Skive is a town in Central Jutland on the Salling peninsula near
the outlet of the Karup Å in the Limfjorden. There are 20,190
inhabitants (2022) living in the city. The name "Skive" comes from
the Old Norse skifa, which in this context must be understood as
"enclosure of palisades" in the sense of "defense". Skive is located
on the railway line between Viborg and Struer, is the capital of
Skive Municipality and is considered the "capital of Salling". The
city houses Denmark's largest barracks and is also known for the
Krabbesholm manor, which is located close to the industrial harbor
at the eastern end of the city. Most of the houses in the town
center were built between 1880-1914 and combined with the location
by the fjord, it attracts many visitors from home and abroad during
the summer period. The fjord and the stream are used especially in
the summer for bathing, sailing and angling.
In 2007, Skive
became associated with Region Central Jutland and is thus the
northernmost market town in this region. Distances to other cities
are: Viborg (regional capital) 29 kilometers, Nykøbing Mors 30,
Struer 36, Holstebro 40, Hobro 51, Herning 51, Aalborg 92 and Aarhus
94.
A resident of Skive is called a Skibonit, which is a derivation of skivebo and means "dweller from Skive". The name possibly comes from Latin and the word scipionita, which in turn comes from scipio which can be translated as "stick" or "staff". The origin is uncertain.
People have lived in the Skive area for a long time. In
Krabbesholm Forest, there are a few kitchen middens from the Stone
Age, just as there are e.g. in the area near Skive Trav are a number
of burial mounds.
The Middle Ages
Skive, in King
Valdemar's land register from 1231 called Skyuæ (later Schiffue),
just like the royal estate, which is called Skhiuægarthæ (the Old
Norse skið means plank or an enclosure of planks), was at the time
of Valdemar Sejr crown property and the royal estate the king's
private property. In 1327, a third of the estate was given to Erik
of Southern Jutland as an inheritance from his mother, Erik
Plovpenning's daughter. There was also a royal birch here, mentioned
in 1407. The city's oldest known privileges, in which the older ones
were confirmed, were given by Valdemar V at Danehoffet in Nyborg on
15 August 1326, later confirmed and expanded many times, including
on 22 August 1443 by Christoffer of Bavaria, when he stayed at
Skivehus, in 1530 and on 22 December 1566. The town is mentioned in
1329 as part of the estate that was given in pledge to the heirs of
Marshal Ludvig Albertsen Eberstein. Moreover, the city is only
rarely mentioned.
The Renaissance
In 1573, the king
forgave the citizens part of the taxes "from the time of the last
Fejdes Tid" (on Skive Bymark, see Samlinger til Jutsk Historie 2.
Række III, p. 357ff).
Under the dictatorship
From 1660
until the establishment of Viborg County in 1794, the town was the
seat of the County Commissioner of Skivehus and Hald County. By
royal rescript of 12 May 1727, the herredsting for Sallingland was
ordered to be held in the town. It has probably suffered from fires
in recent times like the other towns, but it is only from the 18th
century that we have information about such, namely 1715, 1725 (when
"all the part that was left and not burned 1715"), 1748 and 1749.
In 1672 it had 529 inhabitants, in 1769 the town had 435
inhabitants. A contributing factor to the city's stagnation was
competition in its trade from Aalborg (in 1708 the citizens
complained about this).
The town has had a Latin school,
which was abolished in 1739, after which its income was transferred
to Viborg Cathedral School.
The early industrialization
In
the 19th century, the city grew rapidly, the reason for which must
be mainly sought in the improved trade conditions with the opening
of the Aggerkanalen and the port and railway facilities of the time.
In 1841, the city became a full customs office.
In 1825 the
sea broke through the Agger Tange at the western end of the
Limfjord, and since there was now direct access for ships to the
North Sea, the town began a commercial boom which again increased
the population. In 1864 the railway came to Skive when the first
part of the Viborg-Skive-Struer Railway was finished, in 1865 the
line was extended to Struer. In the same period, a port was built,
so the city now really began to attract industrial companies.
Around 1900, Skive had ten annual markets: in January, February
and March (horses and cattle), in April and May (cattle), in June
(horses), in July, in September and in October (horses, cattle and
sheep) and in November (cattle and sheep).
In terms of
factories and industrial facilities, the town had around the middle
of the 19th century: A boatyard, two beer breweries, two brandy
distilleries, five dyeworks, sec tanneries, a wind and steam mill, a
tobacco factory and a cotton weaving mill. In terms of factories and
industries, the town had in 1873: Three printing houses, five beer
breweries, three brandy distilleries, one tannery, one fertilizer
factory, two iron foundries, two map factories, two cloth factories,
three machine factories, a factory for building fittings, etc., four
clothing factories, four dyeworks, two shovel factories , a wool
factory, a mineral water factory, two tobacco factories and three
brickworks. Of the factories and industrial plants around the turn
of the century, the town had: Skive Järnstøberi and Maskinfabrik
(annual turnover around DKK 150,000, 55 workers), Nielsen's Farveri,
Spinderi og Klædefabrik (about 25 workers), a pig slaughterhouse
(about 30 workers), a gut grinding mill (about 20 workers), a paper
bag factory (14 workers) and also some tobacco factories, beer
breweries, vinegar brewery, herring smokehouse, mineral water
factory, earthenware factory, tanneries, sawmill, and more.
