world.wikisort.org - Denmark

Search / Calendar

Billund (Danish pronunciation: [ˈpiˌlɔnˀ]) is a town in Jutland, Denmark. It is the home of the Lego Group head office. It is also the site of a theme park, Legoland, waterpark resort, Lalandia, and Billund Airport which is the second largest airport in Denmark. The airport opened in 1964 and was built by the Lego Group, but is now run independently.[2] With a population of 6,725 (1 January 2022),[3] Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, behind the municipal seat of Grindsted.

Billund
Town
Billund Kro
Billund
Location in Denmark
Billund
Billund (Region of Southern Denmark)
Coordinates: 55°43′51″N 9°6′55″E
CountryDenmark
RegionSouthern Denmark
MunicipalityBillund
Founded17th century
Area
  Urban
8.25 km2 (3.19 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
  Urban
6,725
  Urban density820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
  Gender [1]
3,341 males and 3,384 females
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
DK-7190 Billund
Websitebillund-grindsted.dk

On the outskirts of the town there is a Lego factory, which, as of 2005, manufactured 90% of the company's products. Adjacent to the company's headquarters is the first Legoland theme park, which opened in 1968 and is called Legoland Billund.[2] In addition to the Lego Group, Sun-Air of Scandinavia has its head office in Billund.[4][5]


History


Billund has long been part of the parish of Grene Kirke ("Grove Church") whose original Romanesque building was first mentioned in 1291. The town's name was first mentioned as "Byllundt" in 1454 and as "Billund" in 1510.

In 1880, the town's first windmill was built on the road between Vejle and Varde. In 1895, the mill burned to the ground but was rebuilt in 1897, this time in the style of Dutch windmills. That same year, a railway was built from Vejle to Billund, and the route was later extended to Grindsted in 1914.

In 1916, Ole Kirk Christiansen, who later founded The Lego Group, bought a Billund furniture company that was founded in 1895. He invested in the town, creating a new dairy and the Skjoldbjerg church a few miles south of town. In 1930, Kirk Christiansen began producing utility items such as ironing boards, stepladders and miniature toys. His first toys were created from scraps from the production of his other goods but his true toy production started in 1932. In 1934, the toy factory was named "Lego."

In the late 1930s Billund experienced growth due to the factories and began to build waterworks, a gymnasium, and the town hall, though the local power station was closed and relocated.

In 1942, during the Nazi German occupation of Denmark in World War II, the old Lego factory was destroyed by fire, but a new one was immediately erected. In 1946, the railway track from Grindsted was extended to the Lego factory. Plastic Lego Bricks were first released from the factory in 1949.

The 1950s brought a recession to Billund with the closing of the railroad. In response to the growing poverty, the Billund Housing Association was founded and created affordable housing as well as a retirement home. Lego created a large park north of town with a playground, outdoor scene, toboggan hill and a man-made lake in 1959. In 1964 the Billund Airport was inaugurated, first as the Lego Group's private airport, and was later opened for other uses. Legoland opened in 1968, and Billund again began to experience growth.


Geography


Billund is located approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Grindsted, 56 kilometers (35 miles) from Esbjerg, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from The Regional Capital of Vejle.


Demographics


As of 2012 the town had 6,146 residents. In the beginning of the 1930s Billund was still a small village with only 300 residents. In the 1950s the village reached 500 residents and after this time that number increased rapidly. After only 20 years, in 1970 this number quadrupled to 2,065 residents. Population growth exploded because of Lego's rapid expansion in the mid-1960s.

The town's demographics are characterized by many families with children; approximately 27.3% of the households in the town consist of couples with children. This is somewhat above the average for the region. The residents in the town mostly live in family houses.


Notable people



Tourism


Legoland amusement park, view from the tower.
Legoland amusement park, view from the tower.

The presence of the Lego factory, and the company's original Legoland, draw tourists to Billund. A new 23-metre-tall Lego House opened in late 2017. Other attractions include Kongernes Jelling, the Vandel Museum and the Children's Library designed by Rosan Bosch.[8]

Skulpturpark Billund, a landscape sculpture park.
Skulpturpark Billund, a landscape sculpture park.

References


  1. BY1: Population 1. January by urban areas, age and sex The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark
  2. "Billund, Denmark". TripWiser.com.
  3. BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark
  4. "Locations Archived 9 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Lego Group. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
  5. "Contact Archived 20 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Sun Air of Scandinavia. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
  6. The World's Billionaires - Denmark. Forbes.com. Last looked at on February 14th, 2020.
  7. "Meet The Richest Billionaire In Every Country". Forbes. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  8. "Children's Library in Billund - Finalist". Danish Design Award.



На других языках


[de] Billund

Billund liegt in Südwestjütland und ist die zweitgrößte Stadt in der Kommune Billund in Dänemark. Die Einwohnerzahl beträgt laut Statistikamt 6723 Einwohner (Stand 1. Januar 2022).[1]
- [en] Billund, Denmark

[es] Billund

Billund es una localidad danesa en el centro de la península de Jutlandia. En 2012 tiene 6146 habitantes,[2] siendo con ello la segunda mayor localidad del municipio de Billund, tras Grindsted, en la región de Dinamarca Meridional.

[ru] Биллунн

Биллунн (дат. Billund) — второй по величине город в муниципалитете Биллунн, находится в южной Ютландии, Дания. В Биллунне живут 6194 жителей (2014)[1]. Биллунн находится в 13 километрах от Гриннстеда, 56 км от Эсбьерга и 27 км от столицы региона Вайле.



Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

2019-2025
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии