Espergærde
Encyclopedia
Espergærde is situated in Northern Zealand near Øresund and is statically considered part of the larger urban area Espergærde-Snekkersten-Elsinore
, some 5 to 8 km south of the centre of Elsinore and in reality separated from the urban area of Elsinore-Snekkersten by a 100 m wide unbuilt area, Egebæksvang forest and area under natural protection around Flynderupgård (previously a village, later a farm, today a museum). The urban area of Espergærde also covers the two former villages Tibberup and Mørdrup and part of the former fishery village of Skotterup, with 11.524 inhabitants (2008). Espergærde is well limited to the north by Egebæksvang forest and Flynderupgård, to the west by Rolighedsmoserne (swamp area) and Helsingørmotorvejen (motorway or highway), to the south by Krogerup mansion fields and Babyloneskoven (Babylone forest). Espergærde is part of Region Hovedstaden
(the captal area).
Espergærde has its own postal number, 3060, and is split in two clerical areas: Egebæksvang clerical area (church nearby the old fishermans village) and Mørdrup clerical area (church next to the urban centre).
and Elsinore via Kystbanen
(Coast line), and to Hillerød
city and Elsinore via Nordbanen
(Northern line) from the railroad station in Mørdrup.
, public library
and lutheranian church. At Øresund coast Espergærde has an harbour, Espergærde Havn, for yarts. It was planned to but never built into a marina.
Espergærde is also the place for one of Denmarks biggest high schools, Espergærde Gymnasium & HF, which since the middle of the 1970'ties replaced Helsingør Latinskole (Elsinore Latin school). On the high school there is every year an international conference, attracting sebveral hundred pupils to the town.
To the north are situated Egebæksvang (forest) and Flynderupgård farm fields towards Snekkersten
, to the south farm fields towards Krogerup and the town of Humlebæk. To the west the town is limited by the Rolighedsmoserne (a swamp area) and part of Kelleris Hegn (a forest) situated between Nordbanen
(railroad) and Helsingørmotorvejen (Elsinore motorway).
) and south (Humlebæk, Sletten) developed around the same time. From Espergærde a road travelled inland to the village of Mørdrup situated about 2 km from the coast. From the beach near Espergærde during the 16th century wood was sent from the forest Egebæksvang situated to the northwest. Connected to the village were 2-3 smaller farms on top of a beach slope.
According to the land tax registration 1682, 4 fishermen had reserved parts of the coastal area for fishing eal in Øresound, for which they had to pay 2 Rdl. in land taxes per year; 2 areas were "øde" (out of use). 6 houses without land had to pay 1 Rdl. in land taxes.
Espergærde, together with the villages Mørdrup and Tibberup, belonged to the mansion Krogerup situated to the south. The farmers in these villages had to make hoveri (farm work) for the mansion, and the road from Mørdrup to the south towards Tibberup (and from here further on to Krogerup) still has the name "Hovvej", referring to these conditions. Krogerup mansion was almost the only private mansion in Northeastern Zealand, while all other areas belonged to the Crown.
; in honour of the constitution a stone monument was raised in the forest. The celebrations took place every year until 1855 and then came to a stop during some years. Instead the forest was used for parties for different purposes like building a harbour for the fishermen in Snekkersten
and Espergærde, but also for other events. All these celebrations became well known and drew summer holiday guests to the area, including people from Copenhagen.
A steam boat line was expanded to the north and from 1877 the steam boat made stops in Copenhagen
and the villages along the coast: Skovshoved and Bellevue Beach
, Tårbæk, Skodsborg
, Vedbæk
, Rungsted
, Humlebæk, Snekkersten
, Helsingør and Helsingborg
. The same year a post line opened from Elsinore to Snekkersten, Skotterup and Egebæksro (on the fringe of the forest Egebæksvang just south of the small Egebækken stream running into The Øresound). The post coast line stopped after a short time but the summer holiday visitors continued to grow.
Until the 1870s the visitors came mainly on day trips to the forest and the beach, but according to the law of business enterprise (næringsloven) of 1857 it was specifically allowed that house owners could rent their homes to foreign visitors and supply them with food, so the local people started to rent out their homes during the summer and themselves lived in a building for stocking materials, horse staples or other secondary purposes. Shortly after, summer cottages started to be built on areas next to the coast, the oldest being "Mary Hill" from 1848, the next "Hostruphus", built as a national gift in 1870 for the poet Christian Hostrup. During the 1870s and 1880s, the coastal area between Egebæksvang and Øresound became one of the most popular places for Copenhagen summer holiday visitors, and in 1880 a large part of the coast was already filled with summer cottages.
