| Ikast | |
| Pushpin Map: | Denmark#Denmark Central Denmark Region |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Denmark |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Denmark |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Central Denmark (Midtjylland) |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ikast-Brande |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Ib Lauritsen |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Urban Km2: | 11.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Urban: | 16535 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Gender[1] |
| Population Blank1: | 8301 males and 8234 females |
| Timezone: | Central Europe Time |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 56.1333°N 18°W |
Ikast is a Danish town in Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland). It is the seat of Ikast-Brande Municipality since 2007. It was the seat of the former Ikast Municipality.
The town is situated in the middle of Jutland. The town is situated 5 km from Hammerum, which is the Eastern outskirts of Herning Municipality. Ikast is situated 28 km from Silkeborg, and 69 km away from Aarhus.
As of 1 January 2024, the population of the town is 16,535.[2]
Up until late in the nineteenth century, Ikast was nothing more than a few buildings surrounding the church. During industrialization, Ikast established a strong presence in Denmark as one of the main towns for the textile industry, which was the main industry in the area until the start of globalization, where production jobs were outsourced.
The opening of the railway line in the 1850s led to an increase in population, as the existing part of town surrounding the church, and the new part of town, built around the railway station, grew into each other.[3]
The church was originally a Romanesque church, built in the 13th century. The old church burned down in 1904, and was rebuilt into the new church, which was finished in 1907. The church was expanded several times, with the latest expansion happening in 2005.[4]