Jutland
District: Århus amt.
The town of Randers lies on the Gudenå, Denmark's longest river, near where it flows into Randers Fjord on the east coast of Central Jutland.
History
Since Randers was easily accessible from the interior of Jutland the town developed at an early date into an important trading center. There was
a Royal Mint here in 1080. During the Middle Ages several church and monasteries were founded. In the middle of the 14th C. Valdemar IV built a castle near the town. The Franciscan monastery was dissolved in 1530 and converted into a royal palace.
Between 1627 and 1629 Imperial troops under Wallenstein occupied the town, which suffered in the years that followed from the effects of the war, from a large conflagration in 1672 and from the plague. During the 19th C. the disputes regarding Schleswig-Holstein had an adverse effect on Randers, and in the Second World War it was occupied by German troops.
Economy
There have long been craftsmen of various kinds in Randers - bell-foundry workers, silversmiths, woodcarvers and shoemakers - but the town became particularly well-known for its salmon; at the last salmon-farm in operation in 1820 more than 1,000 salmon were caught. Foodstuffs, metal-working, shoe production and vehicle manufacture are the major branches of industry.
Randers Rainforest features 350 different kinds of plants and over 175 species of animals. The animals roam free under its three geodesic domes.
The town of Randers has Denmark's only natural river harbour and it serves as a major sea merchant area.