<p><b>Nakskov</b> is a town in south <a href="/pages/w/108615412494037">Denmark</a>. It is in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolland_municipality" class="wikipedia">Lolland municipality</a> in <a href="/pages/w/111203678903587">Region Sjælland</a> on the western coast of the island of <a href="/pages/w/105998419431793">Lolland</a>. The town has a population of 12,866 (1 January 2014). To the west is <a href="/pages/w/1516366188615725">Nakskov Fjord</a>, an inlet from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langeland_Belt" class="wikipedia">Langeland Belt</a> (<i>Langelandsbælt</i>) that runs between the islands of <a href="/pages/w/105998419431793">Lolland</a> and <a href="/pages/w/109988775693602">Langeland</a>. Nakskov Fjord is a wildlife reserve, known for its bird life.</p><h2>History</h2><p>Nakskov is in the inner part of the Western <a href="/pages/w/108587142498691">inlet</a> of Lolland, one of the agriculturally richest of the <a href="/pages/w/108615412494037">Danish</a> islands. The area was settled during the neolithic period and has been continuously inhabited since. The town received trade privileges in 1266, during the reign of king <a href="/pages/w/108159085879110">Erik 5. Glipping</a>. Once the export center of western Lolland, Nakskov thrived on trade, commerce and industry. This changed gradually as overland traffic was enabled by a railway to the neighboring island of <a href="/pages/w/112565158754817">Falster</a> in 1875,. The connection to Sjælland and <a href="/pages/w/109653395718995">Copenhagen</a> over the <a href="/pages/w/144148222265952">Storstrømsbroen bridge</a> in 1937 shifted goods from the port of Nakskov. Traditionally a center of manufacturing and industry, Nakskov has turned to commerce and trade, after the industrial boom in shipbuilding ended when Denmark joined the <a href="/pages/w/203140646370442">EEC</a> and subsidies were dismantled.</p>