The increasing number of summer visitors gave way to new enterprise. First, a large number of cottages were built, thus creating jobs for building workers. In 1850 there were only 3 building workers in Espergærde area, one in each of the villages Skotterup, Mørdrup and Tibberup. In 1870 there were 8 building workers. In 1880 already 18. In (?) the number of building workers had increased to 22.
Also, the summer visitors gave new possibilities for trade, both for the farmers and fishermen, who were allowed to sell their own products, and for shop keepers like the store in Skotterup and the stores in Elsinore.
At the end of the 19th Century the number of summer cottages grew quickly and from 1897, when Kystbanen
)coastal rail road) was opened (with a station from 1903), about 1 km from Espergærde, a small town grew up, mainly of summer cottages.
Now followed all kinds of shop keepers and a bath hotel built in 1896 with the name hotel "Gefion" above the coastal slope and a great view to the fishermens village and the sea. More and more houses and summer cottages were built between the village and the railroad station on the southern side of Egebæksvang forest. Together with these houses came new craftsmen and traders, even some industrial production. However, most of the people went by train as commuters to Elsinore or Copenhagen, and at a time the Coastal Railroad was known as the "gross traders train" (grosserertoget).
The development continued until World War II, and the fishermen's village became a true town, first with many summer holiday visitors, later as a residential area for people working in Elsinore or Copenhagen. In 1911 there were 500 people in the town, in 1916 713 people in 144 houses.
In 2009 Espergærde was officially considered to be connected to Elsinore, even if the two urban areas are still divided by an 100m (approx.) undeveloped area between Espergærde-Skotterup and Snekkersten-Helsingør.
Elsinore
Helsingør is a city and the municipal seat of Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Helsingør has a population of 46,279 including the southern suburbs of Snekkersten and Espergærde...
, some 5 to 8 km south of the centre of Elsinore and in reality separated from the urban area of Elsinore-Snekkersten by a 100 m wide unbuilt area, Egebæksvang forest and area under natural protection around Flynderupgård (previously a village, later a farm, today a museum). The urban area of Espergærde also covers the two former villages Tibberup and Mørdrup and part of the former fishery village of Skotterup, with 11.524 inhabitants (2008). Espergærde is well limited to the north by Egebæksvang forest and Flynderupgård, to the west by Rolighedsmoserne (swamp area) and Helsingørmotorvejen (motorway or highway), to the south by Krogerup mansion fields and Babyloneskoven (Babylone forest). Espergærde is part of Region Hovedstaden
Region Hovedstaden
The Capital Region of Denmark is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the...
(the captal area).
Espergærde has its own postal number, 3060, and is split in two clerical areas: Egebæksvang clerical area (church nearby the old fishermans village) and Mørdrup clerical area (church next to the urban centre).
Road net and bus connections
From Espergærde there are two main roads heading inland and to the northwest. In the north Mørdrupvej (vej = road), passes the villages of Gurre and Nygård and ends in Ålsgårde. To the the south Hornbækvej passes the villages of Kvistgård and Tikøb and leads on to Hornbæk. The town has bus connections via these two roads to the towns of Ålsgårde and Hornbæk, and a third bus connection via Strandvejen to Elsinore.Railroad connections
Espergærde has railroad connections to CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Elsinore via Kystbanen
Kystbanen
The Coast Line is a regional railway line between Helsingør and Copenhagen in Denmark. It was opened in 1897, and it is today the busiest railway line in Denmark...
(Coast line), and to Hillerød
Hillerød
Hillerød Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 191 km² , and has a total population of 46,568...
city and Elsinore via Nordbanen
Nordbanen
Nordbanen is one of six radial S-train lines in Copenhagen. It connects Copenhagen with the city of Hillerød, and with several northern suburbs.-Stations:-Service patterns:...
(Northern line) from the railroad station in Mørdrup.
Trade and service
The urban centre is Espergærde centret (centre), Denmarks oldest planned centre, with shops, institutions, medical care, dentistDentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
and lutheranian church. At Øresund coast Espergærde has an harbour, Espergærde Havn, for yarts. It was planned to but never built into a marina.
