In the period preceding the Municipal Reform of 1970, Denmark was divided into around 170 hundreds (Danish: herred, plural: herreder). In the timeframe 1793 through 1970, each parish was functioning as a municipality within their respective hundreds. The hundreds were in turn part of a county. This was changed in 1970, when the parishes were merged into larger municipalities sometimes crossing hundred borders, and the hundreds fell out of administrative use.
The 1970 Danish Municipal Reform was an extensive administrative reform in Denmark which on 1 April 1970 reduced the number of Danish municipalities from 1,098 to 277 and the number of counties from 25 to 14. The reform also abolished the last legal privileges of the market towns.
A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Norway. It is still used in other places, including South Australia, and The Northern Territory.
In Denmark, a parish is a local ecclesiastical unit in the Church of Denmark. Each parish is assigned to a physical church, and the church's administration (sognekontor) handles the area's civic registration of births, marriages and deaths. Each Danish municipality is composed of one or more parishes.
Today, hundreds are used mostly for purposes of genealogy research.
Genealogy, also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives.
Denmark was subdivided into hundreds from the early medieval period until this administrative division was finally abolished as part of the 1970 administrative reform.
Hundreds comprised varying numbers of parishes (Danish: sogn, plural: sogne), and each hundred had its own tingsted (assembly place) where the ting (assembly) was held, serving as court of law in minor affairs (major affairs were decided by the three landsting assemblies, serving as supreme courts in respectively 1) Scania [including Halland, Blekinge and Bornholm], 2) Zealand [including Lolland and Falster] and 3) Jutland and Funen). It has been hypothesised - since an extremely large amount of Denmark's herreder have access to the sea - that the division may have originated in the Viking era, for either offensive or defensive purposes. The subdivision applies to almost all parts of medieval Denmark (see below), including Southern Schleswig, Scania, Halland and Blekinge, but not Rügen.
Jutland (including Southern Schleswig) and most or all of Zealand were divided into syssel divisions (Danish: syssel, plural: sysler), each composed of a number of herreder, which in turn were subdivided into parishes. The syssel division did not apply in other parts of Denmark.
The area between the Danevirke fortifications and the river Eider (originally very sparsely populated) was exceptional in being included into the syssel divisions (as part of Istedsyssel) but was not subdivided into herreder. The area of North Frisian settlement Uthlande, now North Frisia, was subdivided into herreder which in turn were divided into parishes, but this region was not subject to Danish law but to a local Frisian law, and was in the medieval period administered as part of the royal demesne.
When Denmark in the 1660s abolished the former division into fiefs (Len), their replacement, the counties (amt, plural: amter) were similarly based on the herreder which in turn remained subdivided into parishes.
Hundred | County |
---|---|
Als Nørre | Sønderborg |
Als Sønder | Sønderborg |
Alsted | Sorø |
Anst | Ribe |
Ars | Holbæk |
Bjerge | Odense |
Bjerre | Vejle |
Bjæverskov | Præstø (since 1803) |
Bornholms Nørre | Bornholm |
Bornholms Sønder | Bornholm |
Bornholms Vester | Bornholm |
Bornholms Øster | Bornholm |
Brusk | Vejle |
Bølling | Ringkøbing |
Børglum | Hjørring |
Båg | Odense |
Bårse | Præstø (since 1803) |
Djurs Nørre | Randers |
Djurs Sønder | Randers |
Dronninglund | Hjørring |
Elbo | Vejle |
