University of Southern Denmark the southern part of Denmark: campus Odense on the island of Funen, campus Slagelse and campus Copenhagen on the island of Zealand, as well as campus Kolding, campus Esbjerg and campus Sønderborg (campus named Alsion) on the Jutland peninsula. The physical buildings of SDU cover an area of 272,554 m (2007), a figure that has increased from 181,450 m in 1999 when the university merger was effectuated. The university's campus in Odense is considered the main campus of the University of Southern Denmark, both because of its relative size and because the central administration of the university is situated there.
History of Copenhagen a fairly wide area. In the 12th century Copenhagen assumed increasing importance and the town was reinforced with earthworks. The Roman Catholic Church erected cathedrals in Roskilde and in Lund (in what is now Sweden), which laid the basis for further development in those regional centres. As Copenhagen was midway between the two cities, it was centrally located for traffic and trading. The earliest written mention of the town dates back to the 12th century, when Saxo Grammaticus in Gesta Danorum refers to it as "Portus Mercatorum", which translates into Merchants' Harbour or in the Danish of the time "Købmannahavn".