Sorø is located in Central Zealand and has 8,005 inhabitants
(2020). The name comes from Sor Ø, as the original monastery was
located on a piece of land surrounded by lake and bog. The city is
in the oldest sources called Sor. Others believe that the name is a
derivation of the old Danish south, which means "mud", but may also
have the meaning "mud by the lake". The inhabitants of the city are
called Sorans. The town is located in an area with forests and
several lakes, of which Sorø Lake and Tuelsø are the largest. The
southern part of the town is called Frederiksberg and the northern
Pedersborg. At Frederiksberg is Sorø station with railway connection
to the east and west. Previously, there was a railway to the north,
Veddebanen, with i.a. stop in Pedersborg.
Sorø is the
regional capital of Region Zealand. The city is relatively close to
the E20 motorway and thus has good access roads to the capital
(approx. 1 hour). There are 13 kilometers to Dianalund, 15 to
Slagelse, 16 to Ringsted, 29 to Næstved, 33 to Korsør and 36
kilometers to Holbæk.
Sorø arose as a settlement in the
year 1142, when the great man Asser Rig founded a Benedictine
monastery for monks on the site. The Benedictines, however, did not
succeed in running the monastery, and so the great man's son, Bishop
Absalon, replaced this monastic order with Cistercians who had good
abilities as land and estate stewards. The Southwest Zealand Sorø
Kloster soon grew into the largest and richest monastery area in the
Nordic countries, which prompted visits by several Danish kings,
including Christoffer 2., Valdemar Atterdag and Oluf 2., who are all
buried in Sorø Klosterkirke to this day. The many royal visits gave
Sorø a great reputation in the Middle Ages.
However, the
status of the monastery was soon to change in a different direction.
When the Reformation occurred in 1536, Sorø Kloster was exclusively
a retirement home for old and frail monks, and in connection with
the death of the last monk, Frederik II founded a boarding school on
the site of the bourgeoisie and nobility boys, called "Sorø Lærde
Skole" there. later was to become Sorø Academy. In 1638, the town
was granted township rights in connection with Christian IV setting
up a knight's academy near the school, where his sons were to be
educated. When the author and poet Ludvig Holberg bequeathed his
properties and most of his fortune to the Academy in the 18th
century, the first independent teaching buildings were built in
1747.
1800 and to this day
Sorø Academy's main building
burned down in 1813. However, a few old buildings survived - among
others. the pavilions Molbechs Hus and B.S. Ingemanns Hus. Both
houses are from 1740. The current main building is from 1827.
Until the middle of the 19th century, Sorø was mostly a town for
craftsmen and schoolchildren, as forests, lakes and bogs made it
difficult to trade in the area. In 1856, the east-west-going Zealand
railway came to the city, and a station was established a little
south of the center. Unlike other Danish cities, the advent of the
railway meant no increased industrialization in the Sorø area, and
the city remained a "school town" until today. However, Sorø
maintained its status as a political administration center in the
area. Thus, Sorø has been the headquarters for Sorø County and West
Zealand County. A tradition that was continued with the
establishment of Region Zealand.
When the local government
reform came into force in 2007, Sorø Municipality was merged with
Stenlille and Dianalund Municipalities. In the new Sorø Municipality
is the town hall in Sorø.
Sorø is just south of Europavej E20, which runs from Copenhagen to
Korsør and on to Funen and Jutland. Secondary route 150 runs from Køge
to Korsør via the ring road. Nordmarksvej runs from E20 in the north to
Ringstedvej (Secondary route 150) in the south and divides the city into
two halves.
In December 2014, the first of a series of fast
charging stations for electric cars opened at Sorø. During 2015, there
are plans to open a further 40 similar stations throughout Denmark.
From Sorø Station, InterCity trains depart for Copenhagen, Esbjerg,
Herning, Sønderborg and Flensburg in Germany.
Sorø has numerous cultural events and associations to offer. In
Storgade is the Sorø Museum, which is part of Museum Vestsjælland, with
local history collections from ancient times to more recent bourgeois
and West Zealand peasant culture. In addition, an active grocery store
from 1880 and a memorial room for the hymn poet B.S. Ingemann. The
museum is housed in a listed half-timbered building. Sorø contains
several old listed buildings, e.g. Ingemann's and Molbech's houses,
Scavenius' Foundation and the monastery gate.
The biggest
cultural initiative in recent years has been the construction of a brand
new museum building that houses the Sorø Art Museum. Here you will find
a large collection of works of art from the Middle Ages to the present
day, including works by famous painters from the Danish Golden Age and
the Skagen region, as well as an unusual collection of Russian icons.
The town's cinema, Victoria Teatret, has been located in Storgade
since 1983. At Sorø Academy, there is the Hauch Collection, which
displays the Academy's old physics apparatus and a park, Akademihaven,
with, among other things, H.V. Bissen's statue of Holberg. The park was
laid out as a baroque garden in the 18th century, Sorø Academy's
building, Ingemann's and Molbech's houses are from the middle of the
18th century.
Sorø Library consists of three local libraries in
Sorø, Dianalund and Stenlille. The library in Sorø is partly housed in
an old half-timbered building.
The town contains several historic
buildings, including the Klosterporten, which can be traced all the way
back to the 1160s.
In the surroundings of Sorø city, there are
many opportunities for walking, cycling and jogging around Sorø Sø on
marked paths. On the lake itself, you can have a tour with Sorø Bådfart
in the summer.
Sorø has previously belonged to the Danmarkstoppen within e.g.
tennis, table tennis and cricket. Sorø Golfklub and Sorø Roklub have
fostered some strong talents in the last few decades. Among the largest
sports associations is Fodboldklubben Sorø Freja, whose best men's team
is traditionally found in Series 1 or adjacent ranks.
However,
Sorø's largest association is Sorø Antenneforening with approx. 4800
members (2007).