Aalborg is a city located on the southern shore of the Limfjorden in North Jutland. The town may have arisen at the outlet of the river Østerå in the Limfjorden in the Viking Age, and the river provided the opportunity for a harbor that was used for trade. It is believed that from around the year 750 there was a village here, and it was known as Alabu seen on coins from the 11th century. The town grew, and it was granted market town rights in 1342.

The rights led to an increased in economy, which was further strengthened with the monopoly on trade with salted herring in 1516. There was trade with Norway and Western Sweden, and the development looked good until the Count’s Feud 1534-1536, when Aalborg was looted and burned, and many of the city’s inhabitants perished. Aalborg became an episcopal seat in 1554, and over the following centuries the city’s prosperity was built on the rich herring fishery. The 19th century brought a decline in trade, but prosperity through industrialization with the establishment of large companies.

Today, Aalborg is still a growing city, and there are many sights and attractions. You can start a walk in the city center at Nytorv square, which together with the main street Bispensgade forms the central pedestrian area. At Nytorv, you can see Jens Bang’s House, which is a beautiful Renaissance building from 1624. It was the merchant Jens Bang who built the house, which you can see today when visiting the shops in the old house.

From Nytorv you can walk towards Limfjorden to Toldbod Plads. It is a square with the architect Hack Kampmann’s royal customs chamber, which was built in 1902 in National Romantic style. In front of the customs house, you can see Denmark’s first musical fountain, which was inaugurated in 2007. At this place, Østerå opened into the Limfjorden, and in its time you could ship goods by boat into the city to, for example, Jens Bang’s House.

From Toldbod Plads there is an excellent view to the Limfjorden and to Nørresundby and Vendsyssel to the north. You can take a swim in the city’s harbor bath and see some of Aalborg’s major sights to the east. You can also visit Aalborghus Castle, which was built 1539-1553 by King Christian III. The castle replaced the former Aalborhus, which was destroyed during the Count’s Feud. Aalborghus was intended as a fortress, but instead it became the seat of the governor’s administration and was given a role as a so-called accounting castle, where, among other things, taxes were collected as grain.

Today, only the east wing is preserved from the castle’s first years, but the whole complex is worth seeing. Close to Aalborghus is the Utzon Center, which is an experimental art and exhibition center that was designed by Jørn and Kim Utzon and which opened in 2008. In the center you can see an exhibition about Jørn Utzon’s life and works as well as changing exhibitions. If you continue east, you come to House of Music/Musikkens Hus, which, with interesting architecture by Coop Himmelb(l)au, is home to e.g. Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.

When in Aalborg, you can enjoy a stroll in the old town as well. You can start at Gammeltorv square, where you can see the city’s beautiful town hall from 1762, and from here you can walk to Budolfi Kirke, which is the name of Aalborg’s cathedral. Buldofi Kirke, in its current Gothic version, was constructed in the 14th century along Algade, which was the city’s main street at the time. The church’s altarpiece and pulpit are from the 17th century, while the baroque spire was added in the 18th century.

Next to the cathedral, you can learn about the city’s interesting history at the Aalborg Historical Museum, where archaeological finds and more are exhibited, and where the Aalborgstuen room from a merchant’s house in 1602 can be seen. From here it is not far to the 16th-century Aalborg Monastery, Bispensgade and Aalborg’s café and party street, Jomfru Ane Gade. To the west along Bispensgade street you can see Aalborg’s probably most famous monument, the Cimbrian Bull, which was unveiled in 1937 and which symbolizes strength.

There is much else to see in the vibrant cultural city. In the eastern part of Algade, in the middle of the busy pedestrian shopping area, you can walk underground and visit the Gråbrødrekloster Museum. It is a former monastery, and 3 meters below street level you can see the remains of and the history of the monastery that was located here from the 1240s until its closure in 1530. A little southwest of the center you can visit Kunsten, Aalborg’s museum of modern art.

Close to this, the Aalborg Tower has been located since 1933, when the North Jutland Exhibition was held in the city. The tower is 55 meters high, and it stands on a 50-meter-high hill, so the top is 105 meters above the Limfjorden. From the Aalborg tower there is of course an excellent view of the city. You can also choose to see the submarine Springeren at Aalborg’s maritime center, where there is also much other maritime history and depiction of Aalborg’s role as a large and important seafaring city.

Aalborg is the big city south of the waters of Limfjorden. It is connected to the city of Nørresundby on the north side of the fjord. You can walk the central bridge to Nørresundby and enjoy the view to the recently developed harborfront. In Nørresundby you can visit the Viking museum Lindholm Høje. The museum depicts the site’s burial ground with many graves from the Iron Age and the Viking Age and exhibits archaeological finds from the area.