| Ringkøbing | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Denmark#Denmark Central Denmark Region |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Denmark |
| Coordinates: | 56.0897°N 8.2383°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Denmark |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Region Midtjylland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ringkøbing-Skjern |
| Area Urban Km2: | 7.1 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Urban: | 9932 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Gender [1] |
| Population Blank1: | 4743 males and 5189 females |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | DK-6950 Ringkøbing |
Ringkøbing (older spelling Ringkjøbing) is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,932 (1 January 2024).[2]
Archeological finds suggest that the town was founded in the 13th century. At that time it was the only real harbour town along the Danish west coast, being sheltered from the North Sea by the wall of Holmsland Dunes (Holmsland Klit).
In the 17th century, the strait connecting Ringkøbing Fjord to the North Sea began to move south under the influence of wind and tide; soon it was no longer navigable. Ringkøbing was cut off from the sea until the beginning of the 20th century, when a new channel was built at the town of Hvide Sande, in nearby Holmsland municipality.
The name Ringkøbing means "The market town near Rindum". By the 11th century, a church had been built in the small village of Rindum. The village is probably even older. Evidence of settlements dating back as far as the 6th century has been found.
On the 27th of January in 1443, the towns' privilege of "købstad" (Danish for market town) was cemented by the Danish king Christopher of Bavaria by royal charter. The royal privilege is most likely older, dating back to king Valdemar IV Atterdag, as the document cementing the royal privilege of the town mentions the original privilege originating from the reign of "King Valdemar".
At the end of World War II, Ringkøbing was involved in the British testing of captured German V-weapons. British soldiers, including radar experts from the British Artillery Regiment, were stationed there in October 1945 to monitor the accuracy of weapons fired from a base in Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony, Germany. The tests were part of the post-WWII justice process, to establish whether the use of V-weapons constituted indiscriminate killing of civilians. In fact, they proved to be very accurate, and the Nazis escaped this charge.
Today the centre of Ringkøbing has some quaint old streets, most of which lead towards the water of the fjord.
Ringkøbing Church was built in the early 15th century, and its tower, which is wider on top than on the bottom, was erected ca. 1550. The church houses two organs: the oldest in the west pulpit was built by Demant & Son in 1861 with a baroque facade from 1633; the other from 1974 is by Frobenius & Sons. As the result of a restoration in 1995–1996, the church has a number of modern features, including an altarpiece by Arne Haugen Sørensen and a glass baptismal font.
Ringkjøbing Landbobank is headquartered in Ringkøbing.
Ringkøbing is served by Ringkøbing railway station. It is located on the Esbjerg-Struer railway line and offers regional train services to and with onward connections to the rest of Denmark.[3]