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Fredericia is an artificial town constructed on the order of Frederic iii under the name Frederiksodde in 1650. As a fortress it stood its test as early as 1657 during the Carl Gustav Wars, but it wasn't until the 1st Schleswigian War(1848-49) it made history by doing exacly what it was built for: withstanding a siege. Just prior to the commencement of hositilies the first constitution of Denmark had deprived the town of its unique privileges of religious freedom. It had been introduced by the king in 1666 in order to attract immigration to the town. It wasn't that it lack attractions: the largest municipial grounds combined with favourable land prices made it comparatively cheap to establish oneself here. At the time of the first census in 1769 the town had risen to being among the 20 largest towns in the country(together with the other three towns within the county) and it has remained within that class ever since(along with the aforementioned other three).
Despite its role as a fortress town it has been spared from major fires. Nevertheless, only few old houses are present - largely due to the more makeshift character of its buildings throughout the ages.
For additional information see:
Eduard A. Nissen: "Fredericia, By og Borger", Richard S�rensen 1965
Hugo Matthiessen: "F�stning og Fristed", Gyldendalske Boghandel 1950
Hugo Matthiessen: "Fredericia 1650-1760", Vejle Amts Historiske Samfund 1981
Jens Kirkegaard: "Kommuneatlas Fredericia", Skov- og Naturstyrelsen 1995

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