Horsens Healthy City engages the entire municipality in health promotion and welfare development.
You can contact us on mail sundby@horsens.dk or phone 76 29 36 75, if you are interested in learning more about volunteering, communities and relation building in Horsens Municipality.
Find more information about us and about international initiatives in Horsens.
Horsens - a Healthy City
Horsens has transformed itself from Prison City to a Healthy City.
For more than 30 years the politicians of Horsens (Denmark), have been working strategically to develop a good community for all. Horsens has transformed itself from Prison City to a Healthy City and this development has shown that new approaches can give unexpected results.
The Healthy City Work in Horsens has harvested national and international prizes, including the Nordic Public Health Prize, the Health for All Prize and the Danish Public Health Prize.
Healthier population
The image of Horsens Municipality has changed significantly over the last few years. Horsens is on the Danish top three cities in relation to population growth. Life expectancy has risen more markedly in Horsens than in other comparable cities.
Urban development and investment in culture have been means to promote public health - not a goal in itself.
"A Healthy City is one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential." (WHO, 1998).
Horsens Healthy City Shop
Each year more than 12,000 citizens meet in our shop for community and development.
In order to ensure a democratic venue for participation, we have established a Healthy City Shop (Sund By Butik) where municipal employees and more than 12,000 citizens meet each year.
In the shop, you can find information about community, volunteering and NGOs in Horsens Municipality and get guidance and support to participate and make a difference in your local area. Horsens Healthy City Shop is located in the city centre of Horsens City - at Åboulevarden 52.
WHO Healthy Cities Network
Horsens Municipality became a member of WHO Healthy Cities in 1987. The work on public health in Horsens has its starting point in the WHO's broad concept of health and rests on ideas of democracy and citizenship.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the six P's (People, Places, Participation, Prosperity, Peace, Planet) are the core framework of the current phase VII of the network. In 2021, Horsens was accredited as a member city for phase VII until 2025 - furthering a continuous commitment to the Healthy City Network since 1987.
Throughout more than 30 years of membership our approach has been defined by the particular Horsens way: "We facilitate the community spirit".
In December 2020, Horsens Municipality participated in the annual Technical Conference and Business Meeting with the Healthy City Network. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was completely digital with participants from all over the world. At the Business Meeting, Horsens presented three case studies - highlighting new, innovative solutions to the severe challenges prensted by the pandemic: (1) Horsens - Together at a Distance - a new digital community transforming a physical space to a digital one (2) The Community Link - digital platform enabling citizens to get an overview of the many different social communities and volunteer groups in the municipality (3) Cultural activities in the new normal - concerts, festivals and cultural activities in Horsens adapted to the pandemic reality.
At the Business Meeting, head of Horsens Healthy City, Ingunn Jacobsen, was elected to the Advisory Board of the network. This means that Horsens and Denmark will have a strong voice in developing the network in the coming years.
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