Aarhus

Aarhus is the capital of Jutland. It has more than 300,000 inhabitants, of which 40,000 are students. It is the centre of "Greater Aarhus", which has a population of approximately 1,2 million people. Aarhus is also Denmark´s fastest-growing city and leading growth centre.

International businesses have established or expanded their activities in the city. The Port of Aarhus has continuously expanded and is an important container hub to the Baltic sea region.

Aarhus is at heart Denmark´s youngest city. Because every fifth, or thereabouts, of its inhabitants is a student at one of the city´s 25 educational and research institutions, and this gives the city a young and exciting vibrancy of its very own. This is clearly in evidence along the ´Vadestedet´ by the river, where there used to be a ford in the early days of the city and where the student population today frequents the many cafés and restaurants packed tightly in there.

Aarhus is at present expanding dramatically. During the course of the next ten years the entire inner section of the Aarhus Harbour will be transformed into a new and exciting urban area with houses, businesses and educations institutions. As in Hamburg in Germany and Malmo in Sweden the urban harbour areas will be Aarhus´s new face to the outside world with spectacular buildings and attractive canal areas. Within the next few years some 7 - 8,000 new Aarhus residents will move into the new urban area. In parallel with this, the Lisbjerg quarter to the north of the city will also be an area of quite astonishing growth and it will be connected with the city centre by means of a new light railway, passing through Denmark´s largest hospital area, the ”˜Skejby Sygehus´ Aarhus University Hospital.

At the same time Aarhus is a city which is also very conscious about its roots. Aarhus could well be Denmark´s oldest city; evidence has been found which shows that there was a Viking settlement here as early as the 8th century. The Vikings settled by the mouth of the river - at the very spot where the Cathedral today rises into the sky with its tower soaring to more than 90 metres in height. The ´Bispetorv´ square was also the centre of the town 1250 years ago, and in The Viking Museum in the basement of the Nordea Bank you are standing right next to the rampart which the Vikings built around Aarhus in the 10th century.

The wind power industry has a strong presence in and around Aarhus, and Aarhus wants to be Denmark´s number one energy city with strong focus on education, knowledge and innovation. The city also wants to be CO2 neutral by 2030.

Website: www.aarhuskommune.dk