Aarhus [key], city (2021 est. pop. 282,910), capital of Aarhus co., central Denmark, on Aarhus Bay, an arm of the Kattegat. The second largest city in Denmark, it is a commercial, industrial, and shipping center. Manufactures include beer, metals, textiles, machinery, chemicals, processed food, ships, and tobacco products. First mentioned in the mid-10th cent., Aarhus is one of the oldest cities in Denmark. It developed rapidly after it became an episcopal see in the 11th cent. The city declined after the Reformation (16th cent.) but recovered its prosperity in the 18th cent. Aarhus is also a cultural center, with a university (opened 1928), a prominent theater, a museum group of early Danish houses, the ARoS art museum (est. 1859; new building, 2004), the turf-covered Moesgaard Museum (2014), and the Dokk1 public library and cultural center (2016). Noteworthy buildings include the Cathedral of St. Clemens (1201) and the town hall (1942), made of Norwegian marble. From 1948 through 2010 the city's name officially was spelled Århus.
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