The medieval town is established
- 1100s: The first settlement arises.
- 1231: The name Skive is first mentioned in the land division in King Valdemar’s Jordebog.
- 1200s: The Church of Our Lady is built. Today, the church is often called “the white church”.
- 1326: King Valdemar III confirms Skive’s status as a market town with the right to conduct trade and fine crafts.
- 1500s: Skive makes good money from herring fishing in the Limfjord.
Skive in times of decline
- the 17th century: There is a recession in Skive.
- Herring disappears from the Limfjord.
- Aalborg and Viborg are strong competitors in trade.
- German and Swedish soldiers ravage the wars of the time.
- 1700s: Skive is hit by major fires in 1715, 1725, 1748 and 1749.
- For much of the period, Skivehus was an independent county.
Industrialization and urban growth
- 1830s: Development turns around for Skive thanks to better conditions for agriculture.
- 1860-1869: Infrastructure improves.
- 1865: The Viborg-Skive-Struer railway opens and is one of the earliest railways in Jutland.
- 1869: A new harbor is inaugurated.
- 1884: The railway to Glyngøre opens and provides further connection to Nykøbing Mors by steam ferry.
- 1914: Skive’s last royally appointed mayor C.A.J. Hastrup steps down. Hjalmar Kjems becomes Denmark’s first elected mayor. Five years later, all market towns have an elected mayor.
From industry to service
- 1900-1970: Skive is mainly an industrial city. 40% of the city’s population works in industrial production.
- 1952-1969: New institutions come to the city:
Skive Seminary in 1952.
Skive Gymnasium in 1968.
Skive Barracks in 1969. - After 1970: Public and private service industries now employ around half the population.
Skive is the center for the development of low-energy houses in the period 1977-1984.
In 2017, GreenLab is established as a business park for companies specializing in climate-friendly solutions. - 2026: Skive celebrates its 700th anniversary as a market town.
Sources
History of Skive Municipality (Ed. by Gudrun Gormsen, Niels Mortensen et al.), 2001-2003:
- Volume I: From ancient times to 1880.
- Volume II: From 1880-1940.
- Volume III: From 1940-2003.