Eskilstuna () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and the seat of

Eskilstuna Municipality Eskilstuna Municipality ( sv, Eskilstuna kommun) is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between Lake Mälaren and Lake Hjälmaren. The seat of the municipality is in the city of Eskilstuna. The present municipality was f ...

Södermanland County Södermanland County ( sv, Södermanlands län) is a county or ''län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is virtually universally shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is th ...

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 ...

. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population. The town is located on the River

Eskilstunaån Eskilstunaån (''Eskilstuna River'') is a small river in Sweden, length 32 km, running through the city of Eskilstuna and the town of Torshälla in Södermanland County. The river drains Lake Hjälmaren into Lake Mälaren Mälaren ( , , ...

, which connects

Lake Hjälmaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

and

Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

History

Eskilstuna's history dates back to medieval times when English

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

Saint Eskil Saint Eskil (11th century) was an Anglo-Saxon monk particularly venerated during the end of the 11th century in the province of Södermanland, Sweden. He was the founder of the first diocese of the lands surrounding Lake Mälaren, today the Dioces ...

made "Tuna" his base and diocese of the South coast of

. Saint Eskil was stoned to death by the pagan

vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

of neighbouring town

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...

, east of Eskilstuna, trying to convert them to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Saint Eskil was buried in his

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

church in Tuna. Later the pagan city of Strängnäs was Christianised and was given the privilege of becoming

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of South Lake Mälaren. Later "Eskil" was added in to the word "Tuna". However, the town of Eskilstuna did not receive municipal privileges due to its proximity to the medieval city of

Torshälla Torshälla () is a locality situated in Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,612 inhabitants in 2010. It is mainly known for steel manufacturing, centered on the Nyby Bruk steel mill, and also for its historic old town cen ...

. The monastery of Saint Eskil was completely destroyed by Swedish king

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

and was replaced with the royal castle of

Eskilstuna House Eskilstuna House ( sv, Eskilstunahus) was a royal palace in Eskilstuna, in present-day Södermanland County, Sweden. It was erected on the site of a medieval monastery in the 16th century, and was later destroyed in a fire in 1680. The palace was ...

. The city's first city privileges were granted in 1659, and its boundaries included Tunafors and the newly founded town of ''Karl Gustavs Stad'' ("City of Karl Gustav"), located on the west side of the river. Karl Gustavs Stad was built around the iron forges of master smith Reinhold Rademacher, encouraged by King Karl X Gustav. The first products of the forges were small arms and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

Karl Gustavs Stad was a free town from 1771, where manufacturers and craftsmen were allowed to establish tax-free workshops and factories. The town was merged with the rest of Eskilstuna in 1879. Eskilstuna river

The city grew enormously during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and became one of the most important industrial cities of Sweden, earning the nickname "Stålstaden" ("The City of

Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

"). Aside from firearms, the city also produced cutlery,

scissor Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All ...

s and precision instruments. As a tribute to the steel industry, the figure of a steel worker is included in the city's coat of arms. Eskilstuna is sometimes called ''The

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

of Sweden''. Both cities at their peak were home to numerous steel production companies.

Economy

Eskilstuna remains an important industrial city with internationally known companies such as

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

Wheel loaders, main site for the heavy construction equipment division of Volvo,

Assa Assa may refer to: Places * Assa (Chalcidice), a town of Chalcidice in ancient Macedonia, Greece * Assa, Morocco, a town in Southern Morocco in the Jbel Ouarkziz * Asa River (Kazakhstan), river in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan * Assa (river), river ...

(locks, keys), and Stainless steel manufacturer

Outokumpu Outokumpu Oyj is a group of international companies headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, employing 10,600 employees in more than 30 countries. Outokumpu is the largest producer of stainless steel in Europe and the second largest producer in the A ...

, Thin Strip Nyby in Torshälla. Mälardalen University (''Mälardalens högskola''), founded in cooperation with the neighboring city of

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås is the se ...

, has a campus in the city. The city also has a combined

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

and

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

- Parken Zoo. The hospital, Mälarsjukhuset is one of the largest in the region, employing around 3000 people. Starting in 2012 the town has been pivoting towards a green economy, including

biogas Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...