Fakse | Præstø (since 1803) |
Falsters Nørre | Maribo |
Falsters Sønder | Maribo |
Fjends | Viborg |
Fleskum | Ålborg |
Framlev | Århus |
Frøs | Haderslev |
Fuglse | Maribo |
Galten | Randers |
Ginding | Ringkøbing |
Gislum | Ålborg |
Gjerlev | Randers |
Gjern | Skanderborg |
Gram | Haderslev |
Gudme | Svendborg |
Gørding | Ribe |
Haderslev | Haderslev |
Hads | Århus |
Hammer | Præstø (since 1803) |
Hammerum | Ringkøbing |
Harre | Viborg |
Hasle | Århus |
Hassing | Thisted |
Hatting | Vejle |
Hellum | Ålborg |
Hids | Viborg |
Hind | Ringkøbing |
Hindborg | Viborg |
Hindsted | Ålborg |
Hillerslev | Thisted |
Hjelmslev | Skanderborg |
Hjerm | Ringkøbing |
Holbo | Frederiksborg |
Holmans | Vejle |
Horns | Frederiksborg |
Horns | Hjørring |
Hornum | Ålborg |
Houlbjerg | Viborg |
Hundborg | Thisted |
Hvetbo | Hjørring |
Hviding | Tønder |
Jerlev | Vejle |
Kær | Ålborg |
Langelands Nørre | Svendborg |
Langelands Sønder | Svendborg |
Lollands Nørre | Maribo |
Lollands Sønder | Maribo |
Lunde | Odense |
Lundtoft | Åbenrå |
Lynge-Frederiksborg | Frederiksborg |
Lynge-Kronborg | Frederiksborg |
Lysgård | Viborg |
Læsø | Hjørring |
Løve | Holbæk |
Malt | Ribe |
Merløse | Holbæk |
Middelsom | Viborg |
Mols | Randers |
Morsø Nørre | Thisted |
Morsø Sønder | Thisted |
Musse | Maribo |
Mønbo | Præstø (since 1803) |
Nim | Skanderborg |
Ning | Århus |
Nybøl | Sønderborg |
Nørhald | Randers |
Nørlyng | Viborg |
Nørre | Viborg |
Nørre Horne | Ringkøbing |
Nørre Rangstrup | Haderslev |
Nørre Tyrstrup | Vejle |
Nørvang | Vejle |
Odense | Odense |
Ods | Holbæk |
Onsild | Randers |
Ramsø | Roskilde (København after 1808) |
Refs | Thisted |
Ribe | Ribe |
Rinds | Viborg |
Ringsted | Sorø |
Rise | Åbenrå |
Rougsø | Randers |
Rødding | Viborg |
Sabro | Århus |
Sallinge | Svendborg |
Samsø | Holbæk |
Skam | Odense |
Skast | Ribe |
Skippinge | Holbæk |
Skodborg | Ringkøbing |
Skovby | Odense |
Slagelse | Sorø |
Slavs | Ribe |
Slet | Ålborg |
Slogs | Tønder |
Smørum | København |
Sokkelund | København |
Stevns | Præstø (since 1803) |
Strø | Frederiksborg |
Støvring | Randers |
Sunds | Svendborg |
Sømme | Roskilde (København after 1808) |
Sønderhald | Randers |
Sønderlyng | Viborg |
Sønder Rangstrup | Åbenrå |
Sønder Tyrstrup | Haderslev |
Tune | Roskilde (København after 1808) |
Tuse | Holbæk |
Tybjerg | Præstø (since 1803) |
Tyrsting | Skanderborg |
Tønder, Højer og Lø | Tønder |
Ulfborg | Ringkøbing |
Tørrild | Vejle |
Vandfuld | Ringkøbing |
Vends | Odense |
Vennebjerg | Hjørring |
Vester Flakkebjerg | Sorø |
Vester Han | Thisted |
Vester Horne | Ribe |
Vester Lisbjerg | Århus |
Vindinge | Svendborg |
Voer | Skanderborg |
Voldborg | Roskilde (København after 1808) |
Vrads | Skanderborg |
Ølstykke | Frederiksborg |
Øster Flakkebjerg | Sorø |
Øster Han | Hjørring |
Øster Horne | Ribe |
Øster Lisbjerg | Randers |
Ærø | Svendborg |
Års | Ålborg |
Åsum | Odense |
The five Regions of Denmark were created as administrative entities at a level above the municipalities and below the central government in the public sector as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, when the 13 counties (amter) were abolished. At the same time, the number of municipalities (kommuner) was cut from 270 to 98.
The Counties of Denmark were former subdivisions of metropolitan Denmark, used primarily for administrative regions, with each county having its own council with substantial powers. Originally there had been twenty-four counties, but the number was reduced to roughly fourteen in 1970 - the number fluctuated slightly over the next three decades. In 2006 there were thirteen traditional counties as well as three municipalities with county status. On January 1, 2007, the counties were abolished and replaced by five larger regions which unlike the counties are not municipalities.
