Aarhus is a city very conscious about its roots. Aarhus may well be Denmark’s oldest city; evidence has been found which shows that there was a Viking settlement here as early as the 8th century.

The Vikings settled by the mouth of the river – at the very spot where the Cathedral stands today its steeple soaring more than 90 metres into the sky. The ’Bispetorv’ square was also the centre of the town 1250 years ago, and in the Viking Museum in the basement of the Nordea Bank you are standing right next to the ramparts which the Vikings built around Aarhus in the 10th century.

At the same time, Aarhus is Denmark’s youngest city at heart. About one in five of its inhabitants is a student at one of the city’s 25 educational and research institutions. This gives the city a youthful vibrancy of its very own; in the city centre as well as in and around the University of Aarhus and its characteristic yellow brick buildings.

Aarhus is currently expanding dramatically. Over the next ten years the entire inner section of the Aarhus Harbour will be transformed into a new urban area with homes, businesses and educational institutions. Some 7-8,000 new residents will move into the new urban area within the next few years. In parallel with this, the Lisbjerg quarter to the north of the city will also be undergoing substantial growth and will be connected with the city centre by a new light railway, passing through Denmark’s largest hospital area at Aarhus University Hospital.