Borlänge is a
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in
Dalarna County
Dalarna County ( sv, Dalarnas län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden (Svealand). It borders on the counties of Uppsala, Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It also borders on the Norwegian counties of Hedmar ...
,
Sweden with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020.
It is the seat of the
Borlänge Municipality with a total population of 51,604 inhabitants as of 2017.
History
Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870. In 1872 the construction of ''Domnarfvets Jernverk'', the
ironworks of neighbouring village
Domnarvet
The ironworks around 1900Domnarvets Jernverk (Domnarvets ironworks), is a steelworks in Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality in Dalarna County, Sweden with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality with a total po ...
started.
In 1875 a railway between
Falun
Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabitan ...
and
Ludvika
Ludvika () is a bimunicipal city and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County within the country of Sweden, with 14,498 inhabitants in 2010.
Overview
The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacken Municipality, where ...
, via Borlänge was inaugurated. Thanks to its railway station the village of Borlänge became highly important in servicing the ironworks.
In 1898, Borlänge was granted privileges by the national Swedish government as a market town (Swedish: ''
köping
''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Municip ...
'') with about 1,300 inhabitants, but still today it belongs to the
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...
's regionally historically dominant parish of Stora Tuna, centered on a large medieval
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
by that name (meaning ''great enclosed farmyards''), now located in a rural district east of the city. In 1898, the
Stora Kopparbergs Bergslag
Stora Enso Oyj (from sv, Stora and fi, Enso ) is a manufacturer of pulp, paper and other forest products, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The majority of sales takes place in Europe, but there are also significant operations in Asia and S ...
- the owner of the ironworks in Domnarvet at the time - built a
papermill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...
in an adjacent village to Borlänge called
Kvarnsveden, upstream from Domnarvet.
Many area residents
emigrated
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In 1944, the City of Borlänge was incorporated after the market town joined the industrial towns of Domnarvet and Kvarnsveden. In 1971 the municipality of Borlänge was established when the Stora Tuna municipality merged with the City of Borlänge.
From the 1940s onward, politics in the municipality has been dominated by the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Fo ...
.
In the early 1970s, the ''Kvarnsvedens Pappersbruk''
paper mill and the ''Domnarvets Jernverk''
steel mill had a high demand for employees.
Between 1970-1974, the Tjärna Ängar
Million Programme
The Million Programme ( sv, Miljonprogrammet) was an ambitious public housing program implemented in Sweden between 1965 and 1974 by the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party to ensure the availability of affordable, high quality housing t ...
district was built.
In the 1990s, Borlänge had the highest crime rate per thousand inhabitants in Sweden, dominated by violence and theft.
During all of the 20th century Borlänge has been a typical heavy industry community with relatively good economic growth; today the service industry is also thriving and in considerable expansion.
Demographics
According to the Borlänge Municipality, as of 2017, Borlänge has a population of 51,604 inhabitants. 11,693 residents in the city are of foreign origin, comprising 22.7% of the total population. Of these individuals, 8,837 were born abroad and 2,856 were born in Sweden. Most of the residents of foreign background come from
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, other Nordic countries, and other parts of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
According to the Borlänge Municipality, in the 1990s, most foreign-born residents of Borlänge arrived from
Southern Europe
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...
, due to the
civil wars
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. During the 2000s, immigrants in the city primarily came from
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
The Somalia-born immigrants mainly arrived via family reunification. This migration had decreased by the following decade, with most newcomers in Borlänge now consisting of asylum immigrants from
Syria and
Eritrea. As of 2016, there are 472 refugees in the municipality, most of whom originate from Syria (218), Eritrea (121), and Somalia (56). The newer asylum immigrants in the city largely emigrated from Syria and Eritrea.
As of 2017, the most common countries of origin for total foreign-born individuals residing in Borlänge are
: Somalia (3,114)
:
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
(1,570)
: Syria (1,032)
: Iraq (1,028)
: Turkey (926)
: Eritrea (350)
:
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
(322)
:
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
(240)
: Ex-Yugoslavia (197)
:
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
(174).
