Timeline of Aarhus

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Aarhus, a city in central Denmark.

Viking Age

 * 750–800 – Aarhus is founded by the northern shore of the Aarhus River.
 * c. 900 – The first church, the Holy Trinity Church, is built during the reign of Frode, King of Jutland.
 * c. 900 – Gorm the Old fortifies Aarhus with ramparts.
 * 10th century – Harald Bluetooth strengthens and expands the ramparts.
 * 948 – First mention of Aarhus as the bishop of Aarhus Reginbrand attends the Synod of Ingelheim.
 * 988 – Diocese of Aarhus is dissolved.
 * 1035–42 – Harthacnut coins money stamped with the original name of Aarhus: "AROS".
 * 1043
 * Svend Estridsen gains support from Aros in war against Magnus the Good and a battle between the two are fought in the Bay of Aarhus.
 * Magnus the Good becomes ruler of Aarhus for a period and coins money inscribed "Magnus Konge, Lif-sig i Aros" in latin.
 * 1050 – Harald Hardrada attacks Aarhus and burns the settlement including the Holy Trinity Church.
 * 1060
 * Diocese of Aarhus is reestablished as Svend Estridsen divides the country into 8 bishoprics.
 * Crypt church is constructed on the site of the former Holy Trinity Church and present day Church of Our Lady.

Middle Ages

 * 1080 – The crypt church is expanded and dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
 * 12th century
 * The bishopric begins collecting tithe.
 * The defensive ramparts are strengthened and a cobbled ring road built along it.
 * 1134 – The bishop of Aarhus Ulkil is killed at the Battle of Fotevik in support of King Niels.
 * 1180
 * Saint Nicholas Church mentioned as the first cathedral of Aarhus.
 * Niels of Aarhus dies and is buried in Aarhus.
 * 1191 – Peder Vognsen is appointed bishop by King Canute VI.
 * c. 1192 – Construction begins on Aarhus Cathedral on the burial site of Niels of Aarhus.
 * 1195 – Aarhus Cathedral School is mentioned for the first time. The school possibly predates the Aarhus Cathedral.
 * 13th century – Valdemar II builds a grain mill at Aarhus River and hand grinders are made illegal.
 * c. 1250 – Dominican friars are given Saint Nicholas Church which they tear down and begins construction on Church of Our Lady.
 * 1298 – King Eric VI grants the Diocese of Aarhus rent from the peasantry enlisted in leidang.
 * 1441 – Christopher of Bavaria ratifies existing market town privileges.
 * 1477 –
 * Christian I grants citizens of Aarhus rights to fisheries in Lillebælt, Kalø Vig and Jutland.
 * The defensive ramparts ringing the town since the Viking age are removed.
 * 1483 – King Hans ratifies that citizens of Aarhus are free of duties and may trade in all markets in Jutland.
 * 1496 – King Hans ratifies that citizens of Aarhus may use all fisheries in Jutland.

Renaissance 16th – 18th century

 * 1505 – King Hans establishes a four-mile exclusion zone around Aarhus within which only citizens may trade with farmers.
 * 1542 – Large fires break out destroying parts of present Indre By.
 * 1546 – Parts of the city burns down as fires breaks out.
 * 1556 – Large fires breaks out.
 * 1627-1629 – Aarhus is occupied by Albrecht von Wallenstein's troops on behest of Ferdinand II during the Thirty Years' War.
 * 1637 – Thors Mølle is constructed as a powder mill.
 * 1644-1645 – Occupation by Swedish troops during the Torstenson War
 * 1657 – Wooden city walls erected as octroi is introduced.
 * 1657-1659 – Aarhus is occupied during the Dano-Swedish wars of 1657–58 and 1658–60.
 * 1659
 * Aarhus is bombarded by 13 Swedish warships during the Dano-Swedish War of 1658–60.
 * Plague breaks out in the city. Nationwide a third of the population is killed.
 * 1662 – The medieval fiefs reformed into counties and Aarhus County is established.
 * 1672 – 3,474 inhabitants.
 * 1740 – New citizens council established, composed of the wealthiest citizens.
 * 1794 – Århus Stiftstidende is published for the first time.

