in Vejle, which provides nine city bus lines to various neighbourhoods, as well as national and international coach and train services . Vejle railway station first opened in 1868, and is today a central station in the Danish train network . However, the station is currently the subject of political debate, due to a desire on the part of some politicians to reduce train travel time between Odense and Århus to one hour. This may mean that
816-497: Is the renovated and expanded Vejle Museum of Art . The museum features the Wörzner collection with several COBRA works as well as works by Rembrandt . Today, Vejle Town Museum is located in the renovated Spinning Mill. The Socialists' former stronghold in Vejle, The Building, is today placed under glass in what used to be the shopping center "Mary's", and houses restaurants, cafés and two venues for e.g. jazz concerts. Økolariet
864-445: Is therefore normally only suitable for very minor roads (and for paths intended for walkers and horse riders etc.). Most modern fords are usually shallow enough to be crossed by cars and other wheeled or tracked vehicles (a process known as "fording"). Fords may be accompanied by stepping stones for pedestrians. The United Kingdom has more than 2,000 fords, and most of them do not have any way of stopping vehicles from crossing when
912-558: Is usually determined in the Vejle stage. Stage 3 of the 2022 Tour de France started in Vejle. In the arts, the most well-known personality from Vejle is composer Jacob Gade , who wrote the Tango Jalousie . Other artists include author Ulrik Gräs , priest and historial Anders Sørensen Vedel , poet Inger Christensen , artist Albert Bertelsen , and actress Bodil Jørgensen . In the early and mid-20th century, Vejle had several popular cultural destinations such as Trædballehus in
960-757: The Dutch voorde (as in Vilvoorde , Coevorden , Zandvoort , or Amersfoort ) are cognates with the same meaning, all deriving from Proto-Indo-European *pértus 'crossing'. This is the source of Brythonic and Gaulish ritus (modern Welsh rhyd ; the Welsh name of Oxford is Rhydychen "ford of oxen"), which underlies such names as Chambord (from Gaulish *Camboritum "ford at the bend") and Niort ( Novioritum "new ford"). Towns such as Maastricht , Dordrecht , and Utrecht also formed at fords. The endings tricht , drecht , and trecht are derived from
1008-612: The European Women's Handball Championship and the Danish Open in badminton . Former Swiss cyclist Tony Rominger was born in Vejle, and cyclist Bjarne Riis has a house in Vejle. Denmark's answer to the Tour de France , Danmark Rundt , includes a stretch through Vejle which is known as the hardest stage in the race, including a loop that requires the riders to climb the hillsides of Vejle several times. The race's winner
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#17327719307111056-790: The Grejs Valley ( Grejsdalen ) is the largest ravine in Denmark. Both empty into Vejle Fjord , which connects Vejle by water through the Little Belt strait to the Baltic Sea , and through the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits to the Atlantic Ocean . Development of new architecture, art and alternative town spaces throughout the 1990s has made the city an attraction. Vejle was the first city in Denmark , which had its own official architecture policy to set high standards for
1104-587: The Latin word traiectum , meaning "crossing". Thus the name Utrecht, originally the Roman fort of Traiectum , is derived from "Uut Trecht", meaning "downstream crossing". The Afrikaans form was taken into South African English as drift and led to place names like Rorke's Drift and Velddrift . Similarly, in Slavic languages , the word brod comes from the linguistic root that means "river-crossing" or "place where
1152-654: The River Amman ); Stafford , the county town of Staffordshire ('ford by a staithe ', or 'ford by the landing place'), Staffort crossing the river Pfinz ; and Stratford (a ford on a Roman street ). Similarly, the German word Furt (as in Frankfurt , the ford of the Franks ; Ochsenfurt , synonymous to Oxford; Schweinfurt , a ford where swine crossed the river; and Klagenfurt , literally "ford of complaints") and
1200-910: The United Kingdom . Examples are at Brockenhurst in Hampshire , Wookey in Somerset , and Swinbrook in Oxfordshire . Some of these are being replaced by bridges as these are a more reliable form of crossing in adverse weather conditions. Some very spectacular watersplashes can be found in diverse locations. Australia has the Gulf Savannah , and others may be found in Canada , Italy , South Africa , and Finland . They are also found on some Tennessee backroads, where they are referred to as "underwater bridges". In Israel and part of
1248-455: The "Manchester of Denmark" due to its extensive textile mills . The local rivers provided water power to mills, including the extensive facilities of De Danske Bomuldsspinderier (The Danish Cotton Mills). In the first half of the 20th century, Vejle was something of a behemoth within the Danish textile industry, with some 25% of the city's workers employed in the industry. Despite the decline in
