Odsherred

Odsherred is a

, which runs through the most important towns, including Nykøbing Sjælland, Asnæs and Hørve.

History

The last part of the name herred derives from a medieval practice of dividing the country in districts herreder which created the frame for regional justice and possibly also for recruitment of soldiers to the national army and fleet. They roughly correspond to today's counties. Odsherred was only one out of many of such herreder, since every part of the country was also a part of a herred. After the administrative importance of the herreder ended in 1919, the once common name began to disappear all over the country. It is however still to be found in areas such as Hornsherred and Hanherred and Odsherred.

Prehistoric times

The first habitations in Odsherred reach back to the

, is also from that period and was found in a peat in central Odsherred. Solvognen is a ca. 50 cm. long statue made in bronze and gold showing horses in front of a wagon carrying the sun. It is now to be seen at the National Museum in Copenhagen, where it is one of the most spectacular artifacts.

Middle Ages to present

In the Middle Ages Odsherred was fortified with the construction of the castle of Dragsholm (

is now dry and therefore does not create a natural border for troops on land, but the castle itself is still both visible and inhabitable, even though the appearance has been changed over the years.

In the age of absolutism most of Odsherred was the property of the Danish king. The inhabitants were paying their taxes directly to the court instead of to the baron who was now residing at Dragsholm Slot and the king did use the peninsula for hunting and foresting.

The rapid changes in the Danish society in the 19th century did also inflict Odsherred, which lost its status as royal property and even some of its status as a peninsula with the draining of Lammefjorden. In the first decades the new farming land in the now dry fjord was rocky, swampy and smelly, but since the middle of the 20th century the area has been known for its good soil and quality products such as potatoes and carrots. The waves of drainage also hit Siddingefjorden and the lakes of Klint and Højby. The latter is now reestablished as lake, creating a valuable natural habitat for various kinds of birds.

Contemporary Odsherred

Odsherred today is still today an area with a lot of farming, but other industries are also important. In the town of Fårevejle is the

Sommerland Sjælland and the beautiful landscape of bjergene.

After

. While the reform created much debate in other parts of the country, most people in Odsherred saw this solution as natural, since the peninsula is widely regarded as a unity. There have also before the reform been much collaboration between the three municipalities and between many private societies in the area. The new Odsherred municipality will cover 355 km² and a population of ca. 33.000, but the exact administrative borders have been changing many times in the last thousand years.

At the

for the new Odsherred municipality.

The new route 21

In November 2013, a new motorway between Holbæk and Vig in Odsherred was inaugurated.^[1]

Notable people

• Clemens Petersen (1834 in Asminderup – 1918) a Danish esthetician, theatre and literary critic
• Ole Justesen (born 1946 in Odsherred) a Danish former sports shooter, competed at the 1972, 1980 and the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Cecilie Manz (born 1972 in Odsherred) a Danish industrial designer, her work includes furniture, jewellery, lamps and sculptures

References

External links

• Odsherred municipality (in Danish)
• Official site of tourism in Odsherred (in Danish, German and English)
• The former Trundholm municipality (in Danish)
• The former Nykøbing–Rørvig municipality (in Danish)
• The former Dragsholm municipality (in Danish)

55°53′00″N 11°35′40″E / 55.88333°N 11.59444°E / 55.88333; 11.59444