| Fredericia | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Denmark |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Southern Denmark (Syddanmark) |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Fredericia |
| Pushpin Map: | Denmark#Denmark Region of Southern Denmark |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Denmark |
| Coordinates: | 55.5667°N 54°W |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1650 |
| Established Title1: | Current municipality |
| Established Date1: | 1970 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 27.3 |
| Elevation M: | 15 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Urban: | 41544 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Gender [1] |
| Population Blank1: | 20759 males and 20785 females |
| Population Demonym: | Fredericianer |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | DK-7000 Fredericia |
| Area Code: | (+45) 72 |
Fredericia (in Danish pronounced as /fʁeðəˈʁetɕæ/)[2] is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 1650 by Frederick III, after whom it was named.
The city itself has a population of 41,544 (1 January 2024)[3] and the Fredericia Municipality has a population of 52,485 (2024).
After the devastation caused by the Thirty Years War in a largely unfortified Jutland, King Christian IV realized the necessity of building a strong fortress in Jutland, and decided that this project could be combined with his plans for building a large town in Jutland.
A fortified encampment was built on a point of land called Lyngs Odde, near the current location of Fredericia, with a rampart stretching to either side of the point, thus protecting the encampment from attacks. However, the fortifications were not perfect, and when Swedish Field Marshal Lennart Torstenson invaded Jutland, he was able to break through the ramparts. It was Frederick III who was finally able to complete the plans for the fortification, also adding a flank fortification on nearby Bers Odde as suggested by Danish Marshal of the Realm Anders Bille.
On 15 December 1650, the King signed the document giving the town its first privileges, and work on the new fortifications could begin. In 1651, the town was named Frederiksodde (Frederick's Point) after the king, and on 22 April 1664, it was given the new Latinized name of Fredericia.
Every 6 July, the town of Fredericia holds a festival to commemorate the 1849 Battle of Fredericia, fought during the First War of Schleswig, in which Danish troops won a victory over the Schleswig-Holstein rebels who were laying siege to the town. Fredericia's landmark, Landsoldaten, was unveiled on 6 July 1858.[4]
The municipality today is part of the East Jutland metropolitan area with 1.2M inhabitants,[5] and is the site of Fredericia municipality's municipal council.
The town is a major barracks, home to the Royal Danish Army's Signals Regiment (Telegrafregimentet), which is located at Rye's Barracks (Ryes Kaserne) and Bülow's Barracks (Bülows Kaserne).
The town is one of Denmark's largest traffic hubs.
Fredericia railway station is the principal railway station of the town.[6] It is an important railway junction where the Copenhagen-Fredericia Line, the Fredericia-Aarhus Line, and the Flensburg-Fredericia Line all meet.[7] The station was opened in 1935 together with the opening of the Little Belt Bridge across the Little Belt.[7] The train services are operated by the railway company DSB.[6] It offers direct InterCity services to Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, Aalborg, Struer, Esbjerg, Sønderborg, Flensburg and Hamburg.
The nearest airport with scheduled national and international flights is Billund Airport 45 km west of Fredericia.
The Vejlby Speedway Center, run by the Fredericia Motor Klub, is located on the northern outskirts of Fredericia and is a mini speedway track for bikes with 50cc and 80cc engines.[8] Fredericia Speedway competed in the town from 1958 to 2005 at various venues, including the Fredericia Speedway Center (the old Fredericia Stadion) and the Frederikslyst Motorbane.[9]
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