city, southeastern Jutland, Denmark. It lies along Haderslev Fjord 9 miles (14 km) from the Little Belt (strait). First recorded in 1228 and chartered in 1292, it suffered in the 15th-century wars between Schleswig (Slesvig) and Holstein and passed to Prussia with Schleswig in 1864. It was returned to Denmark with North Schleswig by a plebiscite in 1920. Two castles, built successively there on the same site, were favourite Danish royal residences in the Middle Ages, the latter being destroyed in 1644. The magnificent early 15th-century Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke) incorporates an earlier Romanesque building.

Haderslev is now a commercial centre and seaport. Its industries include machine shops and a brewery. Educational and cultural institutions include the grammar school (1567), the cathedral school, the teachers' college (1870), and the Haderslev Amts Museum. Pop. (2008 est.) city, 21,279; mun., 56,414.