Ribe - City of Denmark

Ribe is the oldest town of Denmark, situated in southwest Jutland. Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding Municipality, and County. Ribe is now part of the enlarged Esbjerg Municipality newly created Region Syddanmark.

Established in the first decade of the 8th century and first attested in a document dating from 854, Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark.

When Ansgar the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, set out on the "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", he made a request in 860 to the King of Denmark, that the first Scandinavian church be built in Ribe. This was not coincidental, since Ribe already at that point, was the most important trade city of Scandinavia.

However we can only confirm the presence of a bishop and thus a cathedral in Ribe from the year 948.

The town has many well-preserved old buildings, Ribe Cathedral, c. 110 houses are under Heritage Protection. Denmark's oldest town hall is found on the town's Von Støckens Plads. The building was erected in 1496, and was purchased by the city for use as a town hall in 1709.

The town of Ribe, has a long history as a center of education, namely the Gymnasium called Ribe Katedralskole has its roots in the Latin School of Ribe, dating back to at least 1145. Although confirmed to be older, this is the date for the oldest still existing document, that confirms the schools existence. Ribe Katedralskole is more than 850 years old, and is the oldest continuously existing school in Scandinavia.

Ribe Katedralskole
The State College of Education in Ribe Part of The University College of West Jutland
Ribe Business College
VUC