1296-677: The British areas under the mandate a low water crossing or watersplash had been known as the "Irish bridge" in reference to the Anglo–Irish war . The names of many towns and villages are derived from the word 'ford'. Examples include Oxford (a ford where oxen crossed the river: see the Coat of arms of Oxford ); Hertford , the county town of Hertfordshire (the ford where harts cross or "deer crossing"); Brantford , (the ford where Joseph Brant Forded The Grand River ); Ammanford (a ford on
1344-400: The centre of Vejle. Airport buses run regularly to Billund Airport from Vejle Transit Centre. A central point of Vejle's environmental policy since 1985 has been the sorting of garbage into non-compostable and compostable waste , which is then composted in the city dump. To this end, residents must place all household trash into either black or green bags. Vejle Municipality has also begun
1392-597: The city. Vejle is known regionally as a vibrant shopping town with a wide and varied offering of both chain and specialty shops, primarily located along the city's central pedestrian street. Recently, in an effort to maintain its position as a premiere shopping destination, the town has invested in several public works projects to improve the city's appearance, including lengthening the Pedestrian Street , developing new public art and architecture, and uncovering and beautifying Grejs River, which until recently ran in
1440-578: The company, including the well-known brands DANDY, STIMOROL, DIROL, and V6, were acquired by Cadbury-Schweppes , who rebranded it Trident . The remainder of the company was renamed Gumlink . Gumlink is owned by the Bagger-Sørensen family, who are the descendants of Holger Sørensen. Stimorol is from 2023 owned by Italian-Dutch company Perfetti van Melle , headquartered in Italy and The Netherlands . This Danish corporation or company article
1488-459: The current city. Archaeological digs near St. Nicolai Church in downtown Vejle have shown that there were residences in the area as far back as 1100. The first recorded mention of the town is from 1256, and the first known merchant town privileges were issued by King Valdemar III in 1327. During the Middle Ages , Vejle was important as a market town , and developed along those lines up to
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1536-479: The enemy at any crossing point. Therefore, a ford was often a strategic military point with many famous battles fought at or near fords: Stimorol Stimorol is a brand of chewing gum originally produced by the Danish company Dandy. The privately owned company was founded by Holger Sørensen in 1915 in Vejle , Denmark as Vejle Caramel- og Tabletfabrik , later renamed Dansk Tyggegummifabrik A/S . It
1584-626: The first Danish player to win the European Footballer of the Year award. Today, Vejle Boldklub is in a ramping-up period, with the goal of bringing the club back to the top of Danish football. To this end, new Vejle Stadium was opened in spring 2008. Vejle's largest indoor sports facilities are mostly housed in the DGI-Huset recreational centre in western Vejle. In the past, the facility has housed several high-profile events, including
1632-444: The fjord) and Rosborg Gymnasium offer academic programs with concentrations in language and science. On the primary level , Vejle has 11 regular primary schools ( folkeskoler ), 2 independent schools ( friskoler ), and 5 private schools ( privatskoler ) – one secular, one Protestant , one Catholic , one Islamic and one Waldorf-Steiner method school – as well as 2 schools for special needs students. Unique to Vejle
1680-483: The hilltop casino . Munkebjerg still exists as a hotel, casino and conference centre. Vejle Mill, located on top of the cliff at Søndermarken, is a well-known landmark because of its visibility, and is often used as a symbol of the city. The Old Jail House in Vejle, which is connected to the Town Hall, was rebuilt in 1984 and received a prize for beautification. Vejle's oldest extant building, St. Nicolai Church ,
1728-530: The industry in Denmark, the last cotton mill in Vejle remained open until 1993. Today, many of the old mill buildings are used for art studios, office space, and, more recently, apartments. In 1975 United Trailer Factories was founded by brothers Niels and Jens Buhl. The company, now known as ‘Variant’ like its products, has grown in strength to become one of the biggest quality trailer manufacturers in Europe. Later on, newer industries took root in Vejle. The city
1776-411: The mid-17th century, trading with cities such as Lübeck and Flensburg , in what is now Germany . The king's castle, Castrum Wæthel , was located where Vejle Trafikcenter is today. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Vejle's population was diminished as a consequence of plague and war. In 1796, though, Vejle was made the seat of the newly founded Vejle County . Throughout the 19th century,
