Nykøbing Falster

Sister cities

• Lublin
• Nyköping Municipality
• Eutin

History

Nykøbing Falster was founded around a 12th-century medieval castle. At the end of the 12th century, fortifications were set up on a peninsula on Guldborgsund for protection against the Wends, and these were later converted into Nykøbing Castle. The town of Nykøbing Falster grew up around these fortifications. After the Reformation, the castle was the residence of widowed Danish queens. As several queens of German descent resided here, many Germans came to the town. Situated on a headland, the castle was protected from all sides. In its early days, the castle belonged to the royal house. Medieval documents issued in this region reveal that the royal court regularly visited the castle. This is the castle where Christopher II died (1332) and where Christian V was married (1667). Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark resided here. The castle was chartered in 1539. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056578/Nykobing-Falster REF] The castle and the entire crown land on Falster were put up for sale in 1763 to help improve the poor state of government finances. The castle was sold for demolition, and only the modest ruin of one of the towers, Fars Hat (Father’s Hat in Danish) is in existence today. From 1970 to 2006, Nykøbing was the administrative seat of the former county of Storstrøm as well as the Nykøbing Falster municipality. On 1 January 2007, the former Nykøbing Falster municipality merged with Nysted, Nørre Alslev, Sakskøbing, Stubbekøbing, and Sydfalster municipalities to form Guldborgsund municipality. This municipal reform, Kommunalreformen, created a municipality with an area of and a total population of 63,533 (2005) and will belong to the new Region Sjælland ("Zealand Region"). The former Nykøbing Falster municipality covered an area of with a total…

Geography

Nykøbing Falster is a harbor town which is located roughly in the middle of the western coast of the island of Falster. It is located where the Tingsted Stream (Danish: Tingsted Å) empties into the Guldborgsund strait which divides the islands of Falster and Lolland.

Most-observed species

• White-tailed Eagle

  Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,315
• Graylag Goose

  Anser anser (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,777
• Common Crane

  Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,603
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  4,153
• Gadwall

  Mareca strepera (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,798
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,589
• Barnacle Goose

  Branta leucopsis (Bechstein, 1803) · Aves
  3,466
• Eurasian Marsh-Harrier

  Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,438

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2026-05-20
  7 km WSW of Bjæverskov, Denmark
• M 2.5 — 2004-02-23
  2 km W of Køge, Denmark
• M 2.5 — 2003-06-15
  15 km SE of Nyborg, Denmark