Gävle () 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 ...

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 seat of

Gävle Municipality Gävle Municipality (''Gävle kommun'') is a municipality in east central Sweden. The municipal seat is located in the Stad (city) of Gävle. Geographically the municipality is situated north of the mouth of the river Dalälven and is the south ...

and the capital of

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 ...

. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical

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 ...

(Sweden's Northern Lands), having received 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 1446 from

Christopher of Bavaria Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union. Biography Coming to power He was the son of John, ...

. However, Gävle is far nearer to the greater

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 ...

region than it is to most other major settlements in Norrland and has a much milder climate than associated with said region. In recent years, the city has received much international attention due to its large Yule Goat figure made of straw - the

Gävle Goat Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

. The goat is erected in December each year and is often subsequently vandalized, usually by being set on fire. The goat has now become a symbol for the city and is being used for various marketing purposes.

History

It is believed that the name ''Gävle'' derives from the word ''gavel'', meaning river banks in

Old Swedish Old Swedish (Swedish language, Modern Swedish: ) is the name for two distinct stages of the Swedish language that were spoken in the Middle Ages: Early Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1225 until about 1375, and Late Old Swedish (), spoken fro ...

and referring to the

Gavleån Gavleån, Gävleån or Gävle River is a watercourse in the middle Gästrikland Gästrikland () is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Uppland, Västmanland, Dalarna, Hälsingland and the Gulf o ...

(Gävle River). The oldest settlement was called ''Gävle-ägarna'', which means "Gavel-owners". This name was shortened to ''Gävle'', then ''Gefle'', and finally ''Gävle''. Gävle is first mentioned as a town in official history books in 1413 but only received its official town charters in 1446. For a long time, Gävle consisted solely of small, low,

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

or shingle roofed wooden buildings. Boat-houses lined the banks of Gavleån, Lillån, and Islandsån. Until the 18th century the town was built, as was the practice then, around the three most important buildings: the

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 * Chris ...

, the regional

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, and the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Over the last 300 years, Gävle has been ablaze on three occasions. After the fire of 1776, the town was rebuilt with straight streets and

rectangular In Euclidean geometry, Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a par ...

city blocks. The number of stone and brick houses also started to increase. The biggest town fire occurred 1869, when out of a population of around 10,000 approximately 8,000 inhabitants lost their homes, and about 350

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

s were destroyed. Almost the whole town north of Gavleån was burnt down. All the buildings south of Gavleån were saved. An area of the old town between the museum and the library has been preserved to this day as a historic reserve, '' Gamla Gefle''. After the catastrophe of the fire Gävle developed its characteristic

grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogona ...

with large

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

s and green areas. It is now a green town with wide avenues. Stopping the spread of future town fires was the main idea behind this development. An extensive redevelopment of the central town area was started during the 1950s. Around 1970 Gävle became a large

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

district when it was united with the nearby municipalities of

Valbo Valbo is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Gävle Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 7,065 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated south-west of Gävle itself and could be considered a suburb of the city. Valbo is known for the l ...

, Hamrånge,

Hedesunda Hedesunda is a locality and a parish situated in Gävle Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 1,028 inhabitants as of 2010. The area used to be a municipality in its own right before being incorporated into Gävle. The urban area in Hedes ...

, and Hille. New

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s like Stigslund,

Sätra Sätra is a suburb in the district in Söderort in Stockholm, Sweden. Location The district is bounded on the north by Lake Mälaren and on the south by Södertalje Road, a section of European route E4 and European route E20. Sätra borders t ...

