Dalälven
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The Dal River ( sv, Dalälven,
Elfdalian Elfdalian or Övdalian ( or , pronounced in Elfdalian, or in Swedish) is a North Germanic language spoken by up to 3,000 people who live or have grown up in the locality of Älvdalen ('), which is located in the southeastern part of Älvdalen ...
: ''Dalövę'') is a
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in central
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
that flows from the north of
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 Värmland () also known a ...
and runs into the sea in northern
Uppland Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...
; it is commonly considered to be the southern border of
Norrland Norrland (, "Northland", originally ''Norrlanden'' or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administr ...
, however only the last part correlates with Limes Norrlandicus (the biological Norrland border). The northern part is split into two rivers: Österdalälven and Västerdalälven. The two connect in Djurås. It is over long — the second longest river in Sweden, and has a
hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
potential of 1420
megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...
s, of which 2/3 is utilized. The largest
power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...
is located at the
Trängslet Dam The Trängslet Dam is a rock-filled embankment dam on the Dal River near the town of Trängslet in Dalarna, Sweden. At in height, it is the tallest dam in the country. Its reservoir, with a capacity of , is also the largest artificial lake in S ...
. Dalälven has been significant historically as a raft transport route. Nedre Dalälven River Landscape, Sweden, covers with a mixture of wetlands, rivers, lakes, flood plains and productive forests. It includes Lake Hovran and Färnebofjärden Bay Ramsar site. The region boasts high
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
, as the river forms a clear border zone between the northern and southern flora and fauna of
Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...
. Agriculture and forestry have evolved as a result of changes in the steel and iron industries. More than 100 ‘Leader+ projects’ designed for sustainable development testify to the high dynamism of the region. The
biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...
reserve benefits from a highly participatory governance system as well as numerous partnerships with universities and research centres for environmental monitoring.


