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Herning is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in Ringkjøbing County on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 542 km², and has a total population of 59,277 (2005). Its mayor is Lars Krarup, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party.

The main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Herning.

Neighboring municipalities are Brande and Nørre-Snede to the southeast, Ikast to the east, Aulum-Haderup to the north, Trehøje and Videbæk to the west, and Aaskov to the southwest.

By January 1, 2007 Herning municipality will, as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007), be merged with existing Aulum-Haderup, Trehøje, and Aaskov municipalities to form the new Herning municipality. This will create a municipality with an area of 1,336 km² and a total population of 82,935 (2005). The new municipality will belong to the new Region Midtjylland ("Mid-Jutland Region").

Contents 1 The city of Herning 1.1 History 2 Attractions 3 Famous residents of the municipality 4 External links 5 References

The city of Herning has a population of 29,945 (2004). The municipality of Herning has a population of 59.277 (2006). The town has grown rapidly in the 150 years: in 1840 the total population of the village of Herning was just 21 souls.

Herning has been called "The Capital of the Heath" (hedens hovedstad) and with good reason— it was established at the beginning of the 1800s during the period of heath reclamation. This period of time resulted in a growing population, and a demand for products and services to the new farmers in the area. Herning came into existence as a center of commerce for the area.

Later on the town became known for the textile weaving industry that developed in and around the town. This industry was once Herning's principal economic activity, though today the town enjoys a diversified industrial base.

Herning became a market town in 1913.

Herning has twice been awarded the title of Danish City of the Year: in 1965 and 2003.

Herning is home to Messecenter Herning, the largest exhibition centre in Scandinavia, which gives the town a reputation for its many trade fairs.

The town is also home to sculptor Ingvar Cronhammar's unique monumental work "Elia". It is a black-painted, 60 m dome with four 10 m wide stairways inset into its surface at the earth's cardinal points. These lead to an observation platform overlooking the surrounding heath, as well as to the sculpture's 30.000 cubic meter resonance chamber. Four steel columns rise to a height of 30m over the landscape; they are capped by red domes, lit from below and equipped to attract lightning. In the center of the sculpture, equidistant to the four columns, is a fifth column— a gas burner— about two meters below the viewing platform. The gas burner shoots a pillar of flame about one meter wide and 8.4m high up between the pillars at random intervals controlled by a computer. The sculpture is located in the town near the Herning Art Museum.

The old Herningsholm Estate in Herning is open to the public for touring. Classensborg Estate, now called Skarrildhus, is located 25 km south of the town, but is closed to the public because it is a private hotel and educational facility. The grounds, however, can be toured and are known for their beautiful rhododendron displays during the spring.

Cyclist Bjarne Riis was born in Randers but grew up in Herning.

Opera singer Peter Lodahl (Lyric tenor at Komische Oper in Berlin) was born in Herning

Professional hockey player Frans Nielsen is the first N.H.L. player of Danish origin. He was born and raised in Herning.

• Municipality's official website
• The new Herning municipality's official website (Danish only)
• Destination Herning tourism information
• Sculpture Elia's website
• Opera singer Peter Lodahl

• Municipal statistics: NetBorger Kommunefakta, delivered from KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
• Municipal mergers and neighbors: Eniro new municipalities map

Coordinates: 56°08′N, 8°59′E