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.
History
Early history
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.