Among the largest private sector employers today are the IT firm BEC (Bankernes EDB Central) and seed company DLF.

The local university, founded in 1972, the historic Cathedral School, and the Danish Meat Trade College, established in 1964, are educational institutions of note.

In addition to its internationally recognized tourist attractions and its annual rock festival, Roskilde is popular with shoppers thanks to its two centrally located pedestrian streets complete with restaurants, cafés, and a variety of shops.

Ring, the symbolist painter who gained fame in the 1880s, the writer Lise Nørgaard who wrote the popular Danish TV series Matador in 1978 and the rower Thomas Ebert who became an Olympic gold medallist in 2004.

Roskilde, which developed as the hub of the Viking land and sea trade routes over a thousand years ago, is one of Denmark's oldest cities.

[5] Saxo Grammaticus and other early sources associate the name Roskilde (meaning 'Ro's spring') with the legendary King Roar who possibly lived there in the 6th century.

Industries began to move out of the harbour area but were still the largest source of employment, thanks in part to the spirits factory (De Danske Spritfabrikker) and the slaughterhouse (Roskilde Andelssvineslagteri).

[17] The historic centre of the town covers the area around the main streets Skomagergade and Algade including the squares of Stændertorvet and Hestetorvet.

Boserup Skov, a wood next to Roskidle Fjord 3 km (2 mi) northwest of the city centre, consists mainly of beech trees.

[18] Also of note is the recently planted wooded area of Hyrdehøj Skov, to the south of the stadium and just north of Route 23 in the southern outskirts of Roskilde.

The population dipped slightly to 40,000 in the 1980s, but thanks to improved connections with Copenhagen and the establishment of the university, it grew steadily to reach 47,117 by 2014 making Roskilde Denmark's tenth largest city.

[27] Rambøll, the international Danish engineering consultancy, has recently concentrated its Zealand operations in Roskilde bringing 60 new jobs to the city.

[31] Vestergaard Company A/S, an American firm which produces de-icing equipment and washing products for the aviation industry, has offices in Roskilde.

[37] There are a number of research institutes in the city including Risø, promoting sustainable energy, which is now part of The Technical University of Denmark.

[14] The research facilities are being extended over an additional 50 ha (120 acres) to cover the clean technology area liable to provide up to 4,000 more jobs.

[38] The CAT (Center for Avanceret Teknologi) research park is also part of the university working mainly in the areas of wind energy and biotechnology.

[43] Also of note is La Brasserie on Algade, the Gimle Musikcafe on Ringstedgade, which is an English-style pub-restaurant with live music, and Restaurant Toppen at the top of an 84 metres (276 ft) water tower, built in 1961, with fine views of the town.

[45] It has been a hotel for over 100 years and is decorated in the Nordic style with wooden floors and contains the large luxury Hans Christian Andersen suite.

More recently, with the establishment of Roskilde University even further to the east beyond the ring road, the district of Trekroner is in full development, expected to attain some 3,500 houses in the coming years.

[49] Finally, Roskilde Municipality is developing the innovative Musicon quarter to the south of the city in an area of 25 ha (62 acres) where a cement factory once stood.

[33] Located in the same district as the fairgrounds used for the Roskilde Festival, there are medium-term plans for establishing creative companies and housing for young people in the area.

[50][51] Located on the site of a 10th-century wooden church, the cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries when the Romanesque style was influenced by Gothic trends from northern France.

Facing the courtyard, the façade of the main wing has pilasters and a median risalit tipped by a triangular pediment decorated with the royal coat of arms.

[57] Roskilde Convent is on the site of the former St Catherine's Priory from the mid-13th century which belonged to the Dominican friars until it was dissolved after the Danish Reformation.

The centrepieces of its collection are the well-preserved remains of five 11th-century Viking ships, excavated from the fjord some 20 km (12 mi) north of the city in the late 1960s.

The boatyard, which also forms part of the museum, safeguards the Viking boat-building tradition by building and exhibiting full-scale ships on site.

[65] On April 29, 2016, the Ragnarock museum for pop, rock and ungdomskultur (youth culture) in Roskilde was inaugurated by Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark.

[86] The city's rugby club, Roskilde Vikings RK, forms part of the Vor Frue Idrætsforening which also has facilities for badminton, soccer and gymnastics.

[91] Its four platforms and seven tracks serve as a central hub connecting western and southern Zealand, the islands of Falster and Lolland, and Jutland to Copenhagen.

[94] The airport is also home to a small Royal Danish Air Force detachment, maintaining a helicopter based search-and-rescue service covering Zealand and the Baltic Sea.