Hillerød facts for kids

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Hillerød

City

Frederiksborg Castle

Coat of arms

Hillerød

Location in Denmark

Hillerød

Location in Capital Region

Country

Denmark

Region

Capital (Hovedstaden)

Municipality

Hillerød

Area

• Urban

17.7 km² (6.8 sq mi)

Elevation

41 m (135 ft)

Population

(2024)

• Urban

36,227

• Urban density

2,047/km² (5,301/sq mi)

• Gender

17,363 males and 18,864 females

• Municipality

54,422

Demonym(s)

Hillerødaner

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postal code

3400

Area code(s)

(+45) 48

Hillerød (Danish pronunciation: [ˈhiləˌʁœðˀ]) is a Danish town located in the middle of North Zealand. It's about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. As of 2024, about 36,227 people live here.

Hillerød is an important city because it's the main office for Hillerød Municipality. It's also where the government of the Capital Region of Denmark (one of Denmark's five regions) is located. The town is famous for its huge Renaissance castle, Frederiksborg Castle. This castle is now home to the Museum of National History. Hillerød also has a train station that connects to Copenhagen and other local towns. The town is surrounded by large forests called Gribskov and Store Dyrehave.

History of Hillerød
Economy and Shopping
- Shopping in Hillerød
- The New Hospital Project
Education in Hillerød
Attractions and Tourism
Nature and Countryside
Notable People from Hillerød
Sport and Leisure
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

History of Hillerød

Hillerød started as a small settlement a long time ago, in the early Middle Ages. The name "Hillerød" was first written down in 1552. It comes from an old male name, Hildi, and the word -rød, which means "clearing" in a forest. So, it means "Hildi's clearing."

In 1550, Prince Frederick (who later became Frederick II of Denmark) got a place called Hillerødsholm. His son, Christian IV of Denmark, built a brand new castle there between 1602 and 1625. This castle became the famous Frederiksborg Castle. Hillerød was never officially a "market town" (a town with special trading rights). However, it grew and became rich because kings gave it many special permissions.

Later, in the 1720s, King Frederick IV of Denmark moved his court to Fredensborg Palace. This caused Hillerød to slow down a bit. From 1772 until 1908, the town was even named Frederiksborg after its castle. Hillerød got its first town council in 1778. Its town shield, which has a flowering elder tree, was created in 1787.

The arrival of the railway brought new growth to Hillerød. The first train line connecting Copenhagen and Helsingør opened in 1864. Later, more local train lines were built, like the Gribskov Line and the Frederiksværk Line. These railways made Hillerød an important center for business in the area. New factories also came to town, like Nordstens Fabrikker, which made farm machines, and Hillerød Svineslagteri, a meatpacking company.

Economy and Shopping

Hillerød is home to several important companies. Foss A/S, a big company that makes high-tech tools for the food industry, is based here. Novo Nordisk and FujiFilm Diosynth Biotechnology are also major employers. They have growing facilities in Hillerød's business park. The pension fund ATP also has its main office in Hillerød.

Shopping in Hillerød

If you like to shop, Hillerød has two main shopping streets: Slotsgade and Helsingørsgade. Helsingørsgade is a pedestrian street, meaning only people can walk there. The biggest shopping center in town is Slotsarkaderne, which has 50 different stores.

The New Hospital Project

Hillerød was chosen to be the location for a new regional hospital called 'Nyt Hospital Nordsjælland' (which means 'New North Zealand Hospital'). To support this big hospital, a new area called Favrholm is being built in the southern part of the city. A new train station will also be added to make it easy to get to the hospital. This project started in 2012, and the hospital is expected to be ready around 2020. When it's finished, it will be the largest hospital in Denmark.

Education in Hillerød

Hillerød is a center for education, especially in areas like the pharmaceutical industry, technology, and general knowledge. The local government and the state run many schools and colleges here. These places offer different types of education, from short courses to longer programs.

Some of the educational institutions include:

Business Academy North Zealand
Hillerød Technical School
Hillerød Business School
Hillerød Tekniske Gymnasium
Frederiksborg Gymnasium og HF
VUC (Adult Education Centre)
Hillerød teacher training college

The village of Nødebo, located near Esrum Lake and the Gribskov forest, has a special forestry boarding school called 'Skovskolen' (The Forest School). This school is part of the University of Copenhagen.

Hillerød also has a college for pharmacy. Pharmakon - Danish College of Pharmacy Practice (Farmakonomskolen Pharmakon) is a higher education school for pharmaceutical sciences. It has over 600 students who are studying to become pharmaconomists (people who work in pharmacies).

Attractions and Tourism

Hillerød has many interesting places to visit, especially its famous castle.

Frederiksborg Castle

The most well-known place is Frederiksborg Castle. For a long time, this castle was where Danish kings lived. Today, the castle is open to everyone and is home to the Frederiksborg Museum, also known as The Museum of National History. The castle also has a beautiful large baroque garden that you can explore.

Local Museums

The Town Museum (called "Bymuseet") has a permanent exhibit about the history of Hillerød. You can learn all about how the town grew over time.
"The Boiler Room" ("Kedelhuset") is another museum that has different special exhibits throughout the year. For example, in 2005, it showed exhibits about the ancient and medieval history of Northern Zealand.

