Århus, also Aarhus, city, central Denmark, capital of Århus County, on the Jutland Peninsula and Århus Bay (an arm of the Kattegat). It is a seaport and has major shipbuilding and petroleum-refining industries; other manufactures include machinery, transportation equipment, processed food, and beer. Among the points of interest in the city are Saint Clement's Cathedral (begun 13th century, largely rebuilt 15th cent.); Vor Frue Church (begun 11th cent.); the Old Town (Den Gamle By), an outdoor museum of medieval buildings; and the city hall (1938-42). Århus University (1928) is in the city.
Århus became an episcopal see in 948 and prospered under a succession of notable Roman Catholic bishops in the 14th and 15th centuries. It declined after the Reformation (16th cent.), but it was revived in the 19th century as a shipping and manufacturing center. Population (2000 estimate) 284,846.
