Map - Hillerød

Hillerød is a Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022) located in the centre of North Zealand approximately 30 km to the north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Hillerød is the administrative centre of Hillerød Municipality and also the administrative seat of Region Hovedstaden (Capital Region of Denmark), one of the five regions in Denmark. It is most known for its large Renaissance castle, Frederiksborg Castle, now home to the Museum of National History. Hillerød station is the terminus of one of the radials of the S-train network as well as several local railway lines. The town is surrounded by the former royal forests of Gribskov to the north and Store Dyrehave to the south.

Hillerød was founded during the early medieval times. The name is first mentioned in 1552 as Hylderødz, deriving from the male name Hildi and the suffix -rød, meaning "clearing in the forest".

In 1550, crown prince Frederick acquired Hillerødsholm in exchange for other properties. His son, Christian IV, tore down most of the old buildings and built a new castle between 1602 and 1625. It was never officially incorporated as a market town but prospered from ample privileges afforded by successive monarchs, although it experienced a setback when Frederick IV moved court to Fredensborg Palace in the 1720s. Hillerød was from 1772 until 1908 named Frederiksborg after its castle. Its first town council was established in 1778 and its town shield, which features a flowering elder tree, is from 1787.

The arrival of the railway brought new prosperity to the town, when the Zealand Railway Company opened the final stage of the North Line between Copenhagen and Helsingør on 8 June 1864. It was later followed by the Gribskov Line to Græsted (80, extended to Gilleleje in 1896, Helsinge in 1897 and Tisvildeleje in 1924) and the Frederiksværk-Hundested Line (1897-1916), which further contributed to Hillerød's status as a local commercial centre. The improvements in infrastructure also attracted new industries. These included Nordstens Fabrikker, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, which opened in 1877. A privately owned slaughterhouse and meatpacking facility, Hillerød Svineslagteri, opened in 1896. It was converted into the cooperative Hillerød Andelssvineslagteri by 300 local farmers in 1913.