Scan Magazine | City Profile of the Monthh | Denmark
A long list of major international artists have performed at Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning’s famous multi-purpose arena. Photo: Jyske Bank Boxen
City Profile of the Month, Denmark
Herning still wants more Having just hosted the Ice Hockey World Championships, Herning, a Danish town with a population of just under 50,000, has affirmed its place as one of the country’s top event hubs. However, the town and its event makers are not resting on their laurels; they still want more. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Herning City
Adele, Paul McCartney, and George Michael are all amongst the major celebrities to have paid Herning and Jyske Bank Boxen, the town’s famous indoor arena, a visit. Ten years ago, it might have seemed unlikely that names of this calibre would have performed anywhere but in a major city in Denmark, but they are actually just a few of a long list who have done so. How has this come about? It is all down to hard work and a continuous wish to do more. City director, Allan Birk 92 | Issue 116 | September 2018
Kristensen, one of the driving forces in the town’s powerful event machinery, explains. “We have a reputation for making things happen in Herning, and that’s why we’re landing these kinds of major events. It is not for nothing that, after Bologna, we’re the town in Europe with the most motorway connections – all roads lead to Herning; it’s quick to get here and it’s quick to get home again. But it is also proof that we have some people here who have taken things up in central govern-
ment and managed to get things through, who are passionate about their town and about building something special.” This spring, the hard work resulted in Herning becoming the smallest town ever to have hosted the Ice Hockey World Championships. The championship was co-hosted with the nation’s capital and more than doubled the population of Herning for the two weeks the event took place.
A new town centre The transformation of Herning is not just reflected in the many major concerts, conferences, and sports events taking place in the town, but also in the blooming of Herning City, the town cen-