Ribe

History

The town was a center of commercial activity in the early 8th century, and this may have been where the riches in Denmark originated, including with royal influence. Coins may have been struck there in 720. Whichever king was involved in the digging of the Kanhave Canal may have been involved in the establishment of Ribe also. Trade contacts were mostly with Frisia and England. Of the over 300 sceatas found in Denmark, 216 come from in or around Ribe, most of them were of the Frisian Wodan type, and these were likely minted in Ribe in the early eighth century. The Ancient Diocese of Ribe was established in 948 with the consecration of Leofdag of Ribe as its first bishop.

Early in the ninth century a 2-meter wide ditch (a demarcation rather than a fortification) was dug around the town, enclosing a 12-hectare area. Later that century the ditch was replaced by a moat, 6 to 7 meters wide. Archeological evidence shows Ribe was "an active and impressive market place" in the eighth and ninth centuries, and again at the end of the eleventh century, but there is little evidence from the period in between; the town may have dwindled or even disappeared.

When archbishop Ansgar set out to christianize Scandinavia, he requested (in about 860) of King Horik II of Denmark that the first Scandinavian church be built in Ribe, which at the time was one of the most important trade cities in Scandinavia. However, the presence in Ribe of a bishop, and thus a cathedral, can only be confirmed from the year 948. Recent archaeological excavations in Ribe, however, have led to the discovery of between 2,000 and 3,000 Christian graves. They have been dated to the ninth century, indicating that a large Christian community was already living peacefully together with the Vikings at the time. Excavations conducted between 2008 and 2012 have also revealed more details of the original church built by Ansgar.

Construction on the Ribe Cathedral started in 1150, on top of an earlier church, most probably Ansgar's church, built in 860. The Treaty of Ribe was proclaimed in 1460. Being located in a large region of low-lying marshland, Ribe has repeatedly been hit by storm floods, the most devastating being the Burchardi flood of 1634. The marks after this flood can still be seen on the cathedral's walls and is also marked as the top point on a flood pillar in the town.

The Catholic diocese was dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation; it was succeeded by the Diocese of Ribe, governed by the newly established protestant Church of Denmark.

Demographics

The following table shows the population of Ribe. Data from before the 18th century are estimates, the rest are taken from the official census.

Notable sites

Ribe Cathedral

Ribe Kunstmuseum - an art museum

Riberhus - a castle (only some ruins remain, along with the water moat) likely built by Eric V of Denmark in the 1200s

Wadden Sea Centre - a museum and visitors center for the Wadden Sea National Park, located a few km outside Ribe

Education

The town of Ribe has a long history as a center of learning. The cathedral school (Ribe Katedralskole) has its roots in the Latin School of Ribe, dating back to at least 1145, when the bishop officially handed over the chapter's school.

Schools

Ribe Katedralskole

The State College of Education in Ribe (Teacher Training College), part of the University College of West Jutland

Ribe Business College

VUC (Adult Education Center)

Transport

Ribe is served by Ribe railway station, located on the Bramming–Tønder railway line. The northern part of the town is also served by the railway halt Ribe Nørremark.

Ribe is located near the Wadden Sea coastline and within reach of the north sea port Esbjerg.

Sports

The handball club Ribe-Esbjerg HH, and the progenitor Ribe HK, has played in the Danish top division on several occasions.

Notable people

The arts

Anders Bording (1619–1677), poet

Christine Daugaard (1831–1917), Danish writer and poet

Kristen Feilberg (1839 in Vester Vedsted – 1919), photographer of the peoples and landscapes of Sumatra and Singapore

Jacob Riis (1849–1914), an American immigrant photographer, wrote How the Other Half Lives

Bodil Hauschildt (1861–1951), photographer

J. Bodewalt Lampe (1869–1929), American composer, arranger, performer

Jens Olsen (1872–1945), a clockmaker and locksmith

Astrid Noack (1888–1954), a Danish sculptor

Rued Langgaard (1893–1952) a late-Romantic composer and organist at Ribe Cathedral

Kjeld Abell (1901–1961), playwright, screenwriter and theatrical designer

Børge Ring (1921–2018), animated short film writer, director and animator

Annemette Kure Andersen (born 1969), poet and literary editor

Per Vers (born 1976), rapper

Politicians, clergy, and officials

Valdemar II of Denmark (1170–1241), King of Denmark

Hans Tausen (1494–1561), leader of the Reformation in Denmark, Bishop of Ribe 1542–1562.

Peder Palladius (1503–1560), theologian, priest and bishop

Maren Spliid (c.1600–1641), victim of the persecution of witches

Hans Schack, 2nd Count of Schackenborg (1676 in Ribe – 1719), nobleman

Hans Adolf Brorson (1694–1764), Danish Pietist clergyman and hymn writer

Friderich Christian Hager (1756–1795), colonial commander and governor of the Danish Gold Coast

Christian N. Lund (1846–1921), Mormon pioneer and Utah Territorial Legislature member

Elisabeth Dons Christensen (born 1944), theologian, bishop of the Diocese of Ribe 2003–2014

Holger K. Nielsen (born 1950), former leader of the Socialist People's Party

Science and business

Vibeke Jensdatter (1638–1709), merchant

Emil Christian Hansen (1842–1909), brewmaster and mycologist

Cathrine Horsbøl (1872–1947), furniture designer

Jens Rasmussen (1926–2018), professor

Erik Hansen (1927–2016), architect

Sport

John Lauridsen (born 1959), footballer

Martin Rauschenberg (born 1992), footballer

Mikael Uhre (born 1994), footballer