Denmark is divided into five regions, which contain 98 municipalities. This structure was established per an administrative reform of the public sector of Denmark, effective 26 June 2005, which abolished the 13 counties and created five regions which unlike the counties (1970-2006) are not municipalities. The 270 municipalities were consolidated into 98 larger units, most of which have at least 20,000 inhabitants.
The Duchy of Schleswig was a duchy in Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland) covering the area between about 60 km north and 70 km south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany. The region is also called Sleswick in English.
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea in what today is mostly a large part of the Netherlands, including modern Friesland and smaller parts of northern Germany. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people that speaks Frisian languages, which together with English and Scots form the Anglo-Frisian language group.
Skåne County, sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the southernmost county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Skåne. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge and connected to Capital Region, Denmark by the Oresund Bridge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the city of Malmö. The headquarters of Skåne Regional Council is the town of Kristianstad.
The provinces of Sweden are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification. Dialects and folklore rather follows the provincial borders than the borders of the counties.
South Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark.
Tønder is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,278 km2, and has a total population of 37,777 (2018). Its mayor is Laurids Rudebeck, a member of the Venstre political party.
Christian III reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 until his death, and King of Norway from 1537 until his death. During his reign, Christian established Lutheranism as the state religion within his realms as part of the Protestant Reformation.
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a US township or county or English shire district.
Skåneland or Skånelandene (Danish) is a region on the southern Scandinavian peninsula. It includes the Swedish provinces of Blekinge, Halland and Scania. The Danish island of Bornholm is sometimes also included. Skåneland has no official recognition or function and the term is not in common usage. Equivalent terms in English and Latin are "the Scanian provinces" and "Terrae Scaniae" respectively. The term is mostly used in historical contexts and not in daily speech. In Danish, Skånelandene is used more often. The terms have no political implications as the region is not a geopolitical entity but a cultural region, without officially established political borders.
Götaland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, with the deep woods of Tiveden, Tylöskog and Kolmården marking the border.
The lands of Sweden are three traditional parts, each consisting of several provinces, in Sweden. The division into lands goes back to the foundation of modern Sweden, when Götaland, the land of the Geats, merged with Svealand, the land of the Swedes, to form the country. While Norrland and Österland were added later. The lands have no administrative function but are still seen by many Swedes as an important part of their identity.
Norway is divided into 18 administrative regions, called counties ; until 1918, they were known as amter. The counties form the first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 422 municipalities. The island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are outside the county division and ruled directly at the national level. The capital Oslo is considered both a county and a municipality.
The Region of Southern Denmark is an administrative region of Denmark established on Monday 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the number of municipalities from 271 before 1 January 2006 to 98. The Region of Southern Denmark has 22 municipalities. The reform was implemented in Denmark on 1 January 2007, although the merger of the Funish municipalities of Ærøskøbing and Marstal, being a part of the reform, was given the go-ahead to be implemented on Sunday 1 January 2006, one year before the main reform. It borders Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) to the south and Central Denmark Region to the north and is connected to Region Zealand via the Great Belt Fixed Link.
The traditional districts of Denmark differ from the country's administrative country subdivisions, as their existence and extent are usually not defined by law. Danes will often refer to their traditional districts if asked where they come from, rather than the administrative unit which have been changed several times.
Tønder County is a former province in Denmark, located the south-western part of Southern Jutland. Tønder County was established in 1920 following the reunification of Denmark with South Jutland following the Schleswig Plebiscites. It was dissolved in 1970 when the bulk of the county merged with three other counties to form South Jutland County. Tønder County corresponded geographically to the northern part of the former Prussian Kreis Tondern except for Hviding Herred, which had been part of Kreis Hadersleben. Kreis Tondern had in turn been established in 1867 in order to simplify the intricate administrative structures of the Duchy of Schleswig, and was formed from regions belonging to Ribe County and Løgumkloster County.
Syssel is a historical type of country subdivision in Scandinavia.
Blekinge is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden, situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second-smallest province by area, and the smallest province located on the mainland.
Uthlande, Utlande is a term for the islands, halligen and marshes off the mainland of North Frisia in the Southwest Jutland, modern Nordfriesland district, Germany.