Espergærde is also the place for one of Denmarks biggest high schools, Espergærde Gymnasium & HF, which since the middle of the 1970'ties replaced Helsingør Latinskole (Elsinore Latin school). On the high school there is every year an international conference, attracting sebveral hundred pupils to the town.
Recreational areas
Both north and south of Espergærde are so called green wedges. These forested or cultivated areas span out to the coast - or until the Strandvejen (Beach road).To the north are situated Egebæksvang (forest) and Flynderupgård farm fields towards Snekkersten
Snekkersten
Snekkersten is a small borough of Helsingør Commune. It is 4 km south of central Helsingør, Denmark.The small village was a fishing and seafaring community. Today, most of the inhabitants are commuters, either working in Helsingør or Copenhagen...
, to the south farm fields towards Krogerup and the town of Humlebæk. To the west the town is limited by the Rolighedsmoserne (a swamp area) and part of Kelleris Hegn (a forest) situated between Nordbanen
Nordbanen
Nordbanen is one of six radial S-train lines in Copenhagen. It connects Copenhagen with the city of Hillerød, and with several northern suburbs.-Stations:-Service patterns:...
(railroad) and Helsingørmotorvejen (Elsinore motorway).
History
The name refers, according to Nudansk Ordbog (a dictionary), to "fenced area in aspen forest" ~ Asperød-giærde, and that the village originally was a new middleaged village of 2-3 farms on top of a coastal slope.Renaissance
Around the year 1500 on the beach area below the coastal slope a small fishermens village of 6-8 houses developed in two lines on both sides of a north-south going coastal road, Strandvejen, connecting Espergærde with other similar fishermen villages to the north: Skotterup, SnekkerstenSnekkersten
Snekkersten is a small borough of Helsingør Commune. It is 4 km south of central Helsingør, Denmark.The small village was a fishing and seafaring community. Today, most of the inhabitants are commuters, either working in Helsingør or Copenhagen...
) and south (Humlebæk, Sletten) developed around the same time. From Espergærde a road travelled inland to the village of Mørdrup situated about 2 km from the coast. From the beach near Espergærde during the 16th century wood was sent from the forest Egebæksvang situated to the northwest. Connected to the village were 2-3 smaller farms on top of a beach slope.
According to the land tax registration 1682, 4 fishermen had reserved parts of the coastal area for fishing eal in Øresound, for which they had to pay 2 Rdl. in land taxes per year; 2 areas were "øde" (out of use). 6 houses without land had to pay 1 Rdl. in land taxes.
Espergærde, together with the villages Mørdrup and Tibberup, belonged to the mansion Krogerup situated to the south. The farmers in these villages had to make hoveri (farm work) for the mansion, and the road from Mørdrup to the south towards Tibberup (and from here further on to Krogerup) still has the name "Hovvej", referring to these conditions. Krogerup mansion was almost the only private mansion in Northeastern Zealand, while all other areas belonged to the Crown.
Summer holiday area and railway town
During the years from 1841 to 1847 on 28 May there was a celebration recalling the starting of Provinsialstænderne (Provincial represents council) similar to celebrations in other cities. The reason for this was that the radical representative, ship clarating N.P. Kinck won the election in Helsingør on 8 January 1841 for the Provincial Represents Council for the Danish Islands over the conservative candidate. Egebæksvang was elected as the place to celebrate this victory partly because of request from rural residents. The first celebration brought together 5–6000 people from the area and Elsinore by Hvidestensbakken (White Stone Hill) in the forest, and also celebrations during the next years took place here. During Treårskrigen (Three Year War) 1848–1850 in the Dutchies Slesvig-Holstein no celebrations took place and from 1852 the celebrations started up again but now in honour of the June 5-constitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
; in honour of the constitution a stone monument was raised in the forest. The celebrations took place every year until 1855 and then came to a stop during some years. Instead the forest was used for parties for different purposes like building a harbour for the fishermen in Snekkersten
Snekkersten
Snekkersten is a small borough of Helsingør Commune. It is 4 km south of central Helsingør, Denmark.The small village was a fishing and seafaring community. Today, most of the inhabitants are commuters, either working in Helsingør or Copenhagen...
and Espergærde, but also for other events. All these celebrations became well known and drew summer holiday guests to the area, including people from Copenhagen.
