Næstved

Næstved is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark.
Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four upper-second-level education centers. The city has the largest high school in Denmark, Næstved Gymnasium & HF.

History

Næstved has roots as far back as 400-500 BC. Archaeological material from this period has been found in the soil under Næstved, and tells of human life here long before the Viking era.
The name of the city, Næstved, derives from two words: Næs and Tved. Tved means "cleared land" or "cleared wood", and refers to the city's origin in the woods of southern Zealand, on the banks of the Suså. "Næs" is the Danish word for a small peninsula, and probably refers to the city's placing on the peninsulas Ydernæs, Grimstrup Næs, and Appenæs.
In 1135, Benedictine monks received Saint Peter's Church and surrounding land in order to found St. Peter's Priory. This is seen as the foundation of the town of Næstved, although the town appears to have existed already at that time, being both big and important to the region.

Culture

Næstved has various museums, concert-venues, theaters and exhibitions of all kinds during the year.

Churches

Næstved has five Danish National Churches: St. Martin's Church, St. Peter's Church, Saint John's Church, Herlufsholm Church, and Holsted Church. There are other churches in the town, such as Sjølundkirken.

Music and stage arts

Grønnegades Kaserne Kulturcenter was opened in 2002 in what used to be military barracks. It is in the center of the city, only five minutes walk away from the station. Denmark's top artists perform here, along with various names from abroad. Amongst the best-known foreign artists to have visited Næstved over the last few years are Electric Light Orchestra, Beth Hart, Runrig, and Modern Talking.
In recent years, various theatres have emerged in Næstved, culminating with the creation of an "Egns Teater" - a local theatre - in 2006. Performances by talented local artists add to Næstved's position as a cultural stronghold on Zealand outside Copenhagen.
"Studenternes Hus" downtown is also a widely known and frequently used venue for local and national acts, as well as the occasional international acts.

Museums

Næstved has a range of museums of local importance. In the city centre, Næstved Museum offers the full story of Næstved - from the very first settlements till this day. In Stenboderne, near St. Peter's Church, a collection of ancient findings are on show, including pottery, armory and more.
Næstved Museum has exhibits covering the development of Kähler Ceramics and Holmegaard Glass. It is open to visitors every day except Monday. There are also interesting exhibits on textiles, toys and silverware. The museum consists of two separate buildings: Helligåndshuset on Ringstedgade to the north of the central square and Boderne on Sct. Peters Kirkeplads to the southwest.

Politics

On 1 January 2007, the size and population of the municipality of Næstved increased, as the government decided to merge four smaller municipalities with the municipality of Næstved. Næstved emerged with nearby Fuglebjerg, Fladså, Holmegaard and Suså, increasing population in the municipality of Næstved to more than 80.000. That made Næstved the second-largest town on Zealand, only outranked by the capital, Copenhagen.
Experienced mayor, Henning Jensen, led the city through the merger, and stayed head of the city council, with the four mayors from the other merged municipalities taking place as members of the council. Henning Jensen remained mayor of Næstved until 2011.

Political history

Traditionally, the Social Democratic Party has had the majority of seats in the City Council of Næstved. Today, they also have the most seats.
The mayors of the town have been.

Name	Political party	Period
Henning Jensen	Social Democrats	2007 - May 2011
Carsten Rasmussen	Social Democrats	May 2011 – present

International Cities of Friendship

The Nordic International Cities of Friendship project was initiated in 1939, involving cities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Later on Finland also became part of the network, with Iceland and the independent regions of Åland, Greenland and Faroe Islands to follow.
Næstved entered the project in 1947.
Næstved's Cities of Friendship as per 1.1.2007:

Urban life

Over the last 10 years, Næstved has developed into a more lively city than before. The trend of going out to cafés struck Næstved in the beginning of this century, and today, the town offers several cafés in the City Centre.
Also, the population has increased heavily, and actually Næstved is the second fastest growing city in Denmark, only out-performed by Denmark's second largest city Aarhus. More people means more ideas, and that shows in Næstved, where new galleries, workshops and the like have been established in recent years.
The traffic in down-town Næstved can be very congested at times. New roads around the city has solved part of this problem, but the traffic can still be heavy, specially around 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The city received a new library in 2005, just beside another new institution: Grønnegade Cultural Center in the center of Næstved.