Two newspapers were published in Skive: Skive Avis and Skive
Folkeblad.
Skive's population was increasing in the late
1800s and early 1900s: 2,342 in 1850, 2,763 in 1855, 3,126 in 1860,
3,552 in 1870, 4,184 in 1880, 5,421 in 1890, 6,072 in 1901, 6,52 0
in 1906 and 6,804 in 1911.
According to means of livelihood,
the population in 1890 was divided into the following groups,
including both breadwinners and dependents: 334 lived from
non-material activities, 79 from agriculture, 32 from horticulture,
42 from fishing, 14 from shipping, 1,515 from industry, 927 from
trade, 669 from various day laborers, 92 of their means, 4 enjoyed
alms, and 39 were in prison. According to a census in 1906, the
population was 5,646, of which 318 supported themselves by
non-material activities, 95 by agriculture, forestry and dairying,
59 by fishing, 3,100 by crafts and industry, 1,310 by trade and
more, 399 by transport, 157 were salespeople, 144 lived on public
support and 64 on other or unspecified business. As the town had a
very good catchment area in Sallingland and part of the country to
the south, the trade was quite significant and took a big boom in
the latter half of the 19th century, to which both the railways and
the port established in 1869 contributed. According to the fishing
report 1897-98, the fishery was operated from 7 boats; eel (value:
DKK 1,550), cod (DKK 2,300) and shrimp (DKK 1,500) were fished in
particular.
During the interwar period, Skive's population grew: in 1916
5,716, in 1921 6,112, in 1925 8,712, in 1930 9,644, in 1935
10,799[13], in 1940 11,412 inhabitants. In addition, suburban
development took place in Skive Landsogn and Resen Parish, which
were already incorporated into the market town in 1925.
Peter
Sabroe's Orphanage was an orphanage in Skive, named after Peter
Sabroe. Construction began in April 1919 and the orphanage was
completed in December 1919. The building itself was located in
Fredensgade 15, where the current Skive Free School is located. In
1991, the orphanage was closed down.
At the census in 1930,
Skive had 9,644 inhabitants, of which 715 supported themselves by
non-material activities, 3,923 by craft and industry, 1,746 by trade
etc., 863 by transport, 363 by agriculture, forestry and fishing,
878 by housework, 966 were out of business and 190 had not stated
the source of income.
After the Second World War, Skive continued its population development. In 1945 there were 12,369 inhabitants in the market town, in 1950 14,497 inhabitants, in 1955 15,378 inhabitants, in 1960 15,558 inhabitants and in 1965 16,131 inhabitants. The suburb of Gammelgårde was incorporated on 1 April 1950.
Krabbesholm is today set up as Krabbesholm High School, a folk high
school with a particular focus on art, architecture and design. Over the
years, it has attracted many young people to the Skive region. Of other
cultural life, the Skive Festival (formerly Skive Beach Party) should be
mentioned, which takes place every summer by the fjord. In 2010, the
YMCA scouts held corps camp SEE 2010.
A 25-year development plan
for Skive, prepared by Bjarke Ingels Group, was presented on 28 May
2015.
In 2015, work began on the creation of a green business
park north of Skive in Kaastrup, GreenLab Skive, and in 2020 several new
companies have moved in. It has 54 MW of wind power and 26 MW of solar
cells, and a 12 MW hydrogen electrolysis plant is being installed. These
energy plants are exempt from electricity tax to support new technology.
A former large company, the slaughterhouse, is being demolished in
2020, after which the area is expected to be used for housing.
Skive is also known for the independent Hancock Bryggerierne, which
produces beer and soft drinks.
In addition to Krabbesholm, Skive also offers a number of other
attractions. On Havnevej you will find the Skive Museum from 1942. Here
you can experience the history of the area, from ancient bog finds, over
amber finds and Denmark's oldest bicycles to more modern treasures. In
addition, modern Danish art in particular is exhibited, i.e. from 1920
until today with a small focus on older art. There are i.a. works by Per
Kirkeby and Jens Søndergaard within expressionism. The museum reopened
in 2018 after extensive renovation and expansion.
The old Church
of Our Lady, originally from the 13th century, is worth a visit. It was
close to being demolished in the 1880s due to lack of space, but was
saved when some frescoes with figures of saints were found created in
the year 1522. In its place, another church, Skive Church, was built,
which was completed in 1898 close by the old one.
On Torvet you
will find Skive Town Hall (also the courthouse and detention center)
from 1846, designed by the architect N.S. Nebelong in a classicist
building style with needle maker Hans Christian Tørsleff as contractor.
By Sdr. Boulevard/Østerbro are two half-timbered sections from 1719
built on top of the basement from the castle complex Gl. Disc housing.
The buildings function as a hotel today.
