Hou (Odder Municipality) Explained

Official Name:Hou
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Denmark Central Denmark Region
Pushpin Label Position:above
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Central Denmark Region
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Denmark
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Central Denmark
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Odder
Area Total Km2:1.31
Population As Of:2024
Population:1,692
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Density Km2:1221
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset1:+1
Timezone1 Dst:CEST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+2
Coordinates:55.9175°N 10.2556°W

Hou or Hov is a town in Jutland, Denmark. It is located in Odder Municipality.

Etymology

The name is known from 1608 where the area was called Haa Havn, indicating the presence of a harbour even before the town existed.

In 2019 a vote among the citizens of Hou was initiated, in order to determine whether the official spelling of the town should be Hou or Hov. With 844 votes for Hou and 44 votes for Hov, the official spelling was determined to be Hou. Mayor of the municipality, Uffe Jensen, put up new signs with the new spelling later in the year.[2]

History

The first residential building in Hou was built in 1837. The town grew up around the harbour, and in 1853 a granary was built on the harbour. A school was built in 1870. A ferry route between Hou and Aarhus began in 1873. In 1884 the Hads-Ning Hundreds' Railroad was established, connecting Hou to Odder and Aarhus. The Odder-Hou stretch of the Odder Line was shut down in 1977.[3] [4]

Notes and References

  1. https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY3?lang=en BY3: Population 1st January by urban and rural areas, area and population density
  2. http://www.hou-la.dk/index.php/139-tidstavle/tidstavle-indeks-13/564-2019-hou-hov-afstemningen Hou-la.dk
  3. http://www.hou-la.dk/index.php/115-tidstavle/tidstavle-indeks/138-tidstavle-indeks-00-1899 Hou-la.dk
  4. https://denstoredanske.lex.dk/Hov_-_by_i_Jylland Denstoredanske.lex.dk