, Andersberg, and

Bomhus Bomhus is a district of Gävle, Sweden. It began to grow as an urban area after the sawmill Korsnäs AB moved from Korsnäs, Falun to the coast near Gävle in 1899. Korsnäs AB became a pulp and paper manufacturer in 1910. In 2012 it fused wi ...

have grown up around the central city. In the middle of the 1800s to the beginning of the 1900s, there was a bad harvest and a high unemployment rate in Sweden. At the same time, political and religious oppression occurred, and religious encounters outside the State Church were not allowed. This led many Swedes to emigrate to other countries such as the United States. During the early emigration era, Gävle was one of the cities from which people left on their journey to the US. People from parts of Gästrikland and other neighboring counties made their way to the harbor town of Gävle and then commenced their departure to America. In 1986 as a result of the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

, Gävle was subjected to a severe deposition of

radionuclides A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transfer ...

, exceeding 185 kBq per

square meter The square metre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square meter (American spelling) is the unit of area in the International System of Units (SI) with symbol m2. It is the area of a square w ...

. The impact was much greater than experienced by other regions of western Europe and as such, Gävle became one of the most affected areas outside of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Between 1905 and 1997, the I14 Regiment was located in Gävle. Gävle was the birthplace of the botanist

Erik Acharius Erik Acharius (10 October 1757 – 14 August 1819) was a Swedish botanist who pioneered the taxonomy of lichens and is known as the "father of lichenology." Acharius was famously the last pupil of Carl Linnaeus. Life Acharius was born in ...

(1757).

Geography

Gävle is situated by 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 ...

near the mouth of the river

Dalälven The Dal River ( sv, Dalälven, Elfdalian: ''Dalövę'') is a river in central Sweden that flows from the north of Dalarna and runs into the sea in northern Uppland; it is commonly considered to be the southern border of Norrland, however only th ...

. At 60 degrees north and 17 degrees east, Gävle has the same

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and the same

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Bordering municipalities are

Söderhamn Söderhamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Söderhamn Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 11,761 inhabitants in 2010. Sports The biggest local sport is bandy. Broberg/Söderhamn Bandy play in the highest division E ...

Ockelbo Ockelbo is a locality and the seat of Ockelbo Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 2,724 inhabitants in 2010. The name Ockelbo, spelled ''De oklabo'' in 1314, contains an old marine name ''*Ukle'', referring to modern-day Lake Bysjön. ...

Sandviken Sandviken is a locality and the seat of Sandviken Municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden with 39,234 inhabitants in 2019. It is situated about 25 km west of Gävle and lies approximately 190 km north of Stockholm. The rail journey t ...

Heby Heby is a locality and the seat of Heby Municipality in Uppsala County, Sweden, with 2,550 inhabitants in 2010. Sports The following sports clubs are located in Heby: * Heby AIF Heby AIF is a Swedish football club located in Heby in Uppsala ...

Tierp Tierp () is a locality and the seat of Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 6,143 inhabitants in 2018. Communications Tierp is connected to Uppsala and Gävle by commuter train Upptåget and the new (2007) section of highway E4 passe ...

and

Älvkarleby Älvkarleby () is a 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 *Älgen Stolta ...

. Twenty kilometers west of Gävle lies

Climate

Gävle has a similar

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

to the rest of central

with winter highs just below freezing and summer highs a bit above . The average yearly precipitation is around . Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

Gävle is classified as

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Dfb), in spite of the significant maritime influence. It is also one of the northernmost cities of significant size in the world with this climate type, since areas north of the 60th latitude for the most part are dominated by various subarctic climate types. Under the 1961-1990 normals, Gävle's fourth warmest month was just around the isotherm of to not be classified as subarctic, but temperatures did go up sufficiently to be clear humid continental since. While precipitation usually is moderate, in August 2021, Gävle was hit by a

Flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

after recording of rainfall in one day. Considerable flooding occurred in multiple regions with entire

neighborhoods A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

flooded. Vehicles were submerged and landslides occurred as well. At least 10 heavy rain reports were reported.

