Eksjö is a locality and the seat of Eksjö Municipality in

Jönköping County Jönköping County ( sv, Jönköpings län) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The total county population was 356,291 inhabitants in Septe ...

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 ...

, with 9,701 inhabitants in 2010.

History

The city of Eksjö most likely appeared sometime in the Middle Ages when it was the centre for the '' thing'', a regional council. It is first mentioned on April 22, 1345, under the name "Ekesiö" in an estate sale court protocol. It was given its

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

in 1403 by the King Erik av Pommern. In the 16th century Eksjö was one of the six Swedish cities in the province of

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

. The others were Jönköping, Kalmar,

Västervik Västervik is a city status in Sweden, city and the seat of Västervik Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden, with 36,747 inhabitants in 2021. Västervik is one of three coastal towns with a notable population size in the province of Småland. Cl ...

, Växjö and Vimmerby. After the crowning of King Gustav Vasa in 1524, the partisan leader Nils Dacke led a rebellion. Dacke took control of the area and was supported by the locals, also in Eksjö. After Dacke had been killed by the Royal army, his body parts were hung in public places, including in Eksjö, to quench any notions of new uprising. This may also have contributed to the decision of Gustav Vasa to revoke the city charter of Eksjö in 1544. There are several monuments and folk museums honouring these times around the province and in Eksjö municipality, and in the dense Smålandian forests where Dacke lived. In August 2015, a fire occurred in

Old Eksjö Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

Relocation

During the

Nordic Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck, and Polan ...

Rantzau's army that had been pillaging Östergötland reached Eksjö after successfully avoiding Swedish enclosure attempts by crossing lake Sommen that had recently frozen. As Rantzau arrived Eksjö was burnt to the ground in 1568 and subsequently rebuilt at a somewhat different location. The construction was led by the Dutchman

Arendt de Roy Arendt de Roy or Arendt van Roy (died 24 May 1589) was a Flemish or Dutch architect. He was born in Flanders, and died in Vadstena, Sweden. He was the first architect at Vadstena Castle, beginning his work in 1566, and was succeeded by Hans Flemi ...

Development

The city emerged as a centre for the oxen trades but never really prospered and remained a small town until a heath outside the town became the point of assembly for the

Småland Regiment The Småland Regiment ( sv, Smålands regemente), designations I 12 and I 12/Fo 17, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The unit was disbanded as a result of the disarmament policies set forward i ...

. The city continued to be in the centre of military establishments, with the coming of the engineering battalion and the Husars of Småland, in southern Sweden, hence the lack of large industrial establishments.

Notable People from Eksjö

Niklas Hjalmarsson Niklas Hjalmarsson (born 6 June 1987) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey defenceman who last played for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes of the National ...

, former professional ice hockey defenceman for the Chicago Blackhawks,

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

champion * Reverend F. M. Johnson of the Swedish Mission Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois

Sights

Like many other Swedish cities, Eksjö was struck by fire in the 19th century, with half of the city burning down in 1856. But the northern part of the original wooden city remained intact, with some buildings dating back to the reconstruction of the city in 1568. 56 buildings are registered historic landmarks. A fire in August 2015 that killed one person destroyed some 17th-century buildings.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Eksjö is twinned with: * Barlinek, Poland * Schneverdingen, Germany * Neusäß, Germany *

Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix - købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restore ...

, Denmark

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eksjo Municipal seats of Jönköping County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Jönköping County Populated places in Eksjö Municipality Military history of Sweden