Overview Haderslev is situated in a valley, leading from Vojens to Haderslev Fjord and the Baltic Sea. Haderslev was presumably founded by
Vikings at least a century before it was granted status as royal
borough in 1292. At that time, it had become one of the main trading centres in
Southern Jutland. In 1327,
Haderslevhus, the royal castle, was mentioned for the first time. It was situated east of the cathedral, in an area still called Slotsgrunden. In the following centuries the city prospered, building both the Gothic Cathedral and the second castle of
Hansborg (burnt in 1644), which was similar to
Kronborg. Due to the plague in
Copenhagen, King
Christian IV was married there. In the 16th century, the city became one of the first Scandinavian centres of
Lutheranism during the
Reformation. Prior to the
Second Schleswig War of 1864, Haderslev was situated in the
Duchy of Schleswig, a Danish
fief, so its history is properly included in the
contentious history of Schleswig-Holstein. From 1864 it was part of
Prussia, and as such part of the
North German Confederation, and from 1871 onwards, part of the
German Empire. In the 1920
Schleswig Plebiscite that returned
Northern Schleswig to Denmark, 38.6% of Haderslev's inhabitants voted for remaining part of Germany and 61.4% voted for the cession to Denmark. It was formerly the capital of the German
Kreis Hadersleben and the Danish
Haderslev County.
Buildings in Haderslev The trademark of Haderslev is unquestionably
Haderslev Cathedral, which has existed since the middle of the 13th century, and since 1922 it was the seat of
Haderslev Diocese. The town was an important breeding ground for the
reformation in Denmark, and as early as 1526
Christian introduced, as the duke of
Schleswig-Holstein, the reformation in Haderslev, just eight years before he became King of Denmark. Another noticeable church is the white-chalked
Sankt Severin Church, which lies at the banks of the town's inner pond. Because of a renovation of the town's oldest houses, it means Haderslev offers a unique collection of houses and buildings from 1400 to the beginning of the 20th century, and the town center's cobbled streets and alleys is very suitable for town strolling. Once the town used to have a castle named
"Haderslevhus", but due to several town fires through the town's history the castle is no longer existent.
Festival In the public park "Kløften", near the town's center,
Kløften Festival is held - a three-day annual festival in the summer. The festival uses one of Haderslev's important trademarks, the red-bricked water tower near the park as its logo.
Education in Haderslev Three branches of
University College South () can be found in Haderslev.
Former municipality (1970–2006) A
kommune by the previous name existed 1970–2006. It belonged to
South Jutland County and covered an area of with a total population of 56,116 (2011). Its last mayor was Hans Peter Geil, a member of the liberal (
Venstre)
political party. Neighboring municipalities were
Christiansfeld to the north,
Vojens to the west,
Rødekro to the south, and
Assens (on the island of
Funen) to the East. ==Twin towns – sister cities==