The oldest commercial centers in present day Denmark was annual gatherings that eventually grew to form cities. With the establishment of a civic administration these cities received charters (typically from the king) but many of these were lost in time, so that the oldest known privileges tend to be younger than the actual date of the chartered borough.
Boroughs known to have had a charter before the introduction of the first urban law of 1422:
Bogense (1288)
Ebeltoft (1301)
Fåborg (1251)
Haderslev (1292)
Herrested (1258 - later recalled)
Hjørring (1243)
Horsens (1317)
Kerteminde (1413)
Kolding (1321)
København (1254)
Køge (1288)
Nakskov (1266)
Nyborg (1292)
Nysted (1409)
Odense (1335)
Præstø (1403)
Randers (1302)
Ribe (1214)
Roskilde (1268)
Rudkøbing (1287)
Sakskøbing (1306)
Skagen (1413)
Skive, Denmark (1326)
Skælskør (1414)
Slagelse (1288)
Slangerup (1301 - later recalled)
Stubbekøbing (1354)
Svendborg (1253)
Tønder (1243)
Vejle (1326)
Vordingborg (1415)
Åbenrå (1335)
Åkirkeby (1346)
Ålborg (1342)
All of these dates are the latest possible for the charter and many of them are known to be renewals. Furthermore, the following boroughs are of Medieval origin but we have no charter handed down from before 1422:
Allinge-Sandvig
Assens (1510)
Borre (1460)
Grenå (1440)
Hasle
Helsingør (1426)
Hillerød
Hobro
Holbæk
Holstebro
Kalundborg (1443)
Korsør (1425)
Lemvig
Maribo (1488)
Middelfart (1496)
Nexø
Nibe (1518)
Nykøbing Falster (1451)
Nykøbing Mors
Nykøbing Sjælland (1443)
Næstved
Ringkøbing (1443)
Ringsted
Rødby (1454)
Rønne (1490)
Skibby (later recalled)
Stege
Stigs Bjergby
Store Heddinge (1441)
Svaneke
Sæby
Søborg (later recalled)
Varde (1442)
Viborg
Sønderborg (1461)
Ærøskøbing
Århus (1441]
Later additions until the introduction of constitutional Monarchy in 1849:
Christianshavn (later recalled)
Fredericia
Frederikshavn
Frederikssund
Hørsholm (later recalled)
Mariager
Gammel Ry (later recalled)
Thisted
Modern additions until the abolishment of chartered boroughs in 1970:
Brønderslev
Esbjerg
Frederiksværk
Herning
Nørresundby
Silkeborg
Skjern
Struer