-powered

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

and

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

plants, seven-colored

recycling bin A recycling bin (or recycle bin) is a container used to hold recyclables before they are taken to recycling centers. Recycling bins exist in various sizes for use inside and outside homes, offices, and large public facilities. Separate cont ...

s (compared to the standard Swedish five), and a recycling center with an attached second-hand mall.

Climate

Eskilstuna has a climate transitioning between

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...

and

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prin ...

with vast seasonal differences for a Southern Swedish climate. Unlike the coastal part of the Sörmlandic region, Eskilstuna has higher

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

and stronger waves of either heat or cold. With regards to daytime maximum and minimum temperatures, the weather station has been operated since 1961 with a total of three breaks of 2-3 years apiece in between 1984 and 2008.

Demography

As of December 31, 2019, Eskilstuna Municipality has a population of 106,859 people, making it the 15th largest municipality in Sweden.

Sport

The handball club

Eskilstuna Guif Eskilstuna Guif is a handball club based in Eskilstuna, Sweden, which currently competes in Handbollsligan, the top domestic handball league. The club was founded in 1896 as Godtemplarnas Ungdoms- och Idrottsförening (The Good Templars' Youth and ...

plays in the national top division. They have reached the Swedish Championship final four times (1997, 2001, 2009 and 2011), but lost on each occasion. Eskilstuna is also home to EFK (Eskilstuna Flygklubb), Sweden's largest glider Flying Club which hosted the

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern ...

in 2006. Since 2017, Eskilstuna has a football team in the highest tier Allsvenskan, named

AFC Eskilstuna Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching ownership and t ...

, who changed both the team name and location from

Solna Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of the ...

after qualifying for the top league after the 2016 season, making them the first team in the Swedish top leagues of football changing hometown. The women's football team,

Eskilstuna United DFF Eskilstuna United DFF is a football club from Eskilstuna, in Södermanland County, Sweden. The club was established in 2002 and was promoted into the Women's Premier Division ( Damallsvenskan) for the first time in 2014. The club play their home ...

, has played in the highest tier since 2014, and finished as runner up in the 2015 season, making them qualify for the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League. The speedway team in Eskilstuna,

Smederna Smederna is a motorcycle speedway club based in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The club competes in the highest speedway league in Sweden called the Elitserien and race its home matches at Smedstadion outside Eskilstuna. Ikaros Smederna was formerly kno ...

, competes in the highest speedway league in Sweden, Elitserien and race its home matches at Smedstadion outside Eskilstuna. In eSports, Eskilstuna is home to CS:GO player

Maikelele Mikail Bill (born 3 May 1991), better known as Maikelele, is a retired Swedish professional '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' player . He has played in teams like qwerty, G2 Esports, Team Kinguin, LGB eSports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, mousesports ...

. The stadium

Tunavallen Tunavallen is a multi-use stadium in Eskilstuna, Sweden. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 7,800 seated spectators. The original stadium was one of the venues for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. It was also the ven ...

was a venue for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, hosting one match between

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. It has also been used for several practice games for the Swedish National Youth Teams. Sports clubs using Tunavallen include

Eskilstuna City FK Eskilstuna City FK is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna. The club is playing in Division 2. IK City from Eskilstuna, who got promoted to the top league in 1925 in Sweden, in the original match kit: light and dark blue striped sh ...

and

IFK Eskilstuna IFK Eskilstuna is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna in Södermanland County. In their early seasons IFK had a proud record as an Allsvenskan club but they now play in Division 2 Västra Svealand, which is the fourth tier of Swedish ...

. Eskilstuna Södra FF are based at Skogsängens IP and BK Sport is based at Ekängen.

Transport

Eskilstuna is served by the

Svealandsbanan Svealandsbanan is the Swedish name of the ''Svealand Railway'', which runs between Södertälje and Valskog (near Arboga) via Mariefred Läggesta, Strängnäs and Eskilstuna. The length is . The railway was opened between Södertälje and Eskil ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line between

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and

Hallsberg Hallsberg () is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Hallsberg Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 7,122 inhabitants in 2010. It is also partly located in Kumla Municipality. Overview This settlement grew up around a railway junction, an ...

European route E20 European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia. Its length is but it is not continuous; at three points, a ...

passes the city. The city has an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

, east of the centre.

European Cooperation

Eskilstuna is a member city of

Eurotowns network Eurotowns is a network of medium-sized European cities with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants. The organisation was founded in 1991. Its members include Avilés, Böblingen, Chelm, Detmold, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Girona, Haarl ...

