Kristdala is a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

and a parish situated in

Oskarshamn Municipality Oskarshamn Municipality (''Oskarshamns kommun'') is a municipality in Kalmar County in south-eastern Sweden, where the city Oskarshamn is seat. The amalgamations in the present municipality took place in 1967 when three rural municipalities join ...

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. Geo ...

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 945 inhabitants in 2010.

History

Between 470 and 443 million years ago, a meteor from the

Ordovician meteor event The Ordovician meteor event was a dramatic increase in the rate at which L chondrite meteorites fell to Earth during the Middle Ordovician period, about 467.5±0.28 million years ago. This is indicated by abundant fossil L chondrite meteorites in ...

struck south-east of present-day Kristdala and created the

Hummeln structure The Hummeln structure was confirmed, in 2015, as an impact crater in Småland province, Sweden. It is a wide depression within Lake Hummeln and is estimated to have formed between 470 and 443 Ma ago, during the Ordovician. Description The ...

where Lake Hummeln is now located. The first evidence of human settlement dates is a cairn from the Bronze Age (1700 to 500 B.C.E.) now located in Krithems Park. In the park are also round stones typical of a type of tomb from the Iron Age. Place name researchers believe that the name "Kristdala" comes from ''Kristusdalen'' (Christ Valley) or ''Kristusdalarna'' (Christ Valleys) and is related to the introduction of Christianity in the 12th century.

Kristdala Church

The medieval wooden Kristdala church was mentioned for the first time in 1358. It was demolished in 1792 and a new stone church was consecrated the same year.

Kristdala Market

Near the spot of Kristdala's first church was a marketplace that developed during the Middle Ages. The market lay at an important intersection, where five roads met, including roads from the coast (Figeholm, Döderhult and Oskarshamn) and from inland (Hultsfred and Vimmerby). Long ago, cattle trading was an important part of the market. Kristdala market is held twice a year: a summer market on the third Friday in July and a fall market in the fall around Michaelmas (29 September). The summer market is popular with tourists and is visited by approximately 20,000 people a year. Now, instead of cattle, people shop for candy, clothing, and other items.

Famous people

* Dr. Charles W. Roback (b. 1811) - Swedish-American fraudster.

References

Populated places in Kalmar County Populated places in Oskarshamn Municipality {{Kalmar-geo-stub