Ljusdal Municipality (''Ljusdals kommun'') is one of Sweden's 290

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

within

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 ...

. Its seat is

Ljusdal Ljusdal () is a locality and the seat of Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 6,230 inhabitants in 2010. Ljusdal is situated on Riksväg 83 which runs between Tönnebro in Söderhamn Municipality in Gävleborg County and � ...

. The municipality was formed in 1971 by the

amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...

of the market town (''

köping ''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Munici ...

'') of Ljusdal (instituted in 1914) with the rural municipalities Järvsö, Färila, Los and Ramsjö. Ljusdal is known for its successful

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

team and for the annual

Bandy World Cup The Bandy World Cup is an international bandy competition played in Sweden at the beginning of the bandy season every year, in autumn. The participating teams qualify based on their results in the previous bandy season. The World Cup is not playe ...

that used to be held in the town.

Geography

Geographically the town is located on the shores of the river

Ljusnan Ljusnan (from Old Norse: ''Lusn'' — light) is a river in Sweden, which is 440 kilometers long. The river starts in northwestern Härjedalen and then continues throughout the province into Hälsingland all the way to the Bothnian Sea. The bigg ...

, along the shores of which Sweden's northern main line railway (''

Norra Stambanan The Northern Main Line ( sv, Norra stambanan) is a long electrified railway in Sweden, between Gävle or Storvik and Ånge. The railway consists of single track except the parts between Mo grindar and Holmsveden, Kilafors and Bollnäs, and Ramsj ...

'') stretches. The municipality calls itself "Sweden's nearest Norrland", with

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 ...

being historically how Sweden's north was referred to. Geographically, the municipality is located at the centre of Sweden. In this large municipality (Sweden's 25th largest) there are several nature activities one can enjoy. Along Ljusnan there are a total of 40 kilometers of water ways, with possibilities for sailing, rafting, fishing or taking a tour with the tour boats.

Hamra National Park Hamra National Park ( sv, Hamra nationalpark) is a national park in Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden. The park, which is a part of Orsa Finnmark (part of Dalarna), was founded in 1909 and was then in area, but was extended in 2011 ...

is also located partly within the western parts of the municipality.

Localities

Figures as of 2004, from

Statistics Sweden Statistics Sweden ( sv, Statistiska centralbyrån ; SCB) is the Swedish government agency operating under the Ministry of Finance and responsible for producing official statistics for decision-making, debate and research. The agency's responsib ...

: *

7,559 *

Järvsö Järvsö (), locally known as ''Jarse'' (), is a locality and a parish situated in Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 1,407 inhabitants in 2010. From Järvsö, people commute to Ljusdal, Färila, Bollnäs, and Gävle. The Järv pa ...

1,907 *

Färila Färila () is a locality situated in Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 1,293 inhabitants in 2010. Färila is situated in a valley near the river Ljusnan. People to commute to and from Ljusdal. The town is an industrial centre in ...

1,542 *

Tallåsen Tallåsen is a locality situated in Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 586 inhabitants in 2010. It lies about 5 km northwest of Ljusdal. The village is mainly a bedroom community; most inhabitants commute to Ljusdal Ljusd ...

807 *

Los LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

469 *

Hybo Hybo is a locality situated in Ljusdal Municipality Ljusdal Municipality (''Ljusdals kommun'') is one of Sweden's 290 municipalities within Gävleborg County. Its seat is Ljusdal. The municipality was formed in 1971 by the amalgamation of th ...

351 *

Ramsjö Ramsjö () is a village in Ljusdal Municipality, Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad ...

306 *

Hennan Hennan, is a village in Ljusdal Municipality, Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad a ...

227 *

Korskrogen Korskrogen, is a village in Ljusdal Municipality, Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad ...

202 *

Kårböle Kårböle is a village in Ljusdal Municipality, Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad ...

134

History

The area had a large immigration from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in the 17th and 18th century in the western part of the municipality known as Orsa Finnmark (in

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 ...

). Still there are many names which trace this Finnish influence. In Ljusdal a museum dedicated to the regions history is now located in a former dairy, and in Järvsö there is the Stenegård cultural centre. The population was boosted when the mainline railway was constructed here in the late 19th century.

Tourism

Tourism in the municipality is focussed on Järvsö. Popular tourist activities in Järvsö include skiing on Järvsöbacken and visiting

Järvzoo Järvzoo is a zoo in Järvsö, Sweden, which has a large collection of Nordic animals. These include the major carnivores of Sweden: the wolf, arctic fox, bear, lynx, and wolverine, as well as moose, roe deer, reindeer, Finnish forest reindeer ...

Nature

Gröntjärn Nature Reserve is located in Ljusdal Municipality around 20 kilometers north of Ljusdal. Here several Kettle holes formed during glacial retreat, where ice blocks melted under sediments. The pool is not fed by streams but