Districts
Borlänge's official districts and their inhabitants from 1975-2010:
Tjärna ängar
According to the Borlänge Municipality, many of the city's inhabitants with a foreign background live in the neighborhoods of Jakobsgårdarna and Tjärna Ängar (nicknamed "Lilla
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
" because of its many Somalia-born inhabitants).
An agreement between the Borlänge Municipality and the
Swedish Migration Board to receive 30 refugees per year has contributed to the population growth, with many arriving via family reunification. Additionally, people have relocated to the city from other areas. Many are young, with few individuals older than 60 years of age. Over a five-year period, the number of inhabitants in Tjärna Ängar increased considerably, as 1,000 young persons relocated to the neighborhood. The new arrivals principally came from two or three foreign backgrounds, and included university students and people who had emigrated from abroad.
In its December 2015 report, the
Swedish Police Authority placed the Borlänge's Tjärna Ängar district in the
second highest category of urban areas with high crime rates.
In the summer of 2016, there was widespread vandalism, cars were
torched and when firefighters arrived, they were
attacked with stones and had to wait for police to escort them in order to complete their mission. The
Dalarna University College has student accommodation in the area where female students are
sexually harassed by the local male youth on a regular basis and avoid going outdoors after sunset.
In a 2018 interview, the local
police commissioner stated in an interview that clan leaders and religious leaders have taken over the leadership of the area, where 9 out of 10 are born abroad. Police has noted a change in 2017 when crime happens, nobody calls the police but the injured parties settle among themselves according to "an eye for an eye" in a parallel justice system. Although the official number of inhabitants are , inofficially the population may be as high as -, when water usage and the weight of generated household waste is analysed.
Economy
Employers
Borlänge has always been an industrial town surrounding the iron mill of
Domnarvet
The ironworks around 1900Domnarvets Jernverk (Domnarvets ironworks), is a steelworks in Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality in Dalarna County, Sweden with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality with a total po ...
(
SSAB
SSAB AB, earlier ''Svenskt Stål AB'' (English: Swedish Steel), () is a Swedish company, formed in 1978, that specialises in processing raw material to produce steel. The largest shareholders are Aktiebolag Industrivärden and the Government of ...
) and the paper mill of
Kvarnsveden (
Stora Enso
Stora Enso Oyj (from sv, Stora and fi, Enso ) is a manufacturer of pulp, paper and other forest products, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The majority of sales takes place in Europe, but there are also significant operations in Asia and S ...
). As a city with a structure heavily divided by rails and roads, with a modern city center, Borlänge also houses the head office for a state authority - the National
Swedish Transport Administration
The Swedish Transport Administration ( sv, Trafikverket) is a government agency in Sweden, controlled by the Riksdag and the Government of Sweden. It is responsible for long-term infrastructure planning for transport: road, rail, shipping and avi ...
''Trafikverket''.
Shopping
Borlänge promotes itself as a shopping centre in
Dalarna
Dalarna () is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in central Sweden. English exonyms for it are Dalecarlia () and the Dales.
Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bordered by Norwa ...
. This is possible due to the Kupolen area, situated about 1 kilometer
west
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
of the city centre. The Kupolen area includes Kupolen ('The
Dome')
Shopping Centre
A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre ( Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof.
The first known colle ...
, IKEA and a lot of other stores. Though the district was first built to catch the interest from bypassers it has withdrawn the focus from the nearby
downtown.
In the city centre you will find about 80 shops and 40 restaurants and cafés. Some with a long history; such as
Qwarnströms,
Almas Café,
Tyllströms and
Lindés Ur och Guld, but also newer ones like
Selected Style
Selection may refer to:
Science
* Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution
** Sex selection, in genetics
** Mate selection, in mating
** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality
** Human mating strateg ...
,
Brädgårn,
Sara 1896 and
Önskehuset.
