Vordingborg is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in south Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Masnedø, and covers an area of 615 km². It has a total population of 46,307 (2005). Its mayor is Henrik Holmer, a member of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) political party. The Masnedsund Bridge connects the town of Vordingborg to the island of Masnedø. The Storstrøm Bridge connects Masnedø to neighboring municipality Nørre Aslev on Falster near the town of Orehoved. The bridge is 3, 199 meters long, and supports two lanes of traffic, plus a single track of railroad. It was inaugurated in 1937. The Farø Bridges (The Farø High Bridge and the Farø Low Bridge) opened in 1985, and connect the two municipalies from the town of Bakkebølle Strand over Farø island (part of Møn municipality) to Falster near the town of Sortsøgab. On January 1, 2007 Vordingborg municipality was, as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007), merged with Langebæk, Møn, and Præstø municipalities to form an enlarged Vordingborg municipality.
The town of Vordingborg
The town of Vordingborg has a population of ca. 10,000 people. It is an old ferry town with a rich history. The ruins of Vordingborg Castle, the old royal castle which was built around 1364, is the town's most famous attraction. The only fully remaining part of the castle, the 26 meter tall Goose Tower (Gåsetårnet), is the symbol of the city. It is the largest of King Valdemar Atterdag's nine main castle towers. The name comes from the golden goose perched on top of the tower's spire. Legend has it that Valdemar Atterdag used the symbol to taunt the Hanseatic League. The current goose was put there in 1871. It is not sure which thing was at the top of the tower before 1871 and maybe it was just a weather vane made of gold.[1] The tower was transferred into the national trust on December 24, 1808, and is thus the first, protected historic monument in Denmark. An historic garden is also located on the site of the ruin. Vordingborg is the home of the South Zealand Museum (Sydsjællands Museum). The city holds an annual festival, Vordingborg Fest Week (Vordingborg Festuge) in July. The Vordingborg Transmitter is one of the tallest towers in Denmark. The Military of Denmark operates a barracks facility on the edge of town, known as Vordingborg Kaserne. It houses the DANILOG regiment.
External links
References
- Municipal statistics: NetBorger Kommunefakta, delivered from KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
- Municipal mergers and neighbors: Eniro new municipalities map
