Midtbyen, Aarhus 2.35

Midtbyen, also known as Aarhus Center or City, is the inner part of Aarhus. Midtbyen is part of district Aarhus C, with postal code 8000, together with Vesterbro, Nørre Stenbro and Frederiksbjerg and it has a population of 55.000.Midtbyen is characterized by narrow, winding, cobbled streets and a busy street life, with many small squares, cafés and shops. Parts of the old town center has been saved and protected from destructive modern development and can be experienced in the neighbourhood of Latinerkvarteret, but old individual listed houses are scattered all across Midtbyen. A large part of the area is carfree and the neighborhood has been increasingly pedestrianised. The square of Store Torv in front of the cathedral, forms a natural centre of the large pedestrian zone.The stream of Aarhus Å flows through Midtbyen and adds to the areas' distinct charm. The waterway was covered by roads for many decades, but has recently been opened up again.HistoryMidtbyen comprise the oldest part of the city of Aarhus and was where the town itself originated more than a thousand years ago. Midtbyen dates back to at least late 700 AD, at the beginning of the Viking Age and was originally and previously confined by fortifications and walls. Nowadays the defensive walls are long gone, but survive in placenames such as Nørreport (English: Northern Gate) and a number of streets named after their location relative to the old town center, such as Søndergade, Nørregade and Vestergade meaning southern street, northern street and western street respectively. A similar naming structure can be observed in many older Danish towns and cities. The canal of the Aarhus River runs through Midtbyen, along the street of Åboulevarden and was important to the development of the early settlements, that sprawled around it.