19th century

 * 1801 – 3,837 inhabitants.
 * 1830
 * Regular steamship links with Copenhagen begins.
 * Vennelystparken opens for the first time.
 * 1838 – Electoral rules changed to allow voting for the city council.
 * 1840 – 7,087 inhabitants.
 * Harbor moved from the Aarhus river to the coast.
 * 1849
 * Occupied by Prussian troops during the First Schleswig War.
 * The skirmish known as Rytterfægtningen is fought in the area of present-day Trøjborg.
 * Denmark gets constitution and new electoral laws. The greater half of citizens representatives to be elected by all citizens while the other half is elected by the highest taxed citizens.
 * 1850 – The psychiatric hospital of Jydske Asyl opens.
 * 1851 – 11,009 inhabitants.
 * Octroi abolished and the city walls removed.
 * 1854 – Frichs company is established.
 * 1856 – The Ceres Brewery is established.
 * 1862 – Jutland's first railway established between Aarhus and Randers.
 * 1864 – Aarhus is occupied by Prussian troops during the Second Schleswig War.
 * 1869 – Citizen Representation reformed to a city council with 19 members elected for 6 years. 10 members elected by all citizens, 9 by the highest taxed.
 * 1871
 * Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S is established.
 * Jyllands-Posten publishes its first paper.
 * 1873 – Cholera kills 213.
 * 1874 – Frederiksbjerg annexed.
 * 1875 – Aarhus Botanical Gardens is constructed.
 * 1876 – The Grenaa Line opens; connecting Aarhus to Grenå by rail.
 * 1880 – 24,831 inhabitants.
 * 1882 – Aarhus County Hospital founded.
 * 1883
 * Aarhus Butterine Company is established.
 * First public transportation in the form of horse drawn carriages.
 * 1884 – The rail line Odderbanen opens, connecting Aarhus to Odder.
 * 1893 – Aarhus Municipal Hospital is founded.
 * 1896
 * Korn- og Foderstof Kompagniet is established.
 * Marselisborg estate purchased.
 * Construction on Trøjborg begins.
 * 1900 – Aarhus Theatre is completed.

20th century

 * 1901 – 51,814 inhabitants.
 * 1902
 * The State Library is finished. The historicist building was later repurposed as Erhvervsarkivet (The Corporate Archives) in 1948.
 * Marselisborg Palace is established.
 * 1904 – Tivoli Friheden starts as an amusement park.
 * 1906 – Frederik Ferdinand Salling opens the store that will eventually grow to become the Salling department store.
 * 1909
 * Aarhus hosts the National Exhibition of 1909.
 * Electoral periods for the city council changed to 4 years, privileged electoral system abolished and women given voting rights.
 * 1911 – 64,607 inhabitants.
 * 1912 – Den Gamle By is established.
 * 1913 – Marselisborg Hospital opens.
 * 1919 – First publicly elected mayor.
 * 1921 – 86,197 inhabitants.
 * 1925 – Mindeparken is established.
 * 1928
 * Aarhus University is opened.
 * Aarhus Sporveje is established.
 * 1929 – The Central Station is completed.
 * 1930 – 101,423 inhabitants.
 * 1931 – Spanien Public Baths opens.
 * 1932
 * Marselisborg Deer Park is established.
 * University Park is established.
 * 1933
 * The first university buildings opens
 * Den Permanente is established.
 * 1937 – The ring road of Ring 1 is finished.
 * 1940 – 126,459 inhabitants.

World War II

 * 10 April 1940 – Aarhus occupied by invading German troops.
 * 1941
 * The Aarhus City Hall by architect Arne Jacobsen is completed.
 * The Royal Air Force bombs a viaduct in Viby.
 * 24 September 1942 – The Aarhus oil mill is bombed by the Royal Air Force.
 * 3 July 1943 – The resistance bombs and destroys the viaduct at Spanien.
 * 4 July 1944 – German barge loaded with ammunition explodes in the harbor killing 38.
 * 22 August 1944 – Aarhus Sporveje tram depot on Dalgas Avenue is blown up in an act of schalburgtage.
 * 10 October 1944 – German steamer Scharnhörn bombed by the resistance movement.
 * 30 September 1944 – Aarhus-Hallen is bombed killing 5 people.
 * 9 October 1944 – The Peter group destroys the building of the newspaper Demokraten.
 * 31 October 1944 – The Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus University is bombed by the Royal Air Force.
 * 11 November 1944 – Five buildings on Ryesgade are destroyed by the Peter group.
 * 12 November 1944 – Buildings in Søndergade 10-14, 23- 27, 29 and 58-60 are bombed.
 * 2 December 1944 – Aarhus Håndværkerforening is bombed killing 1 person.
 * 21 January 1945 – Vennelyst Teateret (Vennelyst Theatre) in Vennelystparken is bombed.
 * 22 February 1945 – The Peter group bombs Guldsmedgade, Nørregade, Ryesgade and Aarhus Theatre killing 8 people.
 * 13 March 1945 – Risskovtoget (Risskov Train) is bombed killing two people.
 * 29 March 1945 – Editor of Århus Stiftstidende Børge Schmidt is shot and killed in a clearing murder.
 * 5 May 1945 – Fighting between resistance fighters and German forces refusing surrender claims 15 lives.
 * 8 May 1945 – British troops enter and officially liberate Aarhus from German occupation.

