The Aarhus (Danish: Aarhus Å) is a 40-kilometre (25 mi) long river or stream, in eastern Jutland, Denmark.

The Aarhus flows through the large river valley of the Aarhus Ådal. The valley itself stretches from Silkeborg to the coastal city of Aarhus, but the river only runs through the easternmost parts. The river drains a basin of 324 square kilometres (125 sq mi) in the eastern part of Søhøjlandet and discharges into the Bay of Aarhus which is an embayment of the Kattegat. It originates 54 metres (177 ft) above sea level in the swampy bogland of Astrup Mose close to Stilling-Solbjerg Lake, southwest of the city of Aarhus (56°6' northern latitude, 10°9' eastern longitude) and exits into Aarhus Harbour at 56°9' northern latitude, 10°13' eastern longitude. The river defines the border between Skanderborg and Aarhus Municipality during its first few kilometres.

History

The Aarhus river has been important for the development of the city of Aarhus since its foundation in the early Viking Age and archaeological and historical research suggests that it played a crucial role in the origins of the city.

Aarhus (officially spelled Århus from 1948 until December 31, 2010) (Danish pronunciation: [ˈɒːhuːˀs]) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula, in the geographical centre of Denmark, 187 kilometres (116 mi) northwest of Copenhagen and 289 kilometres (180 mi) north of Hamburg, Germany. Aarhus' inner urban area contains 261,570 inhabitants and the municipal population is 330,639 (1 January 2015). The Larger urban zone population is 845,971.

The history of Aarhus began as a fortified Viking settlement founded in the 8th century and with the first written records stemming from the bishopric seated here from at least 948. The city was founded on the northern shores of a fjord at a natural coastal harbour and the primary driver of growth was for centuries seaborne trade in agricultural products. Market town privileges were granted in 1441, but growth stagnated in the 17th century as the city suffered blockades and bombardments during the Swedish Wars. In the 19th century it was occupied twice by German troops during the Schleswig Wars but avoided destruction. As the industrial revolution took hold, the city grew to become the second-largest in the country by the 20th century.

Aarhus County or Århus County (Danish: Århus Amt) is a former county of Denmark (Danish: amt) on the Jutland peninsula. It was created in 1970 by the fusion of the Aarhus, Randers and Skanderborg counties. The county was abolished effective 1 January 2007, when almost all of it merged into Region Midtjylland (i.e. Region Central Jutland). A very small portion was merged into Region Nordjylland (Region North Jutland). At the time of its abolishment, more than 20,000 people worked for the county.

Municipalities (1970-2006)

Coordinates: 56°09′N 10°12′E / 56.15°N 10.20°E / 56.15; 10.20

Aarhus is an H chondrite meteorite that fell to earth on October 2, 1951 at 18:15 in Aarhus, Denmark. The meteor split just before the otherwise undramatic impact and two pieces were recovered. They are known as Aarhus I (at 300g) and Aarhus II (at 420g). Aarhus I was found in the small woodland of Riis Skov, just a few minutes after impact.

Classification

It is an H chondrite and belongs to the petrologic type 6, so it was assigned to the H6 group.

See also

References

Sources