Nykøbing Falster

Nykøbing Falster is Guldborgsund's largest city and the administrative and cultural centre of Lolland-Falster. Founded around 1200 at the sound of Guldborgsund, its name marks it as "new" relative to the older market town of Købing — now Stubbekøbing. One of the city's most remarkable former residents was Queen Sophie — widow of Frederick II and mother of Christian IV — who lived at Nykøbing Castle and was in her time the wealthiest woman in Northern Europe. Industrialisation brought sugar, textiles, and tobacco, and the population grew from 2,000 in 1850 to nearly 18,000 a century later. The sugar factory, established in 1884, is today one of only two remaining in Denmark. Nykøbing offers good shopping, an active cultural scene, and serves as the natural hub for experiences across Falster and Lolland.