| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Sakskøbing | |
| Pushpin Map: | Denmark Lolland#Denmark Region Zealand#Denmark |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location on Lolland |
| Coordinates: | 54.8°N 49°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Denmark |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Region Sjælland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Guldborgsund Municipality |
| Area Urban Km2: | 3.51 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Urban: | 4556 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Gender [1] |
| Population Blank1: | 2256 males and 2300 females |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | DK-4990 Sakskøbing |
Sakskøbing (in Danish pronounced as /ˈsɑksˌkʰøˀpe̝ŋ/), previously spelled Sakskjøbing, is a town on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It has a population of 4,556 (1 January 2024).[2] [3] Until 1 January 2007 it was the seat of the former Sakskøbing Municipality (Danish: kommune), and is now situated in Guldborgsund Municipality in Region Sjælland.
The town is located on the northeast coast of Lolland where the Sakskøbing River flows into the Sakskøbing Fjord, a narrow but navigable sea inlet, the innermost part of which constitutes the port of Sakskøbing. Mentioned for the first time in 1240, it arose as a ford over the river, and is referred to as a market town as early as 1270.[4]
The town is mentioned for the first time as "Saxakopingh" in the Danish Census Book from 1240.[4] Already in 1270 it was referred to as a market town together with the town of Nakskov in Western Lolland.[4] In the Middle Ages, Sakskøbing was a mint, where the coins were minted with the two sheep shears known from the town's coat of arms.[4] Before he was king, King Christopher II of Denmark (1276–1332) resided in Sakskøbing from 1289 to 1315 when he was Duke of Lolland, and again in his last years.[5] The town suffered from several fires, including in 1728, 1784 and 1800.[5] In 1874, Sakskøbing was connected to the Danish rail network as the Lollandsbanen railway line between Nykøbing Falster and Nakskov was opened.
Sakskøbing is located on the north-eastern part of the island of Lolland in a flat and fertile moraine landscape. The town is located by a tunnel valley, a glacial terrain formation which runs from Sakskøbing in the northwest to the Guldborgsund strait in the southeast. It is located where the Sakskøbing River (Danish: Sakskøbing Å) empties into the Sakskøbing Fjord, an approximately long narrow and navigable inlet of Smålandsfarvandet, the body of water between the islands of Zealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn, and which on the last stretch to Sakskøbing narrows completely so that it looks more like a river than a inlet.
Sakskøbing Church is a late Romanesque brick building with a late Gothic tower. It was built around the year 1200; in the following centuries, the original church was extended with a nave and tower. The altarpiece, which dates back to the 16th century, is a late Gothic wood carving work from Lübeck. The present spire, which is 48 metres high, was built in 1852.[6]
The water tower in Sakskøbing, nicknamed "Saxine" or "the smiling water tower", is a 33 meter tall water tower and a landmark for the town. The tower was built in 1908 by Christiani & Nielsen, but did not receive its smile until 1982, when the architect Flemming Skude decorated it.[7]
The former Sakskøbing Municipality, including the small island of Vigsø, covered an area of 176 km², and had a total population of 9,299 (2005). Its last mayor was Kaj Petersen a member of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) political party. To the north is Tår's Cove (Tårs Vig) and beyond that Rågø Strait (Rågø Sund), the waterway which separates Lolland from Zealand. A finger of Rågø Strait cuts into the former municipality forming Sakskøbing Fjord and then Sakskøbing River (Sakskøbing å) which meanders through the former municipality, as well as through Nykøbing Falster and Nysted until it terminates near the town of Bregninge.
On 1 January 2007 Sakskøbing Municipality ceased to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with existing Nykøbing Falster, Nysted, Nørre Alslev, Stubbekøbing, and Sydfalster municipalities to form the new Guldborgsund Municipality. This created a municipality with an area of 907 km² and a total population of 63,533 (2005). The new municipality belongs to Region Sjælland (Region Zealand).
The town is served by Sakskøbing railway station, located on Lollandsbanen, a railway line between and, which is operated by the railway company Lokaltog A/S since 2015.[8]
Sakskøbing is located on European route E47 connecting Lübeck in Germany to Helsingborg in Sweden via Copenhagen, as well as the Danish national road 9 connecting Odense on Funen to Nykøbing Falster on Falster by way of Funen, Langeland and Lolland.
Lolland Falster Airport is located south of Sakskøbing between the towns of Holeby and Rødby.[9]