Timeline of Aarhus

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Aarhus, a city in central Denmark.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Viking Age

• 750–800 – Aarhus is founded by the northern shore of the Aarhus River.^[1]
• c. 900 – The first church, the Holy Trinity Church, is built during the reign of Frode, King of Jutland.^[2]
• c. 900 – Gorm the Old fortifies Aarhus with ramparts.^[3]
• 10th century – Harald Bluetooth strengthens and expands the ramparts.^[1]
• 948 – First mention of Aarhus as the bishop of Aarhus Reginbrand attends the Synod of Ingelheim.^[4][5]
• 988 – Diocese of Aarhus is dissolved.^[6]
• 1035–42 – Harthacnut coins money stamped with the original name of Aarhus: "AROS".^[6]
• 1043
  • Svend Estridsen gains support from Aros in war against Magnus the Good and a battle between the two are fought in the Bay of Aarhus.^[7]
  • Magnus the Good becomes ruler of Aarhus for a period and coins money inscribed "Magnus Konge, Lif-sig i Aros" in latin.^[7]
• 1050 – Harald Hardrada attacks Aarhus and burns the settlement including the Holy Trinity Church.^[8][9]
• 1060
  • Diocese of Aarhus is reestablished as Svend Estridsen divides the country into 8 bishoprics.^[6]
  • Crypt church is constructed on the site of the former Holy Trinity Church and present day Church of Our Lady.^[1][10]

Middle Ages

• 1080 – The crypt church is expanded and dedicated to Saint Nicholas.^[11]
• 12th century
  • The bishopric begins collecting tithe.^[12]
  • The defensive ramparts are strengthened and a cobbled ring road built along it.^[13]
• 1134 – The bishop of Aarhus Ulkil is killed at the Battle of Fotevik in support of King Niels.^[13]
• 1180
  • Saint Nicholas Church mentioned as the first cathedral of Aarhus.^[11]
  • Niels of Aarhus dies and is buried in Aarhus.^[14]
• 1191 – Peder Vognsen is appointed bishop by King Canute VI.
• c. 1192 – Construction begins on Aarhus Cathedral on the burial site of Niels of Aarhus.
• 1195 – Aarhus Cathedral School is mentioned for the first time. The school possibly predates the Aarhus Cathedral.
• 13th century – Valdemar II builds a grain mill at Aarhus River and hand grinders are made illegal.^[15][16]
• c. 1250 – Dominican friars are given Saint Nicholas Church which they tear down and begins construction on Church of Our Lady.^[11]
• 1298 – King Eric VI grants the Diocese of Aarhus rent from the peasantry enlisted in leidang.^[12]
• 1441 – Christopher of Bavaria ratifies existing market town privileges.^[17][18][19]
• 1477 –
  • Christian I grants citizens of Aarhus rights to fisheries in Lillebælt, Kalø Vig and Jutland.^[17][18]
  • The defensive ramparts ringing the town since the Viking age are removed.^[20][21]
• 1483 – King Hans ratifies that citizens of Aarhus are free of duties and may trade in all markets in Jutland.^[17][18]
• 1496 – King Hans ratifies that citizens of Aarhus may use all fisheries in Jutland.^[17][18]

Renaissance 16th – 18th century

• 1505 – King Hans establishes a four-mile exclusion zone around Aarhus within which only citizens may trade with farmers.^[17][18][22]
• 1542 – Large fires break out destroying parts of present Indre By.^[23][24]
• 1546 – Parts of the city burns down as fires breaks out.^[23][24]
• 1556 – Large fires breaks out.^[23][24]
• 1627-1629 – Aarhus is occupied by Albrecht von Wallenstein's troops on behest of Ferdinand II during the Thirty Years' War.^[23][24]
• 1637 – Thors Mølle is constructed as a powder mill.^[25]
• 1644-1645 – Occupation by Swedish troops during the Torstenson War^[23][24]
• 1657 – Wooden city walls erected as octroi is introduced.^[26]
• 1657-1659 – Aarhus is occupied during the Dano-Swedish wars of 1657–58 and 1658–60.^[23][24]
• 1659
  • Aarhus is bombarded by 13 Swedish warships during the Dano-Swedish War of 1658–60.^[23][24]
  • Plague breaks out in the city. Nationwide a third of the population is killed.^[23][24]
• 1662 – The medieval fiefs reformed into counties and Aarhus County is established.^[27]
• 1672 – 3,474 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1740 – New citizens council established, composed of the wealthiest citizens.^[29]
• 1794 – Århus Stiftstidende is published for the first time.

