Esbjerg

	Esbjerg
	City
	Esbjerg harbor from the watertower (May 2005)
Country	Denmark
Region	Syddanmark
District	Esbjerg Municipality
Elevation	50 m (164 ft)
Coordinates	55°29′N 8°27′E / 55.483°N 8.45°E
Population	70,880 (2008)
Founded	1868
- City charter	1899
- Current municipality	1 January 2007
Mayor	Johnny Søtrup
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
	Esbjerg (left center) in Denmark
	Website: http://www.esbjerg.dk/

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Coordinates: 55°29′N 8°27′E / 55.483°N 8.45°E

Esbjerg is a Danish seaport on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark, the main town of Esbjerg Municipality, the site of its municipal council and with a population of 70,880 (1 January 2008)^[1] is the fifth largest city in Denmark. Its municipality has a population of 114,244.

[edit] Geography

The city is situated in south-western side of Denmark, and it is a seaport of North Sea.

[edit] History

The city of Esbjerg was established around the harbour, which the state had build in 1868 as a replacement for the harbour in Altona that had previously been Denmark's most important North Sea harbour. In 1874 Esbjerg was connected by rail to Fredericia and Varde.

The city has been voted "City of the Year" twice. The first time was in 1997 where the city was awarded the title because of the corporate work between public and private companies. In 2006 the city was again awarded "City of the Year". The second award was given due to the work and support of young talents. The talents in sport, artwork and music have been given good support and given the best facilities to develop their talent even further. The city holds an annual music festival spanning two weekends (nine days) during mid-August and is focused around the central Torvet Square which hosts the main stage. The festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006.

The city was once Denmark's biggest fishing harbour, and the harbour is still an economic driving force in the town. Besides the fishing industry Esbjerg is also the main city for Denmark's oil and offshore activities. Companies like Mærsk Oil & Gas, Ramboll Oil & Gas, ABB A/S,Schlumberger,COWI and Atkins Denmark all have offshore related activities in the city.

Esbjerg is one of the central towns of the University of Southern Denmark, and also houses a branch of Aalborg University and IT Academy West.

Halliburton has an office in Esbjerg.^[2]

[edit] Transports

Ferry services connect the Esbjerg via Ho Bay to Nordby on the island of Fanø via Scandlines, and over the North Sea to Harwich, England via DFDS Seaways.

Esbjerg railway station is operated by Danish State Railways. Esbjerg is the western terminus of InterCity trains from Copenhagen (operating every other hour), with the journey taking about three hours. DSB also operates local trains to Fredericia. Arriva operates Vestbanen local trains south to Ribe and Tønder and north to Struer.

The city of Esbjerg is a large transport hub for both rail and road traffic, and is an important port for Danish North Sea oil offshore activity. It has an airport, and is a center for machine building. The municipality has a number of museums, theatres (staging opera, ballet and drama), and several libraries.