Risskov is one of the most affluent areas in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, and a district to the city of Aarhus

Aarhus

Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...

. The name literally means The Forest of Riis, as described on the memorial stone marking the entrance to the area.

Origin of name and history of Riis Skov

Risskov derives its name from Riis Skov, a forest the southern part of which was granted to the city of Aarhus by Margaret I of Denmark

Margaret I of Denmark

Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...

 as the first, Danish public forest. In 1542, Christian III of Denmark

Christian III of Denmark

Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...

 granted the northern part of the forest to Aarhus as well . From early on the forest was used for leisurely activities, and during the 1800s restaurants, entertainment parks and musical pavilions sprung up in different parts of the forest. Today the forest is famous for its sharp smell of ramson during the spring and many anemones and is a popular destination for families and couples. Supposedly the ramson was brought to Denmark by Spanish soldiers who brought it to the forrest in Risskov in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

 . In October 1951 a meteorite

Meteorite

A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...

 exploded in the atmosphere over Denmark and part of it, about the size of a clenched fist, was found in Riis Skov, where a memorial stone now commemorates the event.

Sights in and around Risskov

Today Risskov is a popular and affluent suburban area with many villas and attractive beaches in close vicinity to the forest.

Notable sights in Risskov include:

• Riis Skov
  Riis Skov
  Riis Skov is a forest and park in Århus, Denmark. It is located on the southern side of the district named Risskov. The name of the district literally means "The Forest of Riis." The forest was formally presented to Århus in 1395.-References:...
  
  , the first public forest in Denmark.
• Bellevue beach
• Åkrogen beach
• Den permanente, a public outdoor bath

The beaches of Risskov provides a beautiful view of the bay of Aarhus. On clear days, Samsø

Samsø

Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...

 and Helgenæs

Helgenæs

Helgenæs is a minor peninsula stretching out from Mols, itself part of the peninsula Djursland, again part of the peninsula Jutland in Denmark.-Etymology:Helgenæs derives from Danish "hellig" + "næs" , and was in 1231 spelled "Hælghænæs"....

 and Mols

Mols

Mols is a small Danish peninsula located to the south of another peninsula, Djursland, located on the east coast Jutland. Two other peninsulas, Skødshoved to the west, and Helgenæs to the south, are adjacent to Mols....

 are visible in the horizon.

Risskov in literature

Risskov has been immortalized in Danish literature in the works of Svend Aage Madsen

Svend Aage Madsen

Svend Åge Madsen is a Danish novelist. He studied mathematics before he began writing fiction. His novels are generally philosophical and humorous. Several of his works have been made into films in Denmark...

who himself lives there, and, more recently, in Jens Blendstrup's "Laterna Vagina" and his lyrics for the musical and poetic album Piksvingeri & negerlege.