Skørping
Encyclopedia
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, kommune
Municipalities of Denmark
This is a list of Municipalities of Denmark.-Region Hovedstaden:* Albertslund Municipality* Allerød Municipality* Ballerup Municipality* Bornholm Regional Municipality* Brøndby Municipality* Copenhagen Municipality* Dragør Municipality* Egedal Municipality...
) in Rebild municipality
Rebild municipality
Rebild municipality is a municipality in North Denmark Region in Denmark. It covers an area of 628 km² and a total population of 28,753 ....
in Region Nordjylland
Region Nordjylland
North Denmark Region or North Jutland Region 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...
in the geographic region of the Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
peninsula known as Himmerland
Himmerland
Himmerland is a peninsula in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. It is delimited to the north and the west by the Limfjord, to the east by the Kattegat, and to the south by the Mariager Fjord. The largest city is Aalborg; smaller towns include Hobro, Aars, Løgstør, Støvring and Nibe...
in northern 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...
. The modern town has a population of 2,875 as of 1 January 2011; the former Skørping municipality covered an area of 238 km², and had a total population of 9,835 in 2005.
On January 1, 2007, Skørping municipality ceased to exist as a result of the 2007 Kommunalreformen ("Municipality Reform". It was merged with Nørager
Nørager
Nørager is a town with a population of 1,066 and a former municipality in Rebild municipality in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The former Nørager municipality covered an area of 168 km², and had a total population of 5,565...
and Støvring
Støvring
Støvring is a town in Rebild municipality in Region Nordjylland in the geographic region of the Jutland peninsula known as Himmerland in northern Denmark...
municipalities to form the new Rebild municipality. This created a municipality with an area of 628 km² and a total population of 28,457 (2005 figures).
Attractions
The town is in the middle of the Rold Forest (Rold Skov), Denmark's second largest forested area; Lake MadumLake Madum
Madum Lake is the largest lake in the Himmerland peninsula of Jutland, Denmark. The lake covers an area of , and has a depth of at its deepest point...
and Large Oks Lake (Store Økssø) lie south of the town of Skørping.
Rebild Bakker
Rebild National Park
Rebild National Park is a protected site located in Rebild municipality in Region Nordjylland in Denmark. It is situated in the geographic region of the Jutland peninsula known as Himmerland. The Rebild Festival is held in the national park every 4th of July.- History :The founder was Dr...
("Rebild Hills") is a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
consisting of heather
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
-covered hills, located in the municipality near the village of Rebild. The area was purchased in 1911 by a group of Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of Danish descent. The effort was led by Max Henius
Max Henius
Max Henius was a Danish-American Biochemist who specialized in the fermentation processes. Max Henius co-founded the American Academy of Brewing in Chicago.-Background:...
, a Danish-American biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
. In 1912 the park was given to the Danish state as a present with three conditions:
- That the area should remain in a natural state;
- That it would be open to the public;
- That Danish-Americans could celebrate American holidays at the park.
The Rebild National Park Society Inc. is an American non-profit company, whose purpose is to arrange an annual Independence Day (4th of July)
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
festival at the park. The first Rebild Festival took place in 1912, when King Christian X
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
spoke to a crowd of 10,000. The day has been celebrated every year since then, with the exception of the periods during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is the largest 4th of July celebration outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and features speeches by American and Danish politicians, as well as general entertainment.
The park is visited by 400,000 people each year, making it one of Denmark's major tourist attractions. It has many hiking trails, and sheep wander loose in the hilly terrain. There is also a full-size reproduction of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
and a totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
in the park.