Get in
By plane
The airport is located north of the city. Take Bus no 2 or a taxi to town.
By bus
Abilskou route 888 to Copenhagen takes 5 hours, DKK 250 (DKK430 return).
By train
Aalborg is on the Copenhagen, Roskilde, Odense, Århus Line. 4½ hours/DKK 326 to Copenhagen.
Get around
Nørresundby is north of the big bridge.
See
Do
Eat
There are several restaurants in Jomfru Ane street. In the city there are around 300 restaurants.
Drink
The longest street bar in Scandinavia.
Sleep
Contact
Internet:
Aalborg ( IPA ) is the fourth-largest city in Denmark - after Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense - with an urban population of 121.540 (2006). The earliest settlements date back to around 700 AD. Its location by the Limfjord made it an important harbour during the Middle Ages and an industrial centre later. Today the city is in a transition from a working-class, industrial city to a knowledge-based one. One of the driving forces in the transition is the University of Aalborg, founded in 1974.
It is the location of Aalborg Air Base, an important base of the Danish air force, and is the seat of a Lutheran bishop.
History
Aalborg traces its history back over 1000 years. It was originally settled as a trading post, because of its position on the Limfjord. The sites of what were two settlements and a visible burial ground can be seen on Lindholm Høje, a hill overlooking the city. The size of these settlements emphasise the significance of this place as a crossroads.
The first mention of Aalborg under its original name Alabu, is found on a coin dated to 1040. An alternative spelling is Alebu and an approximate translation of the name is The (dwelling) place by the stream.
During the Middle Ages, Aalborg prospered and became one of the largest cities in Denmark. This prosperity was further enhanced when in 1516 Aalborg was granted a monopoly in salt herring.
Aalborg received town privileges in 1342 and the bishopric dates from 1554.
During the German invasion of Denmark in 1940, the Aalborg Aerodrome was captured by German paratroopers very early in the action. In fact Aalborg is said to be the first city ever to be captured by paratroopers.
Industry
Aalborg is a still an industrial and commercial centre in Denmark, exporting grain, cement and fish, but many of the big industries in the city have been closed in recent years, either going bankrupt or moving production to other countries.
Aalborg is home to De Danske Spritfabrikker's ("Danish Distillers") akvavit snaps, production facility for the distillation of the Aalborg family of akvavits consisting of 17 different brands. Danish Distillers is Scandinavia's largest producer and supplier of spirits for consumption, and is the world's largest producer and exporter of akvavit, supplying over 140 geographic markets.
It is also the centre of telecommunications industry originating from the University of Aalborg.
Aalborg Industries - the worlds largest manufacturer of Marine Boilers - is headquartered here.
Architecture and tourist attractions
The old castle Aalborghus Castle (Aalborghus Slot) and some picturesque houses of the 17th century remain in the center of the town. The half-timbered (bindingsværk) castle was built in 1550 by King Christian III, and was converted to government administration offices in the 1950s.
Jens Bang's House, a five story building built in 1624 by the merchant Jens Bang is an example of renaissance architecture. It is located on Nytorv next to the old Town Hall.
Budolfi Church cathedral dates mostly from the middle of the 18th century, while Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) was partially burnt in 1894. The foundations of both churches are from the 14th century or earlier.
Underneath the main pedestrian shopping street is a newly opened museum of the excavation of a monastery from the 11th century.
Aalborgtårnet is a tripod tower erected in 1933. The tower still gives an exquisite view over the fjord and the city from its 105 m rise over the sea level. Just below the hill of the tower is Aalborg Kunstmuseum (Aalborg museum of Art) in a building designed by Finnish architect Alvar Alto.
On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge, an iron railway bridge, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord. Nørresundby is the site of the Lindholm Høje settlement and burial ground from the Germanic Iron Age and Viking times. There is also a museum on the site.
Aalborg Historical Museum is located in the city.
Carnival in Aalborg
The annual Carnival in Aalborg takes place in the weekend of week 21 (usually the last week in May). The Carnival is actually three events, the children's carnival (Børnekarneval), the battle of carnival bands, and the carnival itself.
During the carnival, Aalborg receives about 100,000 people. The children's carnival is a carnival dedicated to the children, with performances and activities for children. Friday “The Battle of Carnival Bands” is an exciting and colourful evening with processions through the city when all the participating groups compete to be the leading carnival group.
The carnival itself is the following Saturday – on this day the city centre is full of life. The streets are filled with gaily dressed people who are in a real spring mood. In Kilde Park concerts are given from various stages all day to midnight. The Carnival ends with a grand firework display.
Jomfru Ane Gade
One of the most popular and famous streets in Aalborg, maybe even in Denmark and parts of Norway, Sweden and Germany is Jomfru Ane Gade, or simply just "Gaden" (The Street). The name translates to "Virgin Anne's Street" in English. The pubs and restaurants on this street offer beer and other spirits for some of the most competitive prices in Denmark.
Jomfru Ane Gade is a café and restaurant street during day and at night turns into clubs, discos and bars. During the 90s the street was infamous for being a hang out of two biker gangs who were at war for some years all over Scandinavia. But as the bikers disappeared from the street it became even more popular among all ages.
During the day tourists and employees in the city uses the street as a restaurant street, in the afternoon some of the cafés open. Around 11 pm the mood of the street changes into more of a party street where the younger people show up. Even during the workdays there is a fairly large crowd in the street, but during weekends it is hard to make the way through the enormous crowds.
Twinning
Aalborg maintains cultural, economic and educational ties with 27 cities around the globe . Thus, Aalborg has the most twin cities in Denmark. Every four years Aalborg gathers youth from the majority of its twin cities for a week of sports games, known as Ungdomslegene (The Youth Games).
Other information
The city is home to the football team Aalborg Boldspilklub, known as AaB for short, which competes in the Danish Superliga championship. The club won the Danish Superliga in the 1994/95 season and the 1998/99 season.
The city has Denmark's highest number of hairdresser shops, tattoo parlours, bars, nightclubs, pubs and solariums per inhabitant.
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