Sport
The city boasts a football team that has been successful in the past, although it is currently going through some hard times.
IK Brage
Idrottsklubben Brage, also known as IK Brage or simply Brage, is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge. The club is affiliated with Dalarnas Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Domnarvsvallen. The club colours, reflected in th ...
, named after the
Norse god
In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabited Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature ...
, has a history of 18 seasons in the Swedish Premier Division (
Allsvenskan). Brage plays in green and white and hosts its home games at
Domnarvsvallen
Domnarvsvallen is a football stadium in Borlänge Municipality and the home arena for IK Brage and Dalkurd FF
Dalkurd Fotbollsförening, commonly known as Dalkurd FF or simply Dalkurd () is a Swedish football club based in Uppsala. The club p ...
Stadium in Borlänge, with a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 6,500. Another Borlänge team which has had a great deal of success in the sport, with both domestic and foreign fans following their progress, is the multicultural soccer team
Dalkurd FF
Dalkurd Fotbollsförening, commonly known as Dalkurd FF or simply Dalkurd () is a Swedish football club based in Uppsala. The club plays in the Ettan Norra, which is the third tier of football in the country. On 26 September 2004, the club was ...
.
Other sports clubs located in Borlänge include:
*
Forssa BK
Forssa BK is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge.
Background
Forssa Bollklubb were founded on 16 April 1934 at Hushagens school. The club played their first match on 17 May 1934 winning 4–0 against IK Fylking. In 1978 the club playe ...
*
IF Tunabro
*
Islingby IK
Islingby IK is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge.
Background
Islingby IK currently plays in Division 4 Dalarna which is the sixth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at the Idunvallen in Borlänge.
The club is aff ...
*
Kvarnsvedens IK
Kvarnsvedens IK is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge in Dalarna County.
Background
Football was first played in 1907 under the name Kvarnsvedens GOIF and this continued until 1935 when operations were shut down for financial reasons ...
*
Stora Tuna OK
In 2013, a Somali national
bandy team was formed in Borlänge with the goal of participating in the
2014 Bandy World Championship
The 2014 Bandy World Championship was held between 26 January and 2 February 2014, in Irkutsk and Shelekhov, Russia. 17 nations participated in the tournament, playing in two divisions partitioned into two subdivisions. A team representing Somalia ...
.
The
2008 Women's Bandy World Championship
The 2008 Women's Bandy World Championship took place in Borlänge, Grängesberg and Karlsbyheden, Sweden, between 13 and 16 February. It was the fourth Women's Bandy World Championship in bandy. Sweden won the final against Russia 5-2 and became w ...
was also arranged with Borlänge as the main venue.
In 1999 the large
orienteering competition
O-Ringen was held around Borlänge, gathering 15 238 participants.
The
1993 World Gliding Championships were held at the
Borlänge Airport
Dala Airport or Borlänge Airport is situated southeast of Borlänge, a city in the Dalarna province of Sweden. It is also 20 minutes from the city of Falun.
History
The airfield was built during the Second World War and was modernized in 1961. ...
, east of the town.
Music
As is the case with its twin city,
Falun
Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabitan ...
, music is an important part of Borlänge. It has been the hometown of many new young musicians in Sweden such as
Mando Diao
Mando Diao is an alternative rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album ''Hurricane Bar''. Their main fan base is in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Band members are Björn Di ...
,
Sugarplum Fairy and
Miss Li
Linda Karlsson (born 21 July 1982), better known by her stage name Miss Li, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Since beginning her career in the early-2000s, she has released a total of eight studio albums, and several of her songs have been feat ...
and offers the possibility to get a degree in popular music at BoomTown Music Education, a branch of the School of Music at Luleå University of Technology.