19th century

• 1801 – 3,837 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1830
  • Regular steamship links with Copenhagen begins.^[30]
  • Vennelystparken opens for the first time.
• 1838 – Electoral rules changed to allow voting for the city council.^[31]
• 1840 – 7,087 inhabitants.^[28]
  • Harbor moved from the Aarhus river to the coast.^[32][33]
• 1849
  • Occupied by Prussian troops during the First Schleswig War.^[34]
  • The skirmish known as Rytterfægtningen is fought in the area of present-day Trøjborg.
  • Denmark gets constitution and new electoral laws. The greater half of citizens representatives to be elected by all citizens while the other half is elected by the highest taxed citizens.^[35]
• 1850 – The psychiatric hospital of Jydske Asyl opens.
• 1851 – 11,009 inhabitants.^[28]
  • Octroi abolished and the city walls removed.
• 1854 – Frichs company is established.
• 1856 – The Ceres Brewery is established.
• 1862 – Jutland's first railway established between Aarhus and Randers.^[36]
• 1864 – Aarhus is occupied by Prussian troops during the Second Schleswig War.^[37]
• 1869 – Citizen Representation reformed to a city council with 19 members elected for 6 years. 10 members elected by all citizens, 9 by the highest taxed.^[38]
• 1871
  • Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S is established.
  • Jyllands-Posten publishes its first paper.
• 1873 – Cholera kills 213.^[39]
• 1874 – Frederiksbjerg annexed.
• 1875 – Aarhus Botanical Gardens is constructed.
• 1876 – The Grenaa Line opens; connecting Aarhus to Grenå by rail.
• 1880 – 24,831 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1882 – Aarhus County Hospital founded.
• 1883
  • Aarhus Butterine Company is established.
  • First public transportation in the form of horse drawn carriages.^[40]
• 1884 – The rail line Odderbanen opens, connecting Aarhus to Odder.
• 1893 – Aarhus Municipal Hospital is founded.
• 1896
  • Korn- og Foderstof Kompagniet is established.
  • Marselisborg estate purchased.
  • Construction on Trøjborg begins.
• 1900 – Aarhus Theatre is completed.

20th century

A city map of Aarhus in 1900, (Danish language edition)

• 1901 – 51,814 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1902
  • The State Library is finished. The historicist building was later repurposed as Erhvervsarkivet (The Corporate Archives) in 1948.^[41]
  • Marselisborg Palace is established.
• 1904 – Tivoli Friheden starts as an amusement park.
• 1906 – Frederik Ferdinand Salling opens the store that will eventually grow to become the Salling department store.^[42]
• 1909
  • Aarhus hosts the National Exhibition of 1909.^[43]
  • Electoral periods for the city council changed to 4 years, privileged electoral system abolished and women given voting rights.^[38]
• 1911 – 64,607 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1912 – Den Gamle By is established.
• 1913 – Marselisborg Hospital opens.
• 1919 – First publicly elected mayor.^[44]
• 1921 – 86,197 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1925 – Mindeparken is established.
• 1928
  • Aarhus University is opened.
  • Aarhus Sporveje is established.
• 1929 – The Central Station is completed.
• 1930 – 101,423 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1931 – Spanien Public Baths opens.
• 1932
  • Marselisborg Deer Park is established.
  • University Park is established.
• 1933
  • The first university buildings opens
  • Den Permanente is established.
• 1937 – The ring road of Ring 1 is finished.
• 1940 – 126,459 inhabitants.^[28]

World War II

• 10 April 1940 – Aarhus occupied by invading German troops.^[45]
• 1941
  • The Aarhus City Hall by architect Arne Jacobsen is completed.
  • The Royal Air Force bombs a viaduct in Viby.^[45]
• 24 September 1942 – The Aarhus oil mill is bombed by the Royal Air Force.^[46]
• 3 July 1943 – The resistance bombs and destroys the viaduct at Spanien.^[47]
• 4 July 1944 – German barge loaded with ammunition explodes in the harbor killing 38.
• 22 August 1944 – Aarhus Sporveje tram depot on Dalgas Avenue is blown up in an act of schalburgtage.^[48]
• 10 October 1944 – German steamer Scharnhörn bombed by the resistance movement.^[47]
• 30 September 1944 – Aarhus-Hallen is bombed killing 5 people.^[48]
• 9 October 1944 – The Peter group destroys the building of the newspaper Demokraten.^[48]
• 31 October 1944 – The Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus University is bombed by the Royal Air Force.
• 11 November 1944 – Five buildings on Ryesgade are destroyed by the Peter group.^[48]
• 12 November 1944 – Buildings in Søndergade 10-14, 23- 27, 29 and 58-60 are bombed.^[48]
• 2 December 1944 – Aarhus Håndværkerforening is bombed killing 1 person.^[48]
• 21 January 1945 – Vennelyst Teateret (Vennelyst Theatre) in Vennelystparken is bombed.^[48]
• 22 February 1945 – The Peter group bombs Guldsmedgade, Nørregade, Ryesgade and Aarhus Theatre killing 8 people.^[48]
• 13 March 1945 – Risskovtoget (Risskov Train) is bombed killing two people.^[48]
• 29 March 1945 – Editor of Århus Stiftstidende Børge Schmidt is shot and killed in a clearing murder.^[48]
• 5 May 1945 – Fighting between resistance fighters and German forces refusing surrender claims 15 lives.^[49]
• 8 May 1945 – British troops enter and officially liberate Aarhus from German occupation.