Finally, we should
mention the writer Jens August Schade (1903-1978), whose childhood home
is in Asylgade 7. In 1928, he described the provincial environment in
the city in his literature and gave Skive the nickname "Skæve". Since
that time, however, Skive has grown considerably in population and today
contains a number of different educational institutions such as a
teacher's seminary, gymnasium and high school at Krabbesholm. 14
kilometers to the north on the east coast of Salling lies Jenle, built
by the writer and poet Jeppe Aakjær in 1906, and he lived on this farm
until his death in 1930. There is a museum on the site. The Stårup manor
house from 1554 is located on the east side of Skive Fjord approx. 9
kilometers northeast of the city. The medieval castle Spøttrup Borg is
located approx. 10 km outside Skive. Skive also has Denmark's longest
wooden bridge, which is 300 m and aims to tie the harbor and the city
together.
Skive is home to Skive Festival, which until 2008 was called Skive Beach Party. The name change was made after Nephew lead singer Simon Kvamm suggested they call it Skive Festival, as a festival attracts bigger bands more easily than a beach party. Skive Festival was temporarily Denmark's third largest music festival and has presented big foreign names such as Linkin Park, The Killers, Tiësto, Gavin Degraw, Green Day and Rammstein.
There are a number of different sports associations in Skive. The
town has Denmark's largest youth football club, Skive IK. Skive IK's
senior team currently plays in the 1st division (2014). Skive also has
an American football club, Skive Gators, who in 2006 won the Danish
championship in the Regional series, and in 2007 the junior team won DM
gold.
On Flyvej you will find Skive Trav, which with its 800
meter long track is the racetrack in Denmark where you get closest to
the horses. In recent years, Skive has developed its athletics club,
which now owns Denmark's largest youth department within the sport. In
2007, Skive Atletik og Motion brought their men's team up to the Elite
Division when they won the final round in the 1st division over the
summer . For a number of years, the club has been the owner of the only
indoor athletics track in Denmark with international goals and a
200-metre raised circular track, which is used every year for the Danish
indoor athletics championships.
The city's oldest boxing club
Skive Atlet Club (SAC), which was founded in 1925, changed its name to
Skive Amatørbokse Club in 2015 for their 90th anniversary. The following
year, the name was changed again to Skive Atlet Club (SAC)
Handball club Skive fH had both men and women represented in the
handball league in 2012-2013.
National policy
Radical stronghold
The Radical Left has
traditionally enjoyed great support in the Skivekredsen, often well
above the national average. This is emphasized by the fact that the
local daily newspaper, Skive Folkeblad, is declared radical. However,
recent years have shown declining support, so that the national average
since the 2005 election has been above the constituency result.
The radical stronghold was already under construction at the end of the
1870s, and in 1882 support for Højre dwindled so much that the circle
was described as a safe circle for the radical wing of the United Left.
Throughout the next decades, the political picture looked somewhat
muddy, i.a. in 1909, 1910 and 1913 a number of independents were
elected, including the local Venstreforeningen of 1908's candidate, Hans
Nielsen, who was elected on the Skive programme. Nielsen originally
wanted to be part of the Reform Party's parliamentary group, but ended
up being part of the Radical Left's parliamentary group.
One of
the well-known figures in the radical movement is Bertel Dahlgaard, who
has been a minister for two terms and a member of the Norwegian
Parliament for 40 years (1920-1960). Dahlgaard was one of the men behind
the incorporation of the radical Venstreforeningen of 1908 into Det
Radikale Venstre in 1920.
In recent times, however, the post of
mayor has usually belonged to either the Liberals or the Social
Democrats.
Public schools
Skive Municipality has a total of 16 primary
schools spread across 20 teaching sites throughout Salling and Skive.
Aakjærskolen
Ådalsskolen - in 2008 Dalgasskolen & Rønbjerg Skole were
merged under joint management
Balling School
Nordøstsalling
Schools and Daycare, Breum, Jebjerg and Fursund School
Brårup School
Durup School
Glyngøre School
Home School
Højslev School
Krabbeshus Day School – one of the region's largest schools for children
and young people with autism spectrum disorders.
No. Søby School
Oddense School
Resen School
Roslev/Hjerk-Harre School
Skivehus
School
Tieren – Skive municipality's 10th grade.
Vestsalling
School and Daycare, Lem, Rødding and Balling schools
Ørslevkloster
School
Ungdomsskolen-Skive, offers pupils from the 7th grade up to
the age of 18 free-time education.
Private schools
Free school
in Skive
Krabbesholm High School
Salling Junior High School
Thise Free School
Youth education, higher education and other
educational offers
Center for Communication and Education – offers
advice, guidance and education to citizens with acquired or congenital
disabilities.
Erhvervsakademi Dania – offers shorter higher education
courses for service economists, data scientists and production
technologists
The production school – alternative education for young
people who have not yet completed a youth education.
Skive
Handelsskole - offers HG, HHX
Skive College
Skive Seminarium is
part of VIA University College - offers teacher training
Skive
Gymnasium and HF – offers HF and STX
Skive Tekniske Skole - offers
vocational training and various vocational training courses
The
social and health education - offers the education for social and health
assistant, social and health assistant and educational assistant.
VUC
Skive-Viborg – offers single subjects and HF