Industries

Near the sea, with the harbour in the city centre, Næstved was traditionally a city of industry. In recent years, though, industry in the city centre has decreased, as production has moved to the outskirts of the city - primarily on Ydernæs.
Among the companies in Næstved are Emerson Electric and Ropox A/S.

Novenco

Næstved's largest industry, Novenco, develops and manufactures heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions for land and marine applications, along with numerous other products including fire-fighting products and systems.
In 1999, Novenco was sold to York International Inc., and had its name changed to York Novenco. In 2006, however, York Novenco was acquired by Dania Capital, who changed its name back to Novenco once again.

Ardagh Glass

The major glass bottle company Based in Fensmark Is the largest private employer in the municipality with about 400 employees manufacturing bottles for soft drinks and beers among its most common products. It is part of the Irish Ardagh Group and until recently the fears was that the factory would be closed due to economic issues that today have been resolved and the factory is doing well again.

Næstved Harbour

Næstved Harbour is in the middle of the city and in a central location in Denmark, near to Storebæltsbroen, and the Fehmarn connection can be reached within an hour by road.
One of the biggest stone plants in the country for the refinement of seabed materials is situated at Næstved Harbour. One of the reasons why the company chose to set up at Næstved Harbour was because it would be possible for their annual production of around 120 000 tonnes of material to be sent more quickly to customers - and because Næstved Harbour has exactly the kind of storage capacity required, regardless of whether goods are to be stored for a long time or just briefly.

Attractions

Næstved and the surrounding area offer a wide variety of attractions for all ages. The town is especially rich in Medieval architecture; Old Town Hall is from about 1450, Helligåndshuset i Næstved dates around 1500, Boderne is terraced buildings which have contained shops, and the oldest are from about 1400, Kompagnihuset is from 1493 and the two timber-framed buildings Apostelhuset and Ridderhuset is both the beginning for the 1600th century.
The local museum, Næstved Museum, is housed in Helligåndshuset and offers en exhibition of archeological findings from Næstved and the nearby area from the Stone Ages until moderne times.

Suså

The Suså River is Denmark's third longest river and flows through Næstved. After the demolition of a huge parking lot above it, the Suså has recently become more visible in the city. The Suså is surrounded on both sides by the Herlufsholm Forrest from the city center to Herlufsholm. Visitors are able to walk down both sides of the Suså, and enjoy both the forest, the river, and Herlufsholm Boarding school.
Fishing and canoeing are allowed on the river.

BonBon Land

Næstved is home to the amusement park BonBon-Land located at Holme Olstrup, just 10 minutes from the city center. The park has increased dramatically in size over recent years, and was in 2012 among the 20 most visited sights in all of Denmark.
Recently, a new feature has been added to the amusement park in Holme Olstrup. It is called Fantasy World, and used to be located in Ringsted. It has now been bought by BonBon Land, and is located immediately next to it. Fantasy World features a huge exhibition of Santa Claus, his home, his workshop and all of his little helpers.

Herlufsholm Kostskole

Herlufsholm Boarding School is located in the old Herlufsholm Kloster, on the bank of the Suså just outside the town of Næstved. For centuries students have attended the school, which enjoys a very respectable reputation. Today, the boarding school attracts students from all levels in the society, but earlier the school was more or less a high-society-only school.
The school houses various collections of scientific materials.

Holmegaard Glass Factory

Holmegaard Glass Factory is a glass company located in the village of Holmegaard, just outside Næstved.

Gavnø Castle

Gavnø Castle is located on the island of Gavnø near Næstved. The castle is known for its tulips and a large collection of paintings.
Today, the castle is owned by baron Otto Reedtz-Thott, and has been in the Reedtz-Thott family since 1737.
The castle covers some of land, with of agriculture and of wood.
The castle has a vast variety of exhibitions during the year. The Gavnø Classic Autojumble is Denmark's largest exhibition of classic cars, and takes place every summer. Also there is a Christmas Market taking place in the gardens during two weekends in November, which is one of the largest in the country.
Art-, book-, hunting- and health-fairs also take place.