Post-war

• 1945 – Aarhus Flydedok is established.
• 1948 – Erhvervsarkivet (The Corporate Archives) opens in the building formerly housing the State Library.^[41]
• 1950 – 153,546 inhabitants.^[28]
  • City management of Aarhus is changed to a Magistrate.^[50][51]
• 1960 – 177,234 inhabitants.^[28]
  • First direct elections of county council.^[27]
• 1963 – The landmark State and University Library tower and building in yellow brick at the university campus is finished.
• 1965 – The first Aarhus Festuge festival is held.
• 1968 – Construction of the Gellerup Plan, a large modernist suburban satellite city, begins.
• 1970 – 199,427 inhabitants.^[28]
  • Aarhus Municipality is merged with a number of surrounding municipalities during the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform
• 1975 – The anti-nuclear Smiling Sun logo is designed by the local group of Organisationen til Oplysning om Atomkraft.^[52]
• 1977 – The first Moesgård Vikingetræf event is held.
• 1979 – Machine manufacturing company Frichs, a large local employer, is declared bankrupt. Production in Aarhus was finally halted, after more than 125 years, in the 1980s.
• 1982 – Musikhuset (Aarhus Concert Hall) is finished
• 1983 – Gaffa is published for the first time.^[53]
• 1987 – The ring road of Ring 2 opens.
• 1988
  • University hospital Skejby Sygehus opens.
  • The afforestation of the New Forests of Aarhus is initiated.
• 1989 – The first Aarhus International Jazz Festival.
• 1990 – 200,188 inhabitants.^[28]
• 1991
  • KaosPilots is founded by Uffe Elbæk.^[54]
  • Marselisborg Yacht Harbour opens
• 1994 – The first SpoT Festival is held.
• 1995 – Scandinavian Center is finished
• 2000 – 217,260 inhabitants.^[28]

21st century

• 2002
  • Louise Gade becomes the first woman and non-Social Democratic mayor of Aarhus.
  • The re-establishment of Årslev Engsø begins.
• 2003
  • The dockyard of Aarhus Flydedok closes after 58 years, following a bankruptcy.
  • Bruun's Galleri shopping mall opens.
• 2004 – ARoS art museum opens
• 2005 – The nature sites of Hasle Hills and Skjoldhøjkilen are inaugurated.
• 2006 – 228,674 inhabitants.^[28]
  • The lake of Egå Engsø is created.
• 2007
  • Construction begins on Aarhus Ø.
  • Aarhus County is dissolved and Aarhus becomes part of Central Denmark Region.
• 2008 – The Ceres Brewery closed production in Aarhus after 152 years.
• 2009
  • Sculpture by the Sea is held for the first time.
  • The first Northside Festival is held.
• 2011
  • City council elects to change spelling from "Århus" to "Aarhus".^[55]
  • Aarhus University Hospital is created.
• 2012
  • Aarhus Pride is held for the first time.
  • Construction begins on CeresByen.
• 2013 – 256,018 inhabitants.^[28]
  • Construction begins on Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus light rail)
• 2014
  • The new Moesgård Museum (MOMU) opens.
  • The New University Hospital (DNU) partly opens to become fully operational in 2020.
  • Aarhus City Tower, the second tallest building in the city at 94 metres, opens.
• 2015
  • Dokk1 opens.
  • Redevelopment of Frederiks Plads begins.
• 2017
  • Aarhus is European Capital of Culture
  • The inner harbour front and two squares of Hack Kampmanns Plads and Havnepladsen are finished.
  • Aarhus Letbane opens
• 2018 – 273,077 inhabitants
  • The harbour baths of Havnebadet opens
  • The New University Hospital (DNU) is finished
  • Aarhus County Hospital is closed after 136 years of service
  • Risskov Psychiatric Hospital (Jydske Asyl) is closed after 168 year of service
• 2019
  • Aarhus Municipal Hospital is closed after 125 years of service

See also

• Mayors of Aarhus (since 1919)
• Timelines of other cities in Denmark: Copenhagen