Nibe

Facts

Herring made it happen

By Søren Bitsch Christensen, Stadsarkivar (21 stories)

Nibe was founded on herring. A fishing town from the 1300s, it did not gain the privileges of a market town until 1727. Such privileges included a monopoly on certain trades within a geographical area, exemption from certain taxes and exemption from compulsory military service. The neighbouring and privileged market town of Aalborg was forever checking up on whether the denizens of Nibe were trading illegally. But Aalborg could not prevent Nibe's herring curing industry from gaining a reputation far and wide. Development of the town followed the ups and downs of herring fishing. Towards the end of the 1600s, herring was abundant, but then disappeared in the mid-1700s. Nibe's glory days were over, although shipping and trade fared well in the 1800s. Industry never really got a foothold, but as a commuting and dormitory town, the population of Nibe increased from 2,500 in 1960 to the present 4,500.

Public place

Selected entry

Captured and press-ganged

Listen to the story

play
pause

Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.

Story written by Søren Bitsch Christensen

Time / Periode 1300 1399

1 comment 0 recommendations

On 6 June 1677, 100 citizens of Aalborg marched the 21 kilometres to Nibe. For years, they had felt provoked by Nibe's unlawful fishing and shipping activities in the Liim Fjord. Revenge was theirs for the taking when King Christian V issued an order for 70 men from Aalborg to join the Royal Navy. Many of them were to be press-ganged from Nibe. Armed with rapiers and rifles, the delegation from Aalborg rounded up 28 men in Nibe. The local customs officer took a beating. For a whole day, the prisoners were held in the church, until evening when they were carted off to Aalborg as involuntary recruits.