Vollsmose is a suburb of Odense, the third-largest city in Denmark. Approximately 3 km northeast of central Odense, towards Odense Fjord. It has around 10.000 inhabitants and is characterised by a modern housing development project from the 1970s. Since the 1990s, the area has become known throughout Denmark, because of the relatively large numbers of people of foreign descent living in the area. Its many social issues cause it to be officially classified as a vulnerable residential area by Danish authorities. Other areas in Denmark similarly characterized are Gellerup Parken in Aarhus and Mjølnerparken in Copenhagen. Etymology According to a markbog (listing and map of the area's fields) of 1682, the spelling used then was Woldsmose. The latter part of the name is Danish mose (bog or swamp). The first part is probably vold (Old Norse vǫllr), an obsolete word meaning a grass-covered area or plain. Before being developed, the area was low and marshy. Another possibility is the identical word vold meaning rampart (from Low German wal and Latin vallum), but there are no traces of such a fortification in the area. On maps from the 18th century the name Wolfs Mose occurs (literally, 'bog of wolves'). These maps wore often edited by foreign cartographers and have many erratic German-influenced spelling forms. Jocular meaning A third identical word vold simply means violence in Danish (a common Germanic word, same as Old English geweald, German Gewalt). As the forms Vollsmose and Voldsmose would be pronounced in the same way in Danish, the name is easy to joke about or associate to violence. This is, however, no joke, as the official name in 1999 according to the Royal Library's registration was Danmark, Fyn, Voldsmose. Vollmose has had much media focus and political attention regarding crime, unemployment and immigration problems in recent years. Spelling discussion According to some, the original spelling of the name was Voldsmose, however, when the city of Odense planned to build up the area from around 1964, the project plan was presented with the spelling Vollsmose. As of today, the Danish Placename Board lists the approved form Vollsmose. In a piece apparently from Fyens Stiftstidende in 1999, it is claimed that the original name of the place was Voldsmose. This would allegedly still have been the officially approved spelling by 1999, but Vollsmose would have been a corrupt spelling introduced by the city of Odense since 1964 and