Vejle, a busy industrial and commercial town, lies on the coast of Central Jutland in a wooded area at the end of the Vejle Fjord.
History
Vejle grew up around a ford over the Vejle Å and received its town charter in 1327. In the 17th C. it suffered considerably from the effects of wars. For a very long time it has had trading connections with other countries, especially with the North German towns of Flensburg, Hamburg and Lübeck, as well as with the Netherlands and Norway. From Lübeck came iron and spices, while corn was exported to Norway.
At the end of the 18th C. the district administration was removed to Vejle and between 1824 and 1827 a new harbor was constructed. During the Schleswig-Holstein Wars of the 19th C. Vejle was occupied at times by German troops and until 1956 was a garrison town.
Vejle is noted for its large shipping port, home to one of the world's largest chewing gum factories, which produces Gumlink brand gum as well as the site of the Vejle Fjord Bridge, constructed over the fjord as part of a highway.
The Vejle Centret in Idrættens Hus, in the west of the town, was purpose-built for events of all kinds, including concerts, conferences and fairs and exhibitions. The center also boasts a hotel and restaurant, a swimming pool, fitness center and library.
Facilities: On-site accomodations, Restaurant or food service
12 km/7 mi northwest of Vejle, and best reached by way of the beautiful road through the Grejsdal (wooded slopes, many viewpoints), lies Jelling, which was the political center of the region about the year 1000. The two 21m and 24m/70ft and 80ft high burial mounds by the roadside are the oldest royal graves in Denmark, dating from about 935-50. After excavations in 1941-2 and 1978 it was established that the northernmost grave held the remains of King Gorm, who died ca. 940, and of his wife Thyra.
Near Jelling lies the pretty Lake Fårup. There is an open-air theater by the lake, and in summer plays with Viking themes are performed - with Gorm the Old, Harald Bluetooth, Swein Forkbeard and Knud (Canute) the Great together with their wives.
In the west of Vejle, on Flegborg Street, there are two interesting museums; at No. 16 is the Vejle Museum of Art and at No. 18 the Vejle Museum.
The former has pictures by 19th century Danish artists as well as Danish drawings and designs from the 19th century to the present day; there are also special exhibitions of Danish and European design. The Vejle Museum contains collections of archaeological exhibits and of local history, including "Man and Nature".
The oldest building in Vijle is the 13th C. Gothic St Nicholas' Church on Kirketorvet, which has been altered several times. Interesting features include a granite font, the Classical reredos (1791) by the sculptor Jens Hiernoe, the 16th C. Renaissance pulpit and a processional crucifix.
In a side chapel can be seen a coffin containing the corpse of a queen; it had been buried in a peat-bog and dates from around 450 B.C.
Town Hall Square (Rådhustorvet) forms the center of Vejle. The Town Hall was built in 1878 on the site of a medieval Dominican monastery. The old monastery bell survives and marks the passing of the hours. In front of the Town Hall stands a statue called "Trade, Industry and Agriculture".
The emblem of Vejle is a windmill, the Vejle Mølle, built in 1847 and later rebuilt following a fire. It is open to visitors in summer and an exhibition documents its history. In front of the mill stand the town's two oldest street lights.
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