Billund, Denmark

Other tourist attractions include Lalandia, the largest water park in Scandinavia, and an experience centre named Lego House.Billund has long been part of the parish of Grene Kirke ("Grove Church") whose original Romanesque building was first mentioned in 1291.In the early 20th century, the town's infrastructure was further developed with the establishment of a telephone line from Vejle in 1902 and an electricity plant in 1917.[8][7] Due to the impact of the Great Depression, people in the town were unable to afford to build houses, so in 1932, he began producing utility items such as ironing boards, stepladders and miniature toys.[9] In the late 1930s Billund experienced growth due to the factories and began to build waterworks, a gymnasium, and the town hall, though the local power station was closed and relocated.In 1942, during the Nazi German occupation of Denmark in World War II, the old Lego factory was destroyed by fire, but a new one was immediately erected.[4] Between 1970 and 2006, Billund's population rose sharply to 6,020, driven by production at the Lego factories and offices and by the increasing number of tourist hotels.To the east and north of Billund, the moors fed large flocks of sheep, which were under attack from wolves, until the last wolf was shot in 1813.By 1700, the population began to grow once more, so that by the time of the census of 1787, there were 1,686 people living in the municipal area consisting of five parishes.Driven by strong growth in industry, the population of Grene Parish, including Billund, rose from 994 in 1925 to 2,699 in 1970.[18] When Godtfred Kirk Christiansen took over The Lego Group as managing director in 1957 due to his father's illness, the company experienced continued international and economic growth over several decades.[19] In 2003, local people in Billund faced the possibility of many job losses when the company was on the brink of collapse due to poor business decisions.One in four people (25.9%) living in the municipality worked in the traditional tourism industry, particularly in local attractions such as Lego, Legoland, Lalandia and Givskud Zoo.[22] When it opened to the public in 1964, it comprised an old hangar, a runway of 1,660 metres in length and a single control tower.It was conceived by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, who wanted to fulfil his father's wish to build a church in the town centre.It is a free nature trail maintained by Billund municipality that features a variety of art sculptures.[34] Skulpturpark was developed by a working group with a vision to provide an artistic experience for residents and tourists in a natural environment.[37] Billund Library was redesigned by Rosan Bosch to provide a creative space for children to play and learn.After 35 years, a renovation project of the indoor pool was undertaken, funded by Billund Municipality, Ole Kirk's Foundation and local residents and businesses.It was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group to have the appearance of a stack of Lego bricks and features restaurants, play zones and a public square.It is situated close to Legoland and includes a tropical water park named the Aquadome and other leisure activities, such as bowling, ice skating and mini golf.In the centre of town a Teddy Bear Art Museum is also open to visitors and is located in the former home of Godtfred Kirk Christiansen.