Vemb
Vemb is a little town in west Jutland, Denmark with a population of 1,313 (1 January 2014).[1] The town is close to Nissum Fjord and Storå. Vemb also has a station on the railway line between Ringkøbing and Holstebro. Two kilometers south of the town is Nørre Vosborg, a manor house surrounded by ramparts. It is one of Denmark's oldest and was mentioned as early as 1299. Vemb lies in Vemb Parish, which belongs to Holstebro Municipality in Region Midtjylland.
History
The town's name has been known from 1325 and throughout the years up until 1844 has been spelled in 8-9 different ways:
- 1325 Weæm
- 1347 Weom
- 1350 Wæm
- 1360 Wææm
- 1500 Wern
- 1553 Weem
- 1561 Vem
- 1599 Wimb
- 1612 Vem Kirke > Vemb Kirke
- 1844 Vemb
The first time the town was named, it was called Weæm. The ending letter b emerged around the year 1600, disappeared, then finally appeared again in 1844 in the present spelling form Vemb. The meaning of Vemb is not known, but could possibly mean "vi" (Danish for "we").
The oldest building in the current city boundary is Vemb kirke (Vemb church), which has undergone few changes since it was built around 1200.
Just east of the church lies Den Gamle Skole ("The Old School"), now privately owned, that was the town and area's first school. It is said that in the late 1800s three women met on 1 April in the little school with one classroom. These three women would all reach the age of 100. In 1908 the current school was inaugurated near Burvej, called Vemb Skole (Vemb School): an entirely different school with central heating, a gymnasium (which later became a library) and a workshop. Vemb School has just had its 100-year anniversary jubilee, with 1000 former students in attendance.[2]
Only when DSB opened the railroad line from Holstebro to Ringkjøbing in 1875 was there passage through Vemb as a town, and when the Vemb-Lemvig path (VLTJ) arrived in 1879, Vemb suddenly became a rail hub. This provided the basis so that Gæstgivergaarden (travellers' inn) could be built, after which the town grew fairly quickly into a typical railway town.
A Visit to Vemb
If one is approaching the town from the south, one crosses Storåen and first sees on the right side Mariebjerg, a former farm, which the parish council bought and in its place built an elderly home. It functions no longer as such. Instead, a new nursing home was constructed in the garden near the former inn "Gæstgivergaarden."
If one approaches from the east, one will see Vemb skole, which has expanded substantially since 1908. To the left of the school are the Vemb gardens.
From the north one sees an industrial area and on the right hand, a residential area where expansion has taken place over the last decade.
The road from the west, which is not a major entrance point, leads to a residential area with low/high density and blocks with multi-storey buildings on the left side. On the right side is Vemb's tile-fired modern heating plant.
In Vemb's center are shops with groceries, clothing, furniture, baked goods, etc. Since its formation, the city has been an important trading center for the surrounding area and continues to evolve with changing shop owners and assortments.
When one leaves Vemb south to Storåen, one can visit the following cultural sites:
- Immediately after the river, one finds on the left side Skærum mølle. Formerly a large farm, it is now the center for a folkeuniversitet, where science and art are disseminated throughout society, and where one can find various stone houses and museums.
- On the right hand a little further south, one can see the old manor Nørre Vosborg, a place with the historical atmosphere of Valdemar's time. H.C. Andersen was once a guest there; reading, telling stories, and beginning his work on the song "Jylland mellem tvende have."
External links
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Sources
Coordinates: 56°20′N 8°20′E / 56.333°N 8.333°E