Description


Course


Sources

The Dalälven is the southernmost of the big rivers of northern Sweden. It extends between the mountains of
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 Värmland () also known a ...
and the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, which makes it the second longest river in the country after the
Göta älv The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...
.. However, the river changes names several times, and only becomes the ''Dalälven'' at the confluence of the Västerdalälven (''West Dalälven'') and the Österdalälven (''East Dalälven''), which happens at Djurås. The principal of these two rivers, Österdalälven, begins where the Storån and Sörälven meet, near
Idre Idre ( sma, Eajra, Elfdalian: ''Iðer'') is a locality and ski resort situated in Älvdalen Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 794 inhabitants in 2010. It was also a historical parish and former municipality. History The two parishes ''Sä ...
. Both the Storån and Sörälven begin in Norway, but soon reach the northwest of
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 Värmland () also known a ...
. After their confluence, the river enters into a series of narrow lakes (Idresjön, Alvrosfjorden, Kringelfjorden, Hedfjorden, Särnasjön, etc.). It then pools into the lake Trängsletsjön, in length, formed by the
Trängslet Dam The Trängslet Dam is a rock-filled embankment dam on the Dal River near the town of Trängslet in Dalarna, Sweden. At in height, it is the tallest dam in the country. Its reservoir, with a capacity of , is also the largest artificial lake in S ...
. The river then arrives at
Mora Mora may refer to: People * Mora (surname) Places Sweden * Mora, Säter, Sweden * Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality * Mora Municipality, Sweden United States * Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Mora, Minnesota, a city * M ...
where it receives the waters of the
Oreälven A smaller influx of Lake Orsasjön is the Oreälven in Sweden with a length of approx. 110 kilometres. The river has an extensive set of salmons and the water quality is class I. Many athletes like to use the river for rafting Rafting ...
, one of its major tributaries and empties itself immediately after into the
Lake Siljan Siljan, in Dalarna in central Sweden, is Sweden's seventh largest lake. The cumulative area of Siljan and the adjacent, smaller lakes Orsasjön and Insjön is . Siljan reaches a maximum depth of , and its surface is situated above sea level. Th ...
, the largest lake in the entire catchment area, and the seventh largest in all of Sweden, with a surface area of . This lake is formed by the largest
impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...
in western Europe, of a diameter of . The river leaves the lake at
Leksand Leksand () is a locality and the seat of Leksand Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,934 inhabitants in 2010. Sport Leksand is famous for the Leksands IF ice hockey team, who have won 4 Swedish Championships, although the team is curren ...
and continues south to its confluence with Västerdalälven. Västerdalälven is itself born of the confluence of two rivers, the Görälven and Fuluälven. These rivers have their sources not far from each other in
Älvdalen Municipality Älvdalen Municipality ( sv, Älvdalens kommun, sma, Älvdaelien tjïelte, Elfdalian: ''Kommun Övdaln'') is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Älvdalen. The two parishes ''Särna'' and ''Idr ...
in the
Scandinavian Mountains The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to the ...
. Fuluälven heads south along the east face of the mountain Fulufjället, while the Görälven flanks Fulufjället to the west, crossing the frontier with Norway where it takes the name ''Ljøra''. After the confluence this river continues south, passing
Sälen Sälen () is a locality situated in Malung-Sälen Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 652 inhabitants in 2010. Despite its small population, Sälen receives many tourists every winter. Sälen is best known for hosting the start of Vasaloppet ...
and then
Malung Malung is a locality and the seat of Malung-Sälen Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,126 inhabitants as of 2010. Overview Malung is home to Malungs Folkhögskola, two kilometers south of the town centre. Specialized courses include ...
and forking east to arrive in
Vansbro Municipality Vansbro Municipality (''Vansbro kommun'') is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Vansbro. During the local government reform of 1971 ''Järna'', ''Nås'' and ''Äppelbo'' were amalgamated to for ...
. At
Vansbro Vansbro () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Dalarna and the seat of Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden. It had 2,026 inhabitants in 2010, out of a total municipal population of 7,000. The town is situated by the end of the rivulet ...
, it is met by the Vanån, its principal tributary. Its course then becomes more sinuous, tracing broad loops. It then enters
Gagnef Municipality Gagnef Municipality (''Gagnefs kommun'') is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Djurås with 2,257 inhabitants, with the largest town being Mockfjärd with 2365 inhabitants. The locality of Gagn ...
where it joins Österdalälven.


From Djurås to the sea

After the junction of the Österdalälven and Västerdalälven, the river heads east, passing
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 population of 51,604 inhabitants as of 2017. History Originally Borlänge was the name of a tin ...
, Dalarna's largest city, then receiving the waters of the Lillälven, itself fed by the Faluån, a river which goes through
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 inhabita ...
, Dalarna's second largest city. The river then continues to
Avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...
where it strongly changes character.p. 32 It leaves a deep
valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
and enters into a flat country, uniquely marked by some
esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Amer ...
s. During the remaining that it travels to the sea, the river, now called the Lower Dalälven (''Nedre Dalälven''), alternates between large bays () and
rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...
. This section is also characterized by regular flooding, sometimes over vast areas.p. 44 The first rapids are those at Avesta, called Storfors and Lillfors (''big chute'' and ''little chute''), after which the river forms the lake Bäsingen, then the rapids Näs bruk, then the lake Bysjön. It forms the frontier between
Västmanland County Västmanland County ( sv, Västmanlands län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala. The county also has a stretch of shoreline towards Mälaren (Sweden's ...
to the south and
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 Hedmark ...
to the north. It then forms the rapids at Tyttbo, and right after, one of its largest fjärds, that of Färnebofjärden National Park, forming the frontier between
Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. Provi ...
to the south and
Gävleborg County Gävleborg County ( sv, Gävleborgs län) is a county or '' län'' on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Uppsala, Västmanland, Dalarna, Jämtland and Västernorrland. The capital is Gävle. Provinces Gävleborg Cou ...
to the north. More than 200 islands are strewn over this fjärd. The river continues to the rapids at Gysinge and then another great fjärd, Hedesundafjärden-Bramsöfjärden. The river passes through the rapids at
Söderfors Söderfors () is a locality situated in Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Sto ...
towards Untrafjärden, then by the rapids of Untra towards Marmafjärden, and then the rapids of Lanforsen. Finally, goes through its last rapids at
Älvkarleby Älvkarleby () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Älvkarleby Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 1,647 inhabitants in 2010. It is not the seat of the municipality, a function held by Skutskär 7 km to the north. See also ...
before rejoining the Baltic Sea.