The stoner rock band STONEWALL NOISE ORCHESTRA (stylized S*N*O) was formed 2004 in Borlänge.
The annual but now defunct
Peace & Love music festival was hosted in Borlänge.
The
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band
Twilight Force
Twilight Force is a Swedish symphonic power metal band known for their highly fantastical lyrics and LARP-style outfits which the band performs onstage in. The band's main lyrical themes are based on the lore of a fictional world known as The Twi ...
has several members from Borlänge and Falun.
Notable people
*
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, actor,
The Kite Runner (film)
''The Kite Runner'' is a 2007 American drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by David Benioff and based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan ...
*
Simon Aspelin
Simon Aspelin (; born 11 May 1974) is a former professional tennis doubles player from Sweden who turned professional in 1998. His success mainly came in doubles, winning 12 titles and reaching World No. 7 in March 2008. In men's doubles, Aspel ...
, tennis player
*
Astral Doors, heavy metal band
*
Jens Bergenström
Jens Bergenström (born November 11, 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey winger who last played for Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Playing career
Bergenström played with the legendary club Leksands IF since 2004, ...
hockey player
*
Jussi Björling
Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling ( , ; 5 February 19119 September 1960) was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th century, Björling appeared for many years at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and less frequentl ...
, tenor
*
Dozer
Dozer is a stoner rock band from Sweden.
History Early years
Dozer was formed in the great north in 1995 by Tommi Holappa, Fredrik Nordin, Erik Bäckwall and Magnus Larsson, playing local youth centres and supporting any bands that came to ...
, stoner rock band
*
Erik Eriksson,
Centre Party's first chairman
*
Tomas Forslund, ice hockey player
*
Per Fosshaug,
bandy player
*
Lars Frölander
Lars Arne Frölander (born 26 May 1974) is a Swedish swimmer. He has competed in six consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012).
Biography
Frölander was born in Boden. He grew up in Ornäs in Borlänge Municipality.
...
, swimmer
*
Greenleaf, stoner rock band
*
Lars Jonsson, ice hockey player
*
Gabriel Karlsson hockey player
*
Mando Diao
Mando Diao is an alternative rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album ''Hurricane Bar''. Their main fan base is in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Band members are Björn Di ...
, rock band
*
Miss Li
Linda Karlsson (born 21 July 1982), better known by her stage name Miss Li, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Since beginning her career in the early-2000s, she has released a total of eight studio albums, and several of her songs have been feat ...
, musician
*
Lasse Nilsson
Lars Thomas "Lasse" Nilsson (born 3 January 1982) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Best remembered for his time with IF Elfsborg, he also represented clubs in the Netherlands, France, and Denmark. He won two ...
, football player
*
Mattias Ritola hockey player
*
Rootvälta
Rootvälta is a reggae band from Borlänge in the county of Dalarna, Sweden. The band was founded in 1988.
The band has released four albums to date. Their name is taken from the Swedish word Rotvälta, meaning windthrow, but spelled with a doub ...
, reggae band
*
Sator, rock band (earlier Sator Codex)
*
Sugarplum Fairy, rock band
*
Johan Olof Wallin
Johan Olof Wallin, (15 October 1779 – 30 June 1839), was a Swedish minister, orator, poet and later Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden between 1837–1839. He is most remembered today for his hymns.
Early life
He was born in St ...
, archbishop, poet and psalmist
*
Tess Asplund, activist - Borlänge is the site of her protest against neo-Nazis
*
Mattias Ekholm, - NHL Hockey Player for Nashville Predators
*
Nils Patrik Johansson, heavy metal singer
*
Gustaf Norén, musician
Education
*
Dalarna University College
*
SoltorgsgymnasietHagagymnasietRytmusErikslundgymnasiet
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borlange
Municipal seats of Dalarna County
Swedish municipal seats
Populated places in Borlänge Municipality
Market towns in Sweden
Cities in Dalarna County
fi:Borlängen kunta