Holmegaard

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This article is about the municipality in Denmark. See Novgorod, Russia for the article about the city with the old Varangian name of Holmegaard.

Holmegaard is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in Storstrøm County in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 66 km², and has a total population of 7,442 (2005). Its mayor is Søren Dysted, a member of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) political party.

The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Fensmark.

Neighboring municipalities are Rønnede to the east , Haslev and Suså to the north, Næstved to the west, and Fladså to the south.

The municipality was created in 1966 when the following parishes were combined:

Fensmark-Rislev Parish
Holme-Olstrup Parish

As the result of kommunalreform ("Municipality Reform") in 1970, Toksværd Parish was incorporated into Holmegaard municipality, and Rislev Parish was incorporated into Næstved municipality.

By January 1, 2007 Holmegaard municipality will cease to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It will be merged with existing Fladså, Fuglebjerg, Næstved, and Suså municipalities to form the new Næstved municipality. This will create a municipality with an area of 681 km² and a total population of 78,446 (2005). The new municipality will belong to the new Region Sjælland ("Zealand Region").

The home of famous Holmegaard Glassworks products is located in Fensmarck. The company got its start in 1823 when Count Christian Danneskjold-Samsøe petitioned the Danish king for permission to build a glassworks at Holmegaard Mose ("Holmegaard Bog"). He died before permission was granted. But after his death when permission was finally received his widow, Countess Henriette Danneskjold-Samsøe pursued the project and began production in 1825 of green bottles. Today the company is known for its high-quality products of Danish design. Tours of´the facility can be arranged.