A steam boat line was expanded to the north and from 1877 the steam boat made stops in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and the villages along the coast: Skovshoved and Bellevue Beach
Bellevue Beach
Bellevue Beach , often simply referred to as Bellevue, is a beach at Klampenborg on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark...
, Tårbæk, Skodsborg
Skodsborg
Skodsborg is a small town/suburb approx. 20 km. north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The town has a population of 1,169 and lies in Rudersdal Kommune. The town is a coastal town but doesn't have a marina....
, Vedbæk
Vedbæk
Vedbæk is a small town in the municipality of Rudersdal , Denmark. It is located on the Øresund coast of Zealand, between Rungsted to the north and Skodsborg to the south. The town has a station on the busy Kystbanen railway line, approximately midway between Copenhagen and Helsingør...
, Rungsted
Rungsted
Rungsted is a neighborhood in the city of Hørsholm in the Hørsholm Municipality of Øresund, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The center of Hørsholm is located two kilometers west of Rungsted...
, Humlebæk, Snekkersten
Snekkersten
Snekkersten is a small borough of Helsingør Commune. It is 4 km south of central Helsingør, Denmark.The small village was a fishing and seafaring community. Today, most of the inhabitants are commuters, either working in Helsingør or Copenhagen...
, Helsingør and Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
. The same year a post line opened from Elsinore to Snekkersten, Skotterup and Egebæksro (on the fringe of the forest Egebæksvang just south of the small Egebækken stream running into The Øresound). The post coast line stopped after a short time but the summer holiday visitors continued to grow.
Until the 1870s the visitors came mainly on day trips to the forest and the beach, but according to the law of business enterprise (næringsloven) of 1857 it was specifically allowed that house owners could rent their homes to foreign visitors and supply them with food, so the local people started to rent out their homes during the summer and themselves lived in a building for stocking materials, horse staples or other secondary purposes. Shortly after, summer cottages started to be built on areas next to the coast, the oldest being "Mary Hill" from 1848, the next "Hostruphus", built as a national gift in 1870 for the poet Christian Hostrup. During the 1870s and 1880s, the coastal area between Egebæksvang and Øresound became one of the most popular places for Copenhagen summer holiday visitors, and in 1880 a large part of the coast was already filled with summer cottages.
The increasing number of summer visitors gave way to new enterprise. First, a large number of cottages were built, thus creating jobs for building workers. In 1850 there were only 3 building workers in Espergærde area, one in each of the villages Skotterup, Mørdrup and Tibberup. In 1870 there were 8 building workers. In 1880 already 18. In (?) the number of building workers had increased to 22.
Also, the summer visitors gave new possibilities for trade, both for the farmers and fishermen, who were allowed to sell their own products, and for shop keepers like the store in Skotterup and the stores in Elsinore.
At the end of the 19th Century the number of summer cottages grew quickly and from 1897, when Kystbanen
Kystbanen
The Coast Line is a regional railway line between Helsingør and Copenhagen in Denmark. It was opened in 1897, and it is today the busiest railway line in Denmark...
)coastal rail road) was opened (with a station from 1903), about 1 km from Espergærde, a small town grew up, mainly of summer cottages.
Now followed all kinds of shop keepers and a bath hotel built in 1896 with the name hotel "Gefion" above the coastal slope and a great view to the fishermens village and the sea. More and more houses and summer cottages were built between the village and the railroad station on the southern side of Egebæksvang forest. Together with these houses came new craftsmen and traders, even some industrial production. However, most of the people went by train as commuters to Elsinore or Copenhagen, and at a time the Coastal Railroad was known as the "gross traders train" (grosserertoget).
The development continued until World War II, and the fishermen's village became a true town, first with many summer holiday visitors, later as a residential area for people working in Elsinore or Copenhagen. In 1911 there were 500 people in the town, in 1916 713 people in 144 houses.
After WW2
In 1950 the inhabitants had grown to some 2600 people. In 1947 the first building plan was made in the local community with the proposal to build on the entire 2 km2 area from the coast to the inland villages, and during the 1960s this development took place. From 1960 to 1970 the number of inhabitants grew from 4,000 to 10,000 people. Because of this development Espergærde became the administrative centre of the local community. In 1970 the rural community was merged with Elsinore city, and Espergærde became a centre for the planning department.In 2009 Espergærde was officially considered to be connected to Elsinore, even if the two urban areas are still divided by an 100m (approx.) undeveloped area between Espergærde-Skotterup and Snekkersten-Helsingør.