Economy

The harbour at Fredriksskans, Gävle, Gästrikland, Sweden

Trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

from the port of Gävle increased markedly during the 15th century when

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

began to be exported from the port. In order to ensure that all trade was via

, sailing to foreign ports from Gävle and a few other ports was forbidden. During the 16th century, Gävle was one of the most important port and merchant towns with many shipping companies and

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

s. In 1787 Gävle was awarded "free and unrestricted sailing rights" to and from foreign ports. This led to an increase in

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

, which in turn led to an increase in buildings, industrial developments, trade and shipping. Today there are few shipping companies or

s left, but an important

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

remains. It has over 1000 ships calling per year and is among the top ten common ports in Sweden.

Major companies

BillerudKorsnäs Billerud AB is a Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer with headquarters in Solna, Sweden. The company simplified its name from BillerudKorsnäs to Billerud after the acquisition of Verso 2022, an American producer of coated paper. Billerud has ni ...

(

pulp and paper industry The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web an ...

) * Kraft General Foods Scandinavia (

Gevalia Gevalia ( , , ) is the largest coffee roastery in Scandinavia. In North America, the company sells coffee directly to consumers via home delivery and through big box stores such as Wal-Mart. Gevalia discontinued sales of tea in 2015. Customers ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

) * Cale Industri (

parking meter A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street par ...

Demography

Culture

Gävle has, considering its size, a large and well nourished cultural life, being a cradle for many musicians such as

The Deer Tracks The Deer Tracks are a Swedish electronic duo that combines the facets of multiple music genres into a unique sound. They are often compared to Nordic counterparts The Knife and Sigur Rós. The band’s genre transcendence contains up-tempo dance ...

and

The Sound of Arrows The Sound of Arrows are a Swedish electronic music duo originally from Gävle, and now based in Stockholm. The duo, consisting of Oskar Gullstrand and Stefan Storm, have remixed tracks for artists such as Lady Gaga, Alphabeat, The Naked and Fa ...

. The city applied to become the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Konserthuset Gävle 2013

Arts and museums

The prison museum of Sweden, the county museum of Gävleborg, and the national railway museum are the three largest museums in the city. The prison museum is located near

Gävle Castle Gävle Castle is a palace in Gävle, Sweden, rebuilt several times since its foundation in 1583. It is the official residence of the County Governor (Sweden), County Governor of Gävleborg County. The first castle The original castle was built 158 ...

and depicts the history of crime and punishment in Sweden. The county museum (located downtown) hosts an art collection spanning from the 1600s to present time and well as a section dedicated to cultural history. Finally, the

Swedish Railway Museum The Swedish Railway Museum, ( sv, Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum), in Gävle, Gästrikland, Sweden is the national museum for Sweden's railway history. The Swedish Railway Museum is tasked with acquiring, preserving and supplying knowledge about Swedis ...

(Rälsgatan 1), hosts a collection that began to accumulate in 1906 in

and which was moved to Gävle in 1970. Gävle has a theater dating back to the 1800s. It is still used for performances today, including classic theater, opera, variety and stand-up. There is also a concert hall in Gävle which was inaugurated in 1998. It is home to the 1912

Gävle Symphony Orchestra The Gävle Symphony Orchestra ( sv, Gävle symfoniorkester) is a symphony orchestra based in Gävle, Sweden. The orchestra is resident at the ''Gävle Konserthus'' (Gävle Concert Hall). History Founded in 1912, giving its first concert on 16 ...

, whose principal conductor is

Jaime Martín Jaime Martín (born 1 September 1965) is a Spanish conductor and flautist. Biography Born in Santander, Spain, Martín began his music studies on the flute at age 8, and became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain at age 13. He was ...

Media

''Gefle Dagblad'' founded in 1895 and ''Arbetarbladet'' are the two leading media outlets covering Gävle in the papers. Both have a long history dating back to the early 1900s and the late 1800s, respectively. Aside from this, the Swedish national public TV broadcaster, SVT, has an editorial office in the city and the national public radio

Sveriges Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is d ...

broadcasts from the city.

