Roskilde is a city on the Danish island of Zealand, founded in the 980s by Harald Bluetooth and Denmark's capital from the 11th century until 1443, with 53,897 urban residents as of January 2026. Its Gothic cathedral, completed in 1275 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds the tombs of 39 Danish monarchs and draws about 100,000 visitors a year; now Denmark's tenth largest city, Roskilde is home to Roskilde University, founded in 1972, and to the annual Roskilde Festival, one of Europe's largest music festivals, drawing around 80,000 attendees.
Facts
Founding Year Elevation (m) Latitude55.641667 degrees north 2 Sources
1. Roskilde (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox: established_date
980s
History section
According to Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, Roskilde was founded in the 980s by Harald Bluetooth.
Infobox: population_urban
53897
- In Group: Cities of Northern Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
View the Source 2. Roskilde (Wikidata)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude 55.641667, longitude 12.080833
P2044 (elevation above sea level)
elevation 41 m
View the SourceWikidata: Roskilde
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