page_title: Randers
section_title: Industrialisation and modern times
hierarchical_section_title: Randers / History / Industrialisation and modern times
caption_attribution_description: Dansk: Randers Bro set fra sydvest
context_page_description: Randers is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,482. Randers is the municipality's main town and the site of its municipal council. By road it is 38.5 kilometres north of Aarhus, 43.8 kilometres east of Viborg, and 224 kilometres northwest of Copenhagen.
  Randers became a thriving market town in medieval times, and many of its 15th-century half-timbered houses remain today, as does St Martin's Church, also from that period. Trade by sea was facilitated through the Gudenå River, entering Randers Fjord. During industrialization, Randers quickly became one of the most important industrial towns in the country, but it saw itself outpaced by the cities of Aarhus and Aalborg at the beginning of the 20th century. Most of the larger historic industries in Randers are gone today. From 1970, the population saw a decline from a peak of 58.500 citizens, until a stabilization in the 1990s occurred, followed by a modest rise since then.
context_section_description: During the industrialisation, Randers became a centre for the developing agricultural industry and a number of manufacturing businesses and heavy machinery factories also emerged. According to "The Popular Encyclopedia; or, Conversations Lexicon", Blackie & Son (c. 1890), Randers contained at that time an arsenal, a classical school with six professors, and had several industrial establishments, including manufacturers of gloves, for which the town had long been famous. Randers was also known for salmon, rope, and pretty women.  The harbour near the town had only 7 ¹⁄₂ feet (2.3 m) of water, but there was a good shipyard; and at some distance below, at the mouth of the fjord, there was another harbour with 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3.0 m) water, and roads with good anchorage in 4 to 5 fathoms (24 to 30 ft; 7 to 9 m).
  From the later half of the 1800s, Randers grew in several directions, and a large industrial area emerged at the harbour. In particular the crafts and industry sector grew and Randers became one of the most important industrial towns in Denmark. Trade and seafaring continued to be major sectors of the local economy and the harbour was expanded and improved several times during this era. With the opening of the first railway line to Aarhus in 1862, the barge-transports on the Guden River declined dramatically. This however paved the way for a booming railway manufacturing industry. Even though the population of Randers grew in these years, it was also the time, when the town was outpaced by Aarhus and Aalborg.
  The glove factory of Randers Handskefabrik was established in 1811, and is considered among the oldest glove factories in the World. The manufacturing of gloves in Randers has been traced back to 1200s, in the 1600s it was the primary occupation here and from the 1700s the gloves became known abroad, with exports to Sweden, Germany, Russia, France and England. After some decades with declining productions, the factory was built, industrialising and boosting the productions, guided by the knowledge of the Parisian glovemaker Charles Mattat. Shops in London and New York were added to the company in 1892. In 1927, Randers Handsker were acquired by the Danish Vejrum family, who still owns and runs the company today.
  The larger emerging industries included the Thor breweries, founded in 1856 by the businessman Christian Emil Synnestvedt, but built in 1850 by the Swedish entrepreneur Johan Peter Lindahl. The Thor breweries was an important industry and employer in Randers for many years and the beer brand of Thor is still associated with the city. The breweries closed in 2003, but Thor is still being produced, now by Royal Unibrew in Odense, and there is a sales-office in Randers promoting the brand. The old factory buildings at Thorsgade is considered important for the history of beer brewing in Denmark and some of them are now listed by the Danish Cultural Agency. A 36-metre tall white concrete silo, was for many years a landmark of the town, but it was demolished in 2008 to give way for modern building projects.
  In 1861, the train factory of Hvide Mølle was founded in the neighbourhood of Dronningborg by the British consortium Peto, Brassey and Betts. It became a large employer in Randers, at one time the largest, and changed its name to Scandia in 1876, a name and brand that became well known abroad. Scandia produced the IC3 intercity trains for DSB, the Danish State Railway. In 2001 the company was bought by Canadian Bombardier, but the factoris were put up for sale in 2015 due to lack of orders.
  In 1894, the machine factory of Dronningborg Maskinfabrik was founded in Dronningborg, also known as Dronningborg Industries abroad. The factory produced agricultural machines and in 1958 combine harvesters became part of the production line. From 1984 they produced for the British Massey Ferguson. The company was bought by American AGCO in 1997 and the production was trimmed.
  In 1935 a regional hospital was founded in Randers, located in the neighbourhood of Dronningborg.
  Randers became an important military site in
caption: The industrialisation has imprinted itself on the city.
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