People

Music

* Hel (band) *

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

(band) *

Pain of Salvation Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...

(band) *

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...

* Mika "Gas" Ieppä *

Towa Carson Birgit Rose-Marie Anlert (née Carlsson, born 31 March 1936), known professionally as Towa Carson, is a Swedish schlager singer. She debuted in 1954 and had the most success in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits such as ''"De tre klockorna"'' (S ...

Joakim Berg Herbert Joakim "Jocke" Berg (born 16 March 1970 in Eskilstuna, Sweden) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of Swedish Rock/Pop band Kent. Berg rarely gives interviews, saying in one: less is more. Berg ...

Daniel Gildenlöw Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...

Kristoffer Gildenlöw Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...

Athletes

Anna Nordqvist --> , death_place = , height = , weight = , nationality = , residence = Orlando, Florida, U.S. , spouse = , partner = , children = , college = Arizona State University (2.5 years) , yearpro = ...

Kent Carlsson Kent Carlsson (born 3 January 1968) is a former tennis player from Sweden. A seasoned claycourter, he won all nine of his ATP tour singles titles on the surface, including the 1988 Hamburg Masters. Carlsson achieved a career-high singles ranki ...

* Kjell Johansson *Robert Andersson *

Tomas Gustafson Sven Tomas Gustafson (born 28 December 1959) is a retired Swedish speed skater, and one of the most successful distance skaters of the 1980s. Early career Born in Katrineholm, he won the World Junior Championships title, in Grenoble, France, i ...

Tommy Jansson Per Tommy Jansson (2 October 1952 – 20 May 1976) was a motorcycle speedway rider. He was one of Sweden's most exciting speedway prospects in the 1970s but was killed in the Swedish Final a World Championship Qualifying Round meeting. He was t ...

* Linnea Torstenson *

Kristján Andrésson Kristján Andrésson (born 27 March 1981) is a Swedish-born Icelandic retired handball player and ex coach of the Swedish national team. He competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπια ...

* Lars Sandberg *

Joel Granfors Joel Granfors (born 24 June 2005), is a Swedish racing driver currently competing in the 2022 GB3 Championship with Fortec Motorsport. Career Karting Granfors began karting in 2013, in Sweden. Highlights of his 7 year karting career include win ...

Footballers A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

* Mika Väyrynen *

Kennet Andersson Bernt Kennet Andersson (born 6 October 1967) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Starting off his career with IFK Eskilstuna in the mid-1980s, he went on to play professionally in Sweden, Belgium, France, Italy, ...

Sebastian Larsson Bengt Ulf Sebastian Larsson (; born 6 June 1985) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Beginning his career at hometown club IFK Eskilstuna, Larsson was signed by Arsenal. He made three Premier League appearanc ...

Marcus Danielson Marcus Andreas Danielson (born 8 April 1989) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Allsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF . A full international between 2019 and 2022, he won 19 caps for the Sweden national team and repres ...

Other

, professional golfer * Anna of Finland * Carl Victor Heljestrand * Fredrik Lindström *

Yvonne Ryding Yvonne Agneta Ryding (born 14 December 1962, in Eskilstuna, Södermanland County, Södermanland) is a Swedish dancer, model, TV Host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1984 on 9 July 1984. She is the third Swede in history to win the ...

, Miss Sweden 1984 and

Miss Universe 1984 Miss Universe 1984, the 33rd Miss Universe pageant, was held on 9 July 1984 at the James L. Knight Convention Center in Miami, Florida, United States. Yvonne Ryding of Sweden was crowned by Lorraine Downes of New Zealand. 81 contestants competed ...

* Bolinder-Munktell, a tractor manufacturer that merged with

Susanne Aalto Susanne E. Aalto (born 28 November 1964) is a Swedish professor of radio astronomy geodesy at the Onsala Space Observatory in the department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology. She has been a professor of radio ...

, radio astronomer

References

External links

Official website
(in Swedish, French, German, English and Finnish)
Tågtider för Eskilstuna C
{{Attached KML Finnish diaspora Populated places in Södermanland County Populated places in Eskilstuna Municipality Municipal seats of Södermanland County Swedish municipal seats Cities in Södermanland County