Historic Abbeys

The ruins of Æbelholt Abbey (Æbelholt Klosterruin) are the remains of the largest Augustinian monastery in the northern countries. A museum at the site tells its history. This monastery was founded in 1175/76 by a French monk named William of Æbelholt, who later became Saint William. After the Reformation in 1536, the monastery was closed, and its buildings were taken apart. Some of its bricks were even used to build Frederiksborg Castle.
Esrum Abbey ("Esrum Kloster") is a Cistercian monastery that dates back to 1151. Only one building from this once huge complex remains today. It now has an exhibit about the Cistercian monks. There's also a restaurant in the old vaults. Next to the monastery is "Esrum Møllegaard," which is a nature and environment center.

Culture and Knowledge Park

Another cultural spot is "Hillerød Viden- og Kulturpark" (Hillerød Knowledge and Culture Park). This place has a library, along with workshops and game areas. It's a central gathering place for cultural events in Hillerød, including exhibitions, music, and theater shows.

Nature and Countryside

Hillerød is surrounded by some of the biggest forests in Denmark. To the south, you'll find Store Dyrehave, and to the north are the forests of Gribskov. Gribskov is the fourth largest connected forest in the country. Both forests are full of wild game, especially deer.

Just east of Gribskov is Esrum Sø, which is the second largest lake in Denmark. A few kilometers northeast of Hillerød's city center is Fredensborg Palace and its beautiful baroque gardens, located on the east side of Esrum Lake.

Around Hillerød, there are also smaller villages and settlements like Tulstrup, Ullerød, Gadevang, Nødebo, Sørup, and Ny Hammersholt. Ullerød is both an old church area and a new part of the city, directly connected to Hillerød.

Notable People from Hillerød

Many interesting people have connections to Hillerød.

Public Service & Public Thinking

Christian IV of Denmark (1577–1648): He was the King of Denmark-Norway for 59 years, which is the longest reign of any Danish monarch.
Prince Ulrik of Denmark (1611–1633): He was the son of King Christian IV.
Carl Edvard Rotwitt (1812–1860): A Danish politician who served as the Prime Minister of Denmark from 1859 to 1860.
Henning Frederik Feilberg (1831–1921): A Danish pastor, writer, and expert in folklore.
Marie Mørk (1861–1940): She was known for founding a school.
Jutta Graae (1906–1997): A bank employee who joined the Danish resistance during World War II. She later worked for the Danish Defence Intelligence Service.
Kai Larsen (1926–2012): A Danish botanist and university professor.
Dorte Olesen (born 1948): A mathematician who became the first Danish woman to be a full professor of mathematics.
Simon Emil Ammitzbøll (born 1977): A politician who is a member of the Parliament of Denmark and was a former Minister of Economy and Interior.
Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam (born 1996): A politician from Greenland who also competed in Miss Denmark in 2015.

The Arts

Godtfred Rump (1816–1880): A Danish painter known for his genre art (scenes from everyday life), history, and landscape painting.
Louis Hasselriis (1844–1912): A Danish sculptor who created public statues.
Hans Ole Brasen (1849–1930): A Danish painter who won the Eckersberg Medal in 1894.
Mogens Bøggild (1901–1987): A Danish sculptor who specialized in animal figures.
Ole Kielberg (1911–1985): A Danish painter who was part of the "Odsherred Painters" artist group in Zealand.
Aase Bredsdorff (1919–2017): A librarian who worked to promote literature for children and young people.
Jesper Lundgaard (born 1954): A jazz bassist, bandleader, composer, and record producer.
Lars Halvor Jensen (born 1973): A Danish record producer and songwriter.
Jesper Dahl (born 1973): Known by his stage name Jokeren (The Joker), he is a hip-hop artist and rapper.
Ane Cortzen (born 1974): A Danish TV personality, architect, and graphic designer.
Linnéa Handberg Lund (born 1976): Known by her stage name Papaya, she is a Danish Eurodance musician.
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (born 1982): A Danish actress.
Nina Agdal (born 1992): A Danish model who grew up in Hillerød.

Sport

Peter Jørgensen (1907–1992): A boxer who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Pernille Svarre (born 1961): A Danish former athlete in triathlon and modern pentathlon.
Helene Kirkegaard (born 1971): A retired Danish badminton player who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.
Nicki Sørensen (born 1975): A former professional road bicycle racer. He is currently a directeur sportif (team manager) for the Cycling Academy Team.
Jan Budtz (born 1979): A Danish football goalkeeper with over 250 club games.
Jesper Mikkelsen (born 1980): A former Danish footballer with 373 club games.
Lasse Jensen (born 1984): A golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Henriette Engel Hansen (born 1982): A world champion in sprint canoeing and marathon canoeing.
Louise Lyksborg (born 1988): A handball player for Viborg HK and the Denmark national team.
Joachim B. Hansen (born 1990): A professional golfer who plays on the PGA European Tour.
Nicole Broch Larsen (born 1993): A professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.
Kathrine Møller Kühl (born 2003): A footballer for Arsenal and the Denmark national team.

Sport and Leisure

The Hillerød Stadium is a sports complex where the football team Hillerød Fodbold plays. This place used to be a motorcycle speedway stadium called Selskov Stadium, which was once the main speedway location in Denmark.