Holbæk


Holbæk is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903. It is located in the northwestern part of Region Sjælland, Denmark.
Holbæk is located on Zealand, on the banks of Holbæk Fjord, an inlet of the larger Isefjord. Holbæk is a commercial and industrial center for the surrounding area. By rail, Holbæk is served by Danske Statsbaner's line from Roskilde to Kalundborg, which runs through the city. Vestsjællands Lokalbaner connects Holbæk by rail to Nykøbing Sjælland. The city is a major hub for the Movia bus routes. Holbæk has an active commercial seaport that serves as the harbor for the ferry to Orø. Near the harbor there is a substantial marina.

History

Holbæk is first mentioned in official documents in Absalon's letter of 8 June 1199, in which he granted the majority of his estates to Sorø Klosterkirke in Sorø. It was called Holbækgaard, a larger farm belonging to a nobleman, around which the city eventually developed.
Next it appears in Valdemar the Victorious's book of properties in 1231. Valdmar broke ground for Holbæk Slot in 1236.
Holbæk grew from then on but is not mentioned again until around 1400 when Margaret I came for a court proceeding that granted her territories in Jutland. The event may have triggered the creation of the first city seal, which shows the three trees by the water that are the prominent features of the current seal.

Economy

Companies headquartered in Holbæk include Sparekassen Sjælland-Fyn and Pharmacosmos

Culture

Culturally, Holbæk can be noted for Musikhus Elværket, a converted power station that serves as a concert venue for modern music.
Bogart, Book-café and more
Books gets new life and people new energy at Bogart. For more than 40 years, Bogart was a traditional antiquarian in Holbæk. In 2021 new owners transformed the place into a book café and intimate stage with a mix of concerts, lectures and open mic.

Media

The local newspaper is Nordvestnyt, which is published Monday to Saturday and is published by Sjællandske Medier. In 2022, the newspaper had 39,000 weekly readers.
Holbaekonline.dk is a local news website that brings news, sports, and entertainment from Holbæk and Holbæk Municipality.
Holbæk Radio is a local radio station run by volunteers. It started in 2015. In addition to music, the radio station also provides local news, and citizens have the opportunity to create their own segments on the radio. Holbæk Radio can be heard on the FM band 104.7 as well as through online streaming.

Sport

The city is home to the Holbæk B&I football club, who as of 2023 played in the fourth tier in the Danish football league system. They have played at the Holbæk Sportsby football stadium since its construction in 2019.
The Holbæk Sportsby was constructed in 2019 and has 23,000 square metres of space indoors over two floors and 47 hectares outdoors. It includes the new Sports City football stadium, athletics stadium, swimming pool, badminton hall, synthetic football pitches, tennis courts and the Padel Klub.
The Holbæk Stadium was, which existed from 1948 to 2019, when it was demolished for housing, was the former home of Holbæk B&I. It was also an athletics stadium and hosted motorcycle speedway between 1950 and 1954. It held the final of the Danish Individual Speedway Championship in 1954.

Transportation

Rail

The Northwest Line connects Holbæk with Kalundborg and Roskilde and the rest of the Danish rail network, and the Odsherred Line connects Holbæk with Nykøbing Sjælland. Holbæk railway station is the principal railway station of the town, and offers direct regional train services to Copenhagen, and operated by the national railway company DSB and local train services to operated by the regional railway company Lokaltog. The western part of the town is also served by the railway halt Stenhus.

Notable people

Public Service & public thinking

Twin towns – Sister cities

Holbæk is twinned with: