User:Lasse Havelund/Kolding

Kolding is a Danish port, located at the south of Denmark. It is a part of the Danish region Syddanmark. Kolding (as a municipality) has a population of 88,337 (January 2009), with the city itself housing appx. 55,596 (January 2008).

The castle of Koldinghus is found in the centre of Kolding, as is the Church of Sct. Nicholas (Skt. Nikolai kirke), one of the oldest churches in Denmark. Popular tourist attractions in Kolding include the Trapholt art museum and the gardens Geografisk Have.

Kolding is also the home of one of the University of Southern Denmark campuses, and Kolding Designskole, a higher-educational institution focusing on art and design.

History
The first official mention of Kolding can be dated back to 1231. The city was consecrated by King Christopher II in 1321. It is assumed that the city was built around Koldinghus, the city castle, which was first founded in the 11th Century.

The German occupation, 1940–1945
During World War II, German troops were stationed in Kolding, which was effectively transformed into the administrative division for the southern part of the Jutland peninsula. On April 9 and 10 1940, the date of the invasion of Denmark, approx. 700 troops had been stationed in various school buildings in Kolding. This number would eventually increase to approx. 15,000. At this point, the Germans had built a series of barracks to house the troops, in what was to be known as Dyrehavelejren, after the street, Dyrehavevej, near which it was built.

left|thumb|180px|Dyrehavelejren. Aerial photo from 1948.

In addidion to German infantry, the Gestapo also occupied the royal stables at Koldinghus, which would eventually house the Gestapo headquarters for the south of Jutland.

2004 fireworks factory disaster
On November 3, 2004, the fireworks storage plant of N.P. Johnsens Fyrværkerifabrik exploded. One firefighter died, 85 people were injured, and around 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the Seest suburb of Kolding.

Education
Kolding has for the past several years attempted to establish itself as a centre of education. The city offers all ranges of education, from elementary school to higher education.

The city has numerous primary schools (Danish: folkeskoler), which is compulsory in Denmark. In addition to these, two high schools (Danish: gymnasier), Kolding Gymnasium and Munkensdam Gymnasium, exist in Kolding. It also houses the Kolding campus of the University of Southern Denmark, and the internationally-acclaimed Kolding Designskole.