VIBORG

city, seat of Viborg amtskommune (county commune), north-central Jutland, Denmark. It lies northwest of rhus. Originally a centre of pagan worship, Viborg (English: sacred hill) was a royal town and the early capital of Jutland. According to legend, it was from Viborg that King Canute set out to conquer England. The kings of Denmark were consecrated in Viborg from 1027 onward. The first Danish coins were struck there in the early 11th century, and it became a bishop's see in 1065. After its 12th-century charter was renewed (1440), it was the largest town in Jutland (and was also the starting point of the Reformation in Denmark) until the 17th century. Successive fires accelerated its decline, caused when the political centre of Denmark shifted east. After 1866 reclamation of the surrounding heathland revived the city, which became the seat of the High Court for Jutland in 1919. It is now a commercial centre manufacturing beer, tobacco, textiles, and machinery. Historic buildings include the 12th-century cathedral (rebuilt 186476), with frescoes by Joakim Skovgrd; the medieval Sondersogns and Asmild churches; the Baroque Town Hall (1728); and the Bishop's Palace (1728). Viborg amtskommune, created in 1970 from the former amtskommuner of Viborg and Thisted, lies west of the Djursland peninsula and includes the Salling peninsula, Fur Island, and Mors Island in Lim Fjord, and the Thy peninsula between Lim Fjord and the Skagerrak. The Thy peninsula is a low, wooded region with a smooth dune coast and chalk and limestone quarries. The rest of the county commune is more fertile, supporting mixed farming and dairying. The Dollerup Hills and the Hald Lake National Park lie south of Viborg, and the medieval castle of Spttrup is on the Salling peninsula. Viborg, Nykbing Mors, Skive, and Thisted are the principal centres. Area amtskommune, 1,592 square miles (4,122 square km). Pop. (1988 est.) city, 28,958; (1990 est.) mun., 39,395; (1990 est.) amtskommune, 229,775.