city, southern Sjælland ( Zealand), Denmark, on the Suså River. Næstved originated around a Benedictine monastery, founded in 1135. The monks moved at the end of the 12th century, and the town developed as a market centre for southern Sjælland (chartered 1426). Chief among its medieval landmarks are Sankt Peder Church, the only survival of the monastery; the later Gothic St. Morten's Church; and the Helligåndshuset, the remains of a medieval hospital, now a museum. North of Næstved is the Herlufsholm school (founded in 1565), resembling an English public (i.e., “private”) school, with a 12th-century chapel. Although once a school for only boys, it began admitting girls in 1985. A small harbour supports fishing. Pop. (2008 est.) city, 41,810; (2005 est.) mun., 78,446.