History


First humans and agriculture

The first settlers in the region of the Dalälven arrived after the retreat of the ice sheet, 10,000 years ago. At that time, the Lower Dalälven was below sea level and was in the zone corresponding to today's Dalarna, which was the first area settled. The first settlers in the region settled the banks of the river and its tributaries, as well as the shore. They were hunter-gatherers. In the Lower Dalälven, which extended bit by bit, the
esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Amer ...
s were the best sites for the first permanent settlements.p. 44 It was easy to nourish oneself, thanks to the river, and these places were also the easiest to defend. Besides this, the river was easiest to cross at this point. When
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
developed, the lands south of the basin proved most fertile, and so the rest of the basin was used principally for pasture.p. 23 There were some fields surrounding the villages, but were not very fertile. The forests were used for pasturing animals and
fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...
was harvested in the wetlands.
Transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...
was adopted. In certain cites, the wetlands and lakes were partially drained to try to recover good-quality agricultural lands.


Log driving

Log driving Log driving is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America. Histor ...
in River Dalälven is documented from the 1600s onward. An important factor behind it was the 1607 prohibition from Charles IX of cutting wood closer than one Swedish mile from
Falun Mine Falun Mine (Swedish: ''Falu Gruva'') was a mine in Falun, Sweden, that operated for a millennium from the 10th century to 1992. It produced as much as two-thirds of Europe's copper needs and helped fund many of Sweden's wars in the 17th century. T ...
. However, until the '' Storskiftet'' land amalgamation reform and England's abolition of customs on wood products in 1849, the logging stayed small-scale. Four major sawmill companies dominated the logging in River Dalälven: Korsnäs AB at Lake
Runn Runn, is a lake in Dalarna in central Sweden, between the cities of Falun and Borlänge. Runn has many islands and is popular for recreational boating in the summer. In winter, Runn is popular for Tour skating and over 30 km of skating tr ...
(
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 inhabita ...
), established in 1858; Kopparbergs och Hofors Sågverks Bolag at Lake Hosjön (
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 inhabita ...
), which started in 1861 and bought its competitor ''Carlfors Sågverksbolag'' in 1874; Stora Kopparbergs Bergslags AB, which modernized its mill at the rapids 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 ...
(
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 population of 51,604 inhabitants as of 2017. History Originally Borlänge was the name of a tin ...
) in 1863; and the mill in
Älvkarleby Älvkarleby () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Älvkarleby Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 1,647 inhabitants in 2010. It is not the seat of the municipality, a function held by Skutskär 7 km to the north. See also ...
, which was replaced by Skutskär sawmill in 1870. Log driving in River Dalälven reached its peak in 1952, when about 30 million logs per year were driven. It ended in most of the river in 1970. However, in the river's lower reaches, the driving continued until 1971, with some final emptying of the stocks in 1972. In 1973 the whole river was closed for log driving, and in 1977 all logging installations along River Dalälven were decommissioned.


In popular culture

In ''
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils ''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' ( sv, Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, literally ''Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey across Sweden'') is a work of fiction by the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf, the first woman to receive th ...
'', Swedish author
Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, ''Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Pr ...
dedicates a chapter to the river. She describes the formation of the Dalälven as a race between the rivers Storån and Fuluälven from their sources to the sea. During the race, these rivers receive help from many tributaries, but also encounter many obstacles (lakes to fill, hills to pierce, etc.), so that halfway through, upon recognizing each other's merits, they unite their efforts.The Swedish text is available o
the website
of
Project Runeberg Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...


References

*''This article was initially translated from the French Wikipedia.'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalalven Rivers of Västmanland County Dalarna Rivers of Dalarna County