Established in the first decade of the 8th century[1] and first attested in a document dating from 854, Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark.
Ribe Cathedral
When Ansgar the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, set out on the "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", he made a request in 860 to the King of Denmark, that the first Scandinavianchurch be built in Ribe. This was not coincidental, since Ribe already at that point, was the most important trade city of Scandinavia.
However we can only confirm the presence of a bishop and thus a cathedral in Ribe from the year 948.
The town has many well-preserved old buildings, Ribe Cathedral, c. 110 houses are under Heritage Protection. Denmark's oldest town hall is found on the town's Von Støckens Plads. The building was erected in 1496, and was purchased by the city for use as a town hall in 1709.
Ribe Cathedral (Ribe Domkirke) — the bells of Ribe Cathedral playing the folk song about Queen Dagmar called "Dronning Dagmar ligger i Ribe syg" ("Queen Dagmar lies in Ribe sick").
Denmark's oldest province museum (Antikvarisk Samling)
The Night Watchman in Ribe. Every evening from 1st of May until 15th of September you may accompany the night watchman in Ribe on his route through the old town, while he is singing to alert citizens about bedtime approaching.
Emil Christian Hansen, the father of Modern Brewing: At the Carlsberg Laboratories in Copenhagen, he was the first to discover that yeast was composed of different kinds of fungi and that the yeast culture could be cultivated. With this discovery, he was able to produce hybrid yeast. This yeast, known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, which allowed the brewing of lager beer, is today used in the vast majority of beer production worldwide.
Maren Spliid (Splids), Maren Splids was burned at a fire at the Gallows Hill near Ribe on November 9th 1641. She was probably the most well known Danish victim for persecutions of witches.
The town of Ribe, has a long history as a center of education, namely the Gymnasium (High School) called Ribe Katedralskole (cathedral school) has its roots in the Latin School of Ribe, dating back to at least 1145. Although confirmed to be older, this is the date for the oldest still existing document, that confirms the schools existence. Ribe Katedralskole is more than 850 years old, and is the oldest continuously existing school in Scandinavia.