Farum
Farum is a town in the northeast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, 20 km northwest of Copenhagen. The town has a population of 18,779 (1 January 2015).[1] The town is part of Furesø municipality. Until 2006, it constituted Farum municipality.
History
Farum has existed for more than 1000 years. The name Farum refers to the founding fathers, sea merchants, who migrated from Bremen, Germany. At the time there was clear passage from the sea to Farum. This has since been filled with silt and by civic demands for more land. Around 1100, the community's first stone church was built: parts of it remain in the present church of Farum. In the 14th century, a damming project flooded the old ford and redirected much of the traffic bound for Copenhagen towards Fiskebæk, a short distance further south.
During recurrent wars with Sweden in the 17th century the area suffered enormous damage.
In 1800, the town was transferred from Copenhagen knight district to Frederiksborg County. Around this time, the economy of the area revived with renewed cultivation of the fertile agricultural land. Throughout the 19th century, the community expanded economically. In 1906, the community was linked to the capital by the railway between Copenhagen and Slangerup: in 1977, this became the Hareskovbanen radial of Copenhagen's S-train system.
In the early 1950s, the population was about 4000. Through the 1960s and 1970s, the community turned into a commuter town due to its proximity to Copenhagen and the population expanded past 10,000. By 1980, the population was over 16,000.
Farum in recent times
Today, Farum is divided into three parts: Farum West, Farum East, and the Midpoint. Farum East and Farum West are separated by a highway that effectively divides the city. The Midpoint (Danish Midtpunktet) is a large complex of arpartments built in a very special way. One-third of the population lives in these blocks, which house most of Farum's immigrants.
Farum West is the old part of Farum, with the old village and church. The area has grown over the years, and most of the sports facilities are here. To the north of Farum West lies the high-tech industrial area.
The town is now influenced strongly by the large number of immigrants living in the city. In the Midpoint over 50 different languages are spoken. The majority of the immigrants are Turks and people from the Middle-East. This has given Farum a large number of exciting shops and exotic food. In recent years, many people from eastern Europe have settled in the town.
Farum is also the hometown of the football club FC Nordsjælland, which plays in the highest Danish league, Danish Superliga. They play at Farum Park, in Farum West.
From 1985 to 2002, the Mayor of Farum was the controversial Peter Brixtofte. Brixtofte was later charged with corruption and jailed.
See also
References
- ↑ BEF44: Population 1st January, by urban areas database from Statistics Denmark
Coordinates: 55°48′56″N 12°22′32″E / 55.81556°N 12.37556°E