Sports

Gävle has teams competing in the highest national league in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

(

Gefle IF Gefle Idrottsförening, also known simply as Gefle IF, Gefle (, as if spelled ''Gävle''), or locally Gif (), are a Swedish professional football club based in Gävle. The club is affiliated with Gestriklands Fotbollförbund and play their home ...

) as well as

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

(

Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club currently plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden. The club has played in the top-tier league since 1960, longer than any other team. History ...

) and

floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

(

Gävle GIK Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swe ...

Å-Draget

Each September Gävle Kommun organises a weekend where outdoor candles are lit along the banks of the Gavle River in an attempt to highlight its beauty and its importance to the city. The kommun organises different performances and activities for residents and visitors to enjoy as the walk along the river.

Education

The University College of Gävle currently enrolls 16,000 students. It offers over 800 courses and around 50 degree programs in technology, social and natural sciences, and the humanities. Its research profiles are "Built Environment" ("Byggd miljö") and "Health in working life" ("Hälsofrämjande arbetsliv"). Some courses are offered in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and are taken by both international and Swedish students.

Miscellanea

Gävle is known for being the birthplace of the

brand, which is produced by Kraft General Foods Scandinavia and exported around the globe. Gevalia is particularly popular in the Americas and produces dozens of unique flavored coffees for the United States that are not available to its customers in Europe. However, visitors who come to the factory in Gävle can sample many of the premium blends. (

is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name for Gävle). Other brands from Gävle include the throat lozenges

Läkerol Läkerol is a Swedish brand of candies. The candies are sugar-free pastilles with the major ingredient being gum arabic. The candies are produced in a variety of flavors. The candy is produced by the Swedish confectionery company, Cloetta. Läke ...

and the car-shaped sweets Ahlgrens Bilar. Gävle preserves the memory of the Swedish-American labor activist and martyr Joel Emmanuel Hägglund, better known as Joe Hill, who was born there in 1879. The Hägglund family home still stands in Gävle at the address Nedre Bergsgatan 28, in ''Gamla Stan'', the Old Town. it houses a museum and the ''Joe Hill-gården'', which hosts cultural events.

Gävle goat

The history of the

Gävle goat Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

began in 1966. Stig Gavlén came up with the idea of placing a giant version of the traditional Swedish Christmas goat of

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number ...

in Slottstorget (Castle Square) in central Gävle. On 1 December the 13-metre tall, 7-metre long, 3 tonne goat was erected on the square. At midnight on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, the goat went up in flames. The goat has since had a history of being burnt almost every year, 2005 being the 22nd time it was burnt. Burning the goat is an illegal act and not welcomed by most citizens of Gävle, but undoubtedly this is what has made the goat famous. In 2006 the goat was covered in a flame-resistant coating to prevent

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

, enabling the goat to remain standing throughout that winter. On December 27, 2015, the goat was burnt for the 28th time. In its 54-year history, the goat has been burnt down 38 times.

Notable people

Linn Ahlborg Linn Joanna Elsa Ahlborg (born 4 September 1999) is a Swedish blogger and YouTube personality. Linn runs one of Sweden's largest YouTube channels with almost 370,000 subscribers and over 500,000 followers on Instagram. Her blog with over 2.5 mil ...

(born 1999) Swedish blogger and influencer * Siri Andersson-Palmestav (1903–2002) writer and missionary. * Anna Bartels (1869–1950), opera singer *

Alexandra Dahlström Lena Marina Alexandra Dahlström (born 12 February 1984) is a Swedish actress and film director. Career Dahlström gained international attention in 1998, after starring as "Elin" in the film '' Show Me Love''. For this, she won the Guldbagge ...

(born 1984) actress and film director. *

Thomas Di Leva Sven Thomas Magnusson (born 23 October 1963), known by his stage names Thomas Di Leva or simply Di Leva, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Biography Sven Thomas Magnusson was born 1963 in Gävle, Gävleborg County, Gästrikland, Sweden. At ...

