Herning

Herning is a city in the middle of Jutland. Herning's main claim to fame are sports teams based here and numerous high profile international sport events that have been hosted here. It is also home to Scandinava's largest trade fair centre.

Understand

A town of some 51,000 people (2023) that has grown rapidly in the 20th and 21st centuries, mainly due to the textile and garment industries that has been active in Herning since the late 19th century. People from Herning (as well as Ikast and Brande) are colloquially referred to as "Woollen Jutlanders" (uldjyder).

• Visit Herning website

Get in

Herning is on the Struer train line with hourly connections from Copenhagen (3.5 hours, 300 kr).

By train

• 1 Herning Station, Banegårdspladsen 6C. The town's main station  
• 2 Herning Messecenter station. If you're headed for the trade fair centre, this station is likely more convenient.  

By plane

• 3 Karup Airport. Offering a rather limited selection of flights.  

Get around

Most things are within walking distance.

• Taxi: Herning Taxi, tel: +45 97120777

See

• 1 HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Bitten & Aage Damgaards Plads 2 (east side of Herning), ☏ +45 97 12 10 33. Tu-Su 10:00-16:00. It exhibits prominent contemporary art by Danish and international artists. The building was designed by famous architect Steven Holl, and is in a cluster of other interesting art exhibits. Across the street is an associated outdoor sculpture park, and the adjacent Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelts Museum has its two namesake artists on permanent display, both very prominent Danish artists. Close by is the huge land-art piece known as Elia by Ingvar Cronhammar, designed to play with lightning bolts during stormy weather. Adult 40 kr, senior or student 30 kr, under 18 free. (updated Sep 2023)

Around this museum has grown a whole collection of artistic formations since the late 1940s:

• The museum of Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelts. Two internationally known Danish artists.
• The Sculpture Park, created as a recreative area for the employees of the shirt factory.
• The geometric Garden by C.Th. Sørensen
• The Utzon house A prototype to a school house by Jørn Utzon
• Elia The biggest sculpture in the northern part of Europe.

Do

Herning hosts many conventions, exhibitions, etc.

• Baboon City (A world of fun!), Åkirkebyvej 10, ☏ +45 97221314. F 12:00-21:00, Sa Su 10:00-19:00. Action and fun, for children and adults. A great gaming arcade, rodeo bull, sumu wrestling and many many other things. 95 kr for 4 hours. 
• Fermaten, Smallegade 4, ☏ +45 97225510. Music and stand-up comedy. Fermaten is a "Stage" where different artists come to perform. Buy tickets here: billetten.dk 
• 1 MCH Messecenter Herning, Vardevej 1, ☏ +45 99269926. One of Scandinavia's largest and most flexible experience centres. Every year they have about 900,000 guests for fairs and exhibitions, culture and events, meetings, conferences, parties, and sporting events.  
• Event Calendar for Herning. Event Calendar, lists live music, soccer/handball/hockey matches, and events for kids 
• 2 Jyllands Park Zoo, Haunstrupvej 13, 6920 Videbæk (drive west to the village of Haunstrup, then south), ☏ +45 97 16 61 20, info@jyllandsparkzoo.dk. This zoo park is about 20 minutes drive from Herning center. Several species from around the world, including monkeys and hyenas, giraffes and ostriches. Watch the fur seals perform or help feed the animals. (updated May 2017)
• 3 MCH Arena (2 km south of city centre). Home of FC Midtjylland, who play in Danish SuperLiga, the top tier of association football in the country. This stadium has a capacity of 11,800. (updated Jan 2019)
• 4 Jyske Bank Boxen. Multisports indoor venue, among others the host of the final of the 2019 Handball World Championship. (updated Jan 2019)
• GP Herning. A one-day road bicycle race. (updated Jan 2019)

Buy

Bredgade is the main pedestrian shopping street.

pedestrian shopping street (Bredgade)

• Herning Centeret (Shopping Mall)), Merkurvej (Bus nr. 2 or Bus nr. 7), ☏ +45 97 22 06 96. M-W 10:00-17:30, Th F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-15:00. The biggest shopping mall in Central Jutland. 75 stores. There's also dining options in the mall. 

Eat

• Cafe Poulsen & Restaurant Upstairs, Bredgade 38, ☏ +45 97120944, Info@CafePoulsen.dk. Nice Cafe with sandwiches, pasta, salmon, etc. 80 kr. 
• Papa's Pizza, Østergade 22B (In the shopping street), ☏ +45 97126611. Pizza, Durum, pasta and more. If you feel like a good beer, you can order one from Fox and Hounds (across the street) and your Papa´s-waiter will get it for you. (If you feel like a good Pizza, when you´re at Fox And Hounds, you can do the same) 

Drink

• Fox and Hounds (Scottish Pub), Østergade 17 (In the shopping street), ☏ +45 97216966. Good beer and whiskey. A beer: about 40 kr. 

Sleep

• 1 Decolux, Sandagervej 2, ☏ +45 972 25188, decolux@info.dk. Bed & Breakfast NW of the city, 30 min walking. Shares shower and kitchen. 350 kr. 
• 2 Hotel Skarrildhus, Sdr. Ommevej 4, Skarrild, ☏ +45 97 19 62 33. Hotel located about 22 kilometres (14 mi) outside Herning. Good conference facilities and nice rooms with view. 
• 3 Højhuset - Kulturhotel, Højskolevej 11 (east side of Herning), ☏ +45 971 23244, reception@hojhuset.com. Formerly a folk high school, renovated into a hotel in 2023 with touches of Danish design. It features 88 hotel rooms, a restaurant, conference facilities and meeting rooms. (updated May 2024)