1824-617: The same course as some of the earliest paths through town – glass panels set into Torvegade allow pedestrians to see the historical market road a few meters under the current street surface. The European route E45 motorway passes close to downtown Vejle on the Vejle Fjord Bridge . Vejle is also located on Primary Route 28, and the Mid-Jutland Highway ( Midjyske Motorvej , Primary Route 18) from Herning . Vejle Transit Centre ( Danish : Vejle Trafikcenter )
1872-419: The town benefited from improvements such as a new harbour on the fjord, a railway station , and modern utilities. From the mid-19th century into the 20th century, Vejle developed from a provincial market town into a busy industrial centre, eventually becoming known as the " Manchester of Denmark" for its many cotton mills . Downtown Vejle was built on an island of glacial till in Vejle River remaining from
1920-403: The urban development. The fjord is also the site of the modern wave-shaped apartment complex known as The Wave ( Bølgen ). Many of Vejle's neighbourhoods began as separate towns or villages that merged with the city as it grew. Søndermarken, Nørremarken, and Grejsdalen, however, were all founded as extensions of the city onto the surrounding hillsides. Vejle's neighbourhoods include: Vejle
1968-432: The water is shallow enough, but the material on the riverbed will not support heavy vehicles, fords are sometimes improved by building a submerged concrete floor. In such cases, a curb (kerb) is often placed on the downstream side to prevent vehicles from slipping off, as the growth of algae will often make the slab very slippery. Fords may be also equipped with a post indicating the water depth, so that users may know if
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2016-615: The water is too deep to attempt to cross. Some have an adjacent footbridge so that pedestrians may cross dryshod. Fords were sometimes the only way to cross, such as at the Milkhouse at Rock Creek in Washington, DC, but the regular use of this ford has been superseded by bridges. The crossing remained for "adventurous" drivers until 1996 when the National Park Service closed the ford to cars. A road running below
2064-459: The water level of a stream or river is often known as a "watersplash". It is a common name for a ford or stretch of wet road in some areas, and is sometimes also used to describe tidal crossings. They have become a common feature in rallying courses. Some enthusiasts seek out and drive through these water features, recording details (such as wave created, position, and access) on dedicated websites. There are many old fords known as watersplashes in
2112-531: The water makes them impassable. According to The AA , many flood-related vehicle breakdowns are at fords. In New Zealand , fords are a normal part of roads, including, until 2010, along State Highway 1 on the South Island 's east coast. In dry weather, drivers become aware of a ford by crunching across outwash detritus on the roadway. A Bailey bridge may be built off the mainline of the road to carry emergency traffic during high water. At places where
2160-501: The waters between Vejle Harbour and Munkebjerg, Tirsbæk, Ulbækhus, and Fakkegrav. The harbour is currently profitable, although there are plans to convert the northern section of the harbour into a park and residential area, which would reconnect the town with the fjord. Vejle Municipality is part-owner of Denmark's second-largest airport, Billund Airport , located near the Lego Group 's headquarters some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from
2208-476: The western part of town and the Munkebjerg Casino south of the fjord. Trædballehus, an inn and music venue, which burned down in 1954, got its big breakthrough in the mid-1930s when it was featured on Danish National Radio in connection with the opening of the old Little Belt Bridge . 1933 Hotel Munkebjerg boasted Europe 's longest wooden escalator , carrying guests from the fjord-side beach up to
2256-523: Was Willy Sørensen, a union leader who joined the city council in 1937 and held the mayor's post for 31 years, from 1946 until his death in 1978. In 1993, the Social Democratic dynasty was broken, when a candidate from a coalition of opposition parties, Flemming Christiansen, became mayor. In 2009, the Social Democrats were out of power again when Liberal candidate Arne Sigtenbjerggaard won the elections. Several natives of Vejle have also made
2304-529: Was built in the mid-13th century. On display in the church is the Haraldskær bog woman , a body from the Iron Age that was preserved with its skin intact in a local peat bog . Another feature of the church are 23 spherical indentations on the north transept – legend says these are imprints of the skulls of executed robbers from the woods that surround Vejle. Among the city's cultural institutions
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