Ry municipality

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St. Søren's Church (Sankt Sørens kirke) in Old Rye, Denmark (2005). Photo by Malene Thyssen, [1]

A view of Himmelbjerget near the town of Ry seen over Juulsø (2005). Photo by Lars Helbo.

Ry municipality is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in Aarhus County on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 152,44 km², and has a total population of 11.244 (2005). Its mayor is Jonna Grønver, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party.

The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Ry. Other towns in the municipality are Gammel Rye ("Old Rye") and Låsby.

Neighboring municipalities are Skanderborg, Hørning, and Galten to the east, Gjern and Silkeborg to the north, and Them to the west, and Brædstrup to the south.

The municipality was created in 1970 as the result of a kommunalreform ("Municipality Reform") that merged a number of existing parishes:

Alling Parish
Dover Parish
Gammel Rye Parish
Låsby Parish
RyParish
Tulstrup Parish

By January 1, 2007 Ry municipality will cease to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It will be merged with existing Galten, Hørning, and Skanderborg municipalities to form the new Skanderborg municipality. This will create a municipality with an area of 416 km² and a total population of 49,469 (2005).

1 The towns of Ry municipality
2 Other attractions
3 External links
4 References

[edit] The towns of Ry municipality

Ry, also known as Ry Station, is located between the lakes of Gudensø, Juulsø and Knudsø along the Guden River (Gudenå). It is a relatively new town that developed around the railroad tracks. The original town in the area is now known as Old Rye (Gammel Rye).

Old Rye is located 3 km west of Rye. During the Middle Ages it was one of the most important towns in the area. It had the royal status and privileges of being a merchant town, and is thus named in 1536. Starting in the 1400s until 1687, Old Rye was an area Court of Justice.

The town had a major impact on Danish history in 1534, when King Christian III was chosen there. Denmark was attacked by Lübeck when Frederik I died in 1533. This led to the three-year civil war fought between 1534-1536 called The Count's Fued (Grevens fejde), which ushered in the Danish Reformation.

The town's location at the crossroads for traffic between East Jutland and West Jutland, along with the royal glass production facility in nearby Glarbo until ca. 1600, have helped secure the town's position in the years after the Reformation. There is mention in 1553 of a royal coach maker in the area, and there used to be a royal hunting lodge in the area, but it was torn down in 1617. The town has suffered fire several times, f. ex. 1613, 1618 and 1660.

St. Søren's Church in Old Rye is at the site of a holy spring, and has had the reputation for bringing about miracles. In the Middle Ages many [[pilgrimage]s were made here. It is here that King Christian III was chosen in 1534. From 1579 a market was held on the site on the saint's day. According to legend, St. Søren was a local farmer who became a bishop in Cologne.

In the 1800s Old Rye became a center for the production of wooden shoes, and today there is a Wooden Shoe Museum located at the site of an historic windmill (1872) in the town.

With the establishment of the railroad from Skanderborg to Silkeborg in 1871, the area's growth, however, became centered on the station town Ry.

Låsby can trace its origin to Viking times.

Hjejlen ("The Golden Plover") is an historic steamboat that sails from Silkeborg to Himmelbjerget.

[edit] Other attractions

Himmelbjerget (affectionately translated as "Sky Mountain"), located in the municipality, is one of the highest points of elevation in Denmark at 147 meters. The high hill is a popular destination for its beautiful nature and magnificent views. One can sail to Himmelbjerget from Ry, or from Silkeborg on the historic steamship Hjejlen ("The Golden Plover").

On top of the hill is a 25 meter tall tower that was erected to honor King Frederik VII and his role in giving the Danish people a constitution in 1849. Close to the top are more monuments, most honoring individuals, but also one to commemorate women's right to vote in 1915.

The Hotel Himmelbjerget, formerly Hotel Julsø, is the highest located hotel in Denmark, and displays historic memorabilia from the area. It used to house a museum dedicated to Jodle Birge, Danish country-western entertainer.

To the east of Old Rye is a ca. 23 hectares conservation area of heather-covered hills and oak scrub. There is also Gallows Hill, the site of beheadings during the times when Court was held in Ry.

Nearby Mossø is Denmark's second largest lake.