37km (23 miles) N of Århus; 322km (200 miles) W of Copenhagen; 64km (40 miles) S of Aalborg
The sixth largest town in Denmark, with 60,000 inhabitants, Randers was founded at the point where Denmark's longest river, the Gudenå, becomes a natural fjord for the traffic between the northern and southern parts of Denmark.
As early as 1080, a royal mint was established here. It enjoyed prosperity in the medieval era when several churches and monasteries were founded in the area. At the apex of its prestige, in the 14th century, Valdemar IV constructed a royal castle near the town. A Franciscan monastery enjoyed influence here until it was forced to dissolve in 1530, becoming a royal palace.
By the 17th century the town's influence had diminished. Foreign occupation, a massive conflagration in 1672, and the Black Death contributed to the town's demise. Disputes with Prussia over Schleswig-Holstein to the south led to more hostilities in the 19th century. Its troubles with Germany were climaxed with the Nazi occupation in 1940 when Nazi troops rode into town to occupy Randers until the closing days of World War II.
Today Randers has rebounded from a troubled past. It is a town of industry, including woodcarvers, shoemakers, silversmiths, and bell foundry workers. Vehicle manufacture is also important to the local economy. But it's no dreary industrial town. There are a number of period brick and half-timbered houses here along with several attractions.