Post-war

 * 1945 – Aarhus Flydedok is established.
 * 1948 – Erhvervsarkivet (The Corporate Archives) opens in the building formerly housing the State Library.
 * 1950 – 153,546 inhabitants.
 * City management of Aarhus is changed to a Magistrate.
 * 1960 – 177,234 inhabitants.
 * First direct elections of county council.
 * 1963 – The landmark State and University Library tower and building in yellow brick at the university campus is finished.
 * 1965 – The first Aarhus Festuge festival is held.
 * 1968 – Construction of the Gellerup Plan, a large modernist suburban satellite city, begins.
 * 1970 – 199,427 inhabitants.
 * Aarhus Municipality is merged with a number of surrounding municipalities during the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform
 * 1975 – The anti-nuclear Smiling Sun logo is designed by the local group of Organisationen til Oplysning om Atomkraft.
 * 1977 – The first Moesgård Vikingetræf event is held.
 * 1979 – Machine manufacturing company Frichs, a large local employer, is declared bankrupt. Production in Aarhus was finally halted, after more than 125 years, in the 1980s.
 * 1982 – Musikhuset (Aarhus Concert Hall) is finished
 * 1983 – Gaffa is published for the first time.
 * 1987 – The ring road of Ring 2 opens.
 * 1988
 * University hospital Skejby Sygehus opens.
 * The afforestation of the New Forests of Aarhus is initiated.
 * 1989 – The first Aarhus International Jazz Festival.
 * 1990 – 200,188 inhabitants.
 * 1991
 * KaosPilots is founded by Uffe Elbæk.
 * Marselisborg Yacht Harbour opens
 * 1994 – The first SpoT Festival is held.
 * 1995 – Scandinavian Center is finished
 * 2000 – 217,260 inhabitants.

21st century

 * 2002
 * Louise Gade becomes the first woman and non-Social Democratic mayor of Aarhus.
 * The re-establishment of Årslev Engsø begins.
 * 2003
 * The dockyard of Aarhus Flydedok closes after 58 years, following a bankruptcy.
 * Bruun's Galleri shopping mall opens.
 * 2004 – ARoS art museum opens
 * 2005 – The nature sites of Hasle Hills and Skjoldhøjkilen are inaugurated.
 * 2006 – 228,674 inhabitants.
 * The lake of Egå Engsø is created.
 * 2007
 * Construction begins on Aarhus Ø.
 * Aarhus County is dissolved and Aarhus becomes part of Central Denmark Region.
 * 2008 – The Ceres Brewery closed production in Aarhus after 152 years.
 * 2009
 * Sculpture by the Sea is held for the first time.
 * The first Northside Festival is held.
 * 2011
 * City council elects to change spelling from "Århus" to "Aarhus".
 * Aarhus University Hospital is created.
 * 2012
 * Aarhus Pride is held for the first time.
 * Construction begins on CeresByen.
 * 2013 – 256,018 inhabitants.
 * Construction begins on Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus light rail)
 * 2014
 * The new Moesgård Museum (MOMU) opens.
 * The New University Hospital (DNU) partly opens to become fully operational in 2020.
 * Aarhus City Tower, the second tallest building in the city at 94 metres, opens.
 * 2015
 * Dokk1 opens.
 * Redevelopment of Frederiks Plads begins.
 * 2017
 * Aarhus is European Capital of Culture
 * The inner harbour front and two squares of Hack Kampmanns Plads and Havnepladsen are finished.
 * Aarhus Letbane opens
 * 2018 – 273,077 inhabitants
 * The harbour baths of Havnebadet opens
 * The New University Hospital (DNU) is finished
 * Aarhus County Hospital is closed after 136 years of service
 * Risskov Psychiatric Hospital (Jydske Asyl) is closed after 168 year of service
 * 2019
 * Aarhus Municipal Hospital is closed after 125 years of service