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Tourist information: Sweden's provinces (the s.c.nordic FAQ)
nordic flags
The home pages for the Usenet newsgroup soc.culture.nordic
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Tourist information: Sweden's provinces

 

7.4.3 Malmö

Located in Skåne, the southern tip of Sweden, 26 km across the sea (Öresund) from Copenhagen, Malmö is Sweden's third largest city. It was chartered as a city during the 13th century, at which time the region belonged to Denmark. In 1658 it passed to Sweden. Originally, Malmö's harbor was poor, and the city served mainly as a herring market until 1775, when the port facilities were improved. After 1800, Malmö began to develop as an industrial city.

The center of Malmö is Stortorget square, by which are located the governor's house (Residenset, 1720), the City Hall (Rådhuset, 1546) and the statue of Karl X Gustav, conqueror of Skåne. St Peter's Church (S:t Petri, 1319), with a nicely sculptured interior and a 88m high green spire is also in the center. The castle Malmöhus was first built 1434, and rebuilt 1537-42; now it houses a museum of archaology, history, natural history and art. The Small Square (Lilla Torg) is one of the most beautiful in the country, with it's houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. Other sights include the Technical Museum, Charlotte Weibull's House, the City Theatre, the Arts Hall, and the old Market Hall. In the summer, you may want to visit the beach Ribersborgbadet.

 

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7.4.4 Göteborg

Göteborg (Gothenburg), founded in 1621 by Gustav II Afolf on the site of an earlier settlement, is Sweden's second largest city and chief seaport. It prospered during especially during the Napoleonic Wars, when Göteborg remained open while many other European ports were under the anti-British trade blockade. Located where the Göta river empties into the Danish straits, it was designed on Netherlandic fashion, with canals and bridges. The Göta Gota Canal built in the 19th century runs between Stockholm and Stockholm, and is a very scenic route indeed.

In the center of the city are Gustav Adolf's square, by which the old Stock Exchange is located. The City Hall was designed by Nicholas Tessin the younger in 1672. The Östra Hamngatan and Kungsportavenyn streets lead to Götaplatsen (Göta Square), in the center of which is the statue of Poseidon by Carl Milles; the city theatre, concert hall and art musem (Nordic, French and Dutch art from 19th and 20th centuries) are located by the square. Ostindiska Huset (the house of the East-Indian Company), built 1750, houses historical, archaeological and ethnological collections. The city museum is housed in the oldest house of the city, Kronhuset, from the year 1653. Kronan is a fortress with a war museum. Off the city lies Älvsborgs Festning (Ävsborg Fortress), 1670, which can be accessed by boat. The old parts of the city contain the also the cathedral (1633), Kristine Church (1648), the law courts (1672), and the opera house (1859). There's a university (1891) and Chalmers Technical University. The sports stadium Ullevi, with seats for 52,000 people, is Sweden's biggest; the indoors stadium Scandinavium houses 14,000. Two bridges go over the wide Göta River, Götaälvbron and the newer Älvborgsbron.

 

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7.4.5 Gotland

Gotland is the the largest island (3,023 km²) in the Baltic Sea and has a population of 56,383 (1989), with the town of Visby as the administrative center. It lies 80 km off the Swedish coast and can be accessed by daily boats from the mainland. Close to it are a couple of smalle islands, Fårön, Gotska Sandön and Karlsö. Gotland is a low limestone plateau with a temperate, sunny climate. It developed rather early in prehistory etensive trade contacts with the people of northern Europe, and had a very distinctive culture, represented by e.g the numerous, beautiful picture stones erected all over the island. By the 12th century Visby was an important, independent town and a member of the Hanseatic League. The Danish king Valdemar Atterdag brutally conquered it in 1361, and after that, control of Gotland was disputed by several nations. Trade routes shifted, however, and by the time Sweden gained lasting control in 1645, it had lost much of its former importance and was impoverished.

Nowadays the island is a very popular summer destination, rich in sights (including lots of medieval churches) and very good for a cycling holiday. It has a beautiful, characteristic nature, and the old ring wall around the medieval city of Visby, no doubt one of the most beautiful towns in Scandinavia, is almost totally intact. An important event is the Medieval Week (medeltidsveckan) arranged in Visby in August every year, with knights, Medieval markets, etc. The Forntidssalen museum in Visby displays the fascinating prehistory of Gotland, including picture stones and some of the rich Viking age treasures that are constantly found in the island (metal detectors are banned in Gotland!) Other absolute "musts" in and around Gotland include the caves at Lummelunda, the rauk fields (peculiar limestone formations on the coasts) and Stora Karlsö (an island off the south-west of Gotland).

 

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7.4.6 The rest of Sweden

In the north, people appreciate the beauty of the mountain range ("fjällvärlden"), where you can hike, fish, pick berries, ski (in the winter) or see the midnight sun (in the summer and far north). There are several big national parks here.

The province of Dalarna is the "home" of the traditional Midsummer celebrations, where people dance around the Midsummer poles in traditional folk dresses.

Jämtland is one of the latest provinces to have been incorporated in the Swedish realm, and remains almost half-Norwegian both in customs and language - and a great resort for hiking and skiing.

A popular route is Göta Kanal, on which you can go on boat from Norrköping to Gothenburg and at the same time see a cross section of the mid-Sweden country side.

Skåne (Scania) is the Swedish province that gives an almost Central European impression. The landscape is very flat and much of it is farmed. You'll find beautiful beech woods here and everywhere you see the traditional black and white houses ('korsvirkeshus'). Many like to rent or own summer houses on the Scanian country side. For more info on Scania, see section 7.6.



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© Copyright 1994-2001 by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson.
You are free to quote this page as long as you mention the URL.
The line of flags is modified after a picture at det Åländska skoldatanätet.
This page was last updated June the 27th in the year of 1998.

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