Jægerspris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jægerspris is a town and a former municipality (Danish, kommune) in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 96 km², and had a total population of 9,480 (2005). Its last mayor was Ole Find, a member of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) political party.

A significant portion of the north end of Jægerspris is covered by the forest. In addition there are significant stretches of sand and dunes along the municipality's western side.

In addition to roadways leading southward into Skibby, there is a road across Roskilde Fjord to the town of Frederikssund. A ferry to Hundested from Kulhuse to Sølager was disbanded in recent years. As of 2006, the ferry has been reinserted and sails in the summer months.

On January 1, 2007 Jægerspris municipality ceased to exist due to Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was combined with existing Frederikssund, Slangerup, and Skibby municipalities to form the new Frederikssund municipality.

[edit] The town of Jægerspris

The town of Jægerspris has a population of 3,500 and lies 6 km. northwest of Frederikssund. The town was established ca. 1870 around Jægerspris Castle, which is surrounded by miles and miles of hiking and biking trails in the Jægerspris forest.

The "Høegh-Guldbergs nationalhistoriske anlæg" ("Høegh-Guldbergs National Historical Garden") on the grounds of the castle commemorate the lives of exceptional Danish citizens with monuments designed in the 1770's by Johannes Wiedewelt, one of Denmark's most important sculptors. The area also has ancient, archeological burial sites.

Another attraction is a windmill which was first constructed ca. 1415, in the times of King Christian IV. The current windmill is from 1854. The area boasts churches with typical Danish frescoes. The local museum (Egnsmuseum) in Færgegården includes Crown Prince Frederik VIII's bridge, which was erected in 1868.

There are also a couple of beaches within walking distance of the town.