(born 1963) singer and songwriter. * John E. Forsgren (1816–1890) the first

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

to preach in Sweden *

Hans Forssell Hans Ludvig Forssell (14 January 1843 – 2 August 1901) was a Swedish historian and political writer. Biography Hans Forssell was born at Gävle, Gästrikland, where his father, the clergyman Carl Adolf Forssell, taught in the gymnasium. At th ...

(1843–1901) historian and political writer. *

Åke Fridell Åke Fridell (23 June 1919 – 26 August 1985) was a Swedish film actor. He was born in Gävle, Sweden and died in Stockholm. Selected filmography * ''The Old Clock at Ronneberga'' (1944) - Legal clerk at the mayor's party * ''Flickan och ...

(1919–1985) a film actor. * Valborg Elisabeth Groning (1890-1970) circus princess * Joe Hill (1879–1915) labour activist and songwriter *

Rolf Lassgård Rolf Holger Lassgård (born 29 March 1955) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his many roles in crime dramas. Life and career Lassgård was born in Östersund, Jämtland. A keen amateur ice hockey player in his youth, he also joined theatre tea ...

(born 1955) an actor in crime dramas. *

Regina Lund Regina Charlotta Theodora Lund, known professionally as Regina Lund, (born July 17, 1967) is a Swedish celebrity, award-winning Actress, Swedish Grammy nominated Artist, Singer-Songwriter, poet, writer, model, comedian and awarded painter. Regina ...

(born 1967) actress and singer. *

Åke Lundqvist Åke Bertil Lundqvist (9 June 1936 – 4 August 2021) was a Swedish actor. Lundqvist began his acting career in 1973, when he played a role as the bookkeeper Schröder in Selma Lagerlöf's ''Gösta Berlings'' saga. Filmography * 2009 – '' Ån ...

(1936–2021) actor at

Stockholm City Theatre Stockholm City Theatre ( sv, Stockholms stadsteater) is live performance theater located in Stockholm, Sweden. The theatre is situated near the Sergel fountain and the Stockholm City roundabout. Location It is located in one of Stockholm's m ...

Yat Malmgren Yat or jat (Ѣ ѣ; italics: ) is the thirty-second letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet and the Rusyn alphabet. There is also another version of yat, the iotified yat (majuscule: , minuscule: ), which is a Cyrillic character combining a ...

(1916–2002) dancer and acting teacher at the

Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint Martins, a constitue ...

Andreas Rudman Andreas Rudman (November 3, 1668 – September 17, 1708) was a pioneer Swedish-American Lutheran minister. He was pastor of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church in Philadelphia. Background Anders Rudman was born in Gävle, Gästrikland Province, Sweden ...

(1668–1708), pioneer

Swedish American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedes, Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

minister. * Rikard Sjöblom (born 1982), musician with Gungfly, Beardfish &

Big Big Train Big Big Train are an English progressive rock band formed in Bournemouth in 1990. The current line-up includes band founder Gregory Spawton (bass, guitars and keyboards), along with Nick D'Virgilio (drums, guitars and keyboards) and Rikard Sj� ...

. *

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...

(born 1948) musician; his mother Ingrid Wickman was from Gävle, where he lived during his childhood *

Joakim Sundström Joakim Sundström is a Swedish supervising sound editor, sound designer and musician. Sundström was born on February 27, 1965, in the city of Gävle in Sweden and brought up in Buchanan, Liberia on the West African Atlantic coast. He collabo ...

(born 1965) sound editor, sound designer and musician * Erik Wickberg (1904–1996) former

General of The Salvation Army General is the title of the international leader and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers (who are therefore known ...

Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army The Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army is a Commissioner appointed by the General of The Salvation Army as the second in command internationally. The Chief of the Staff is stationed at International Headquarters in London. The office of C ...

Lars-Åke Wilhelmsson Lars-Åke Wilhelmsson (born 8 September 1958) is a Swedish fashion designer and drag artist. Mostly known for his performances as the character Babsan (), he was educated as a typographist and art director. Biography Wilhelmsson was a successful ...

(born 1958) fashion designer and drag artist.

Sports professionals

Nicklas Bäckström Nicklas Bäckström (; born 23 November 1987) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bäckström was selected fourth overall by the Capitals at the 2006 ...

(born 1987) ice hockey player for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

Christian Edstrom Björn Christian Edström (born March 18, 1976 in Gävle, Sweden) is a Swedish-born American professional rally co-driver. He started competing as a co-driver in 1997, from 2006 to 2016 alongside Travis Pastrana. Rally America National Champions ...

(born 1976) rally co-driver *

Anders Eklund Anders Eklund may refer to: * Anders Eklund (boxer) * Anders Eklund (murderer) {{hndis, Eklund, Anders ...

(1957–2010) Olympic heavyweight boxer *

Peppe Femling Peppe Femling (born 24 March 1992) is a Swedish biathlete. He has competed in the Biathlon World Cup, and represented Sweden at the Biathlon World Championships 2016. He won an Olympic gold medal as part of the Swedish men's relay team in PyeongCh ...

(born 1992) biathlete and Olympic gold medallist * Andreas Johnsson (born 1994) ice hockey player for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

Calle Järnkrok Calle Järnkrok (born 25 September 1991), nicknamed "Ironhook" (direct translation of his last name)Järnkrok's nickname is a direct translation of his last name into English. is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leaf ...

(born 1991) ice hockey player for the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

Ewa Laurance Ewa Laurance (formerly Ewa Mataya, February 26, 1964) is a Swedish professional pool player, most notably on the Women's Professional Billiard Association nine-ball tour, a sports writer, and more recently a sports commentator for ESPN. In 2004 ...

(born 1964) pool player *

Oskar Lindblom Oskar Lindblom (born 15 August 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Lindblom ...

(born 1996) ice hockey player for the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

Anders Lindbäck Anders Lindbäck (born 3 May 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas St ...

(born 1988) ice hockey goaltender who has played for several NHL teams *

Elias Lindholm Elias Viktor Zebulon Lindholm (born 2 December 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round (5 ...

(born 1994) ice hockey player for the

Jacob Markström Jacob Anders Markström (born 31 January 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender and plays for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 31st overall, of the 2008 ...

(born 1990) ice hockey player for the

Christian Djoos Christian Djoos (born 6 August 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). Djoos was selected by the Washington Capitals in the seventh round (195th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Djo ...

(born 1994) ice hockey player, won

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 ...

in 2018. *

Felix Sandström Per Felix Sandström (born 12 January 1997) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sandström was selected by the Flyers in the third round (70th overall) of the 2015 NHL ...

(born 1997) ice hockey goaltender *

Jakob Silfverberg Jakob Erik Silfverberg (born 13 October 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger and an alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career On 27 June 2009, Silfverberg was drafted by the Ottawa ...

(born 1990) ice hockey player for the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

European cooperation

Gävle 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 ...

Hospital

Gävle Hospital has approximately 300 physicians, and serves an area of approximately 150.000 people. It has a centre for clinical research in cooperation with

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

.Centre for Clinical Research – Gävleborg (CFUG)
from

homepage > Medicine and Pharmacy > Centres. Updated: 11/29/2011.

Twin towns – sister cities

Gävle is twinned with five cities: *

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...

, Latvia *

Galva, Illinois Galva is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,589 at the 2010 census, down from 2,758 in 2000. History Cousins William L. Wiley (1820-1900) and James Wiley (1817-1886) founded Galva in 1854. The name Galva hono ...

, United States *

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four ...

, Denmark * Rauma, Finland *

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

, Norway

References

;Notes

External links

*
Gävle
- official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavle County seats in Sweden Populated places in Gävle Municipality Municipal seats of Gävleborg County Gästrikland Swedish municipal seats Coastal cities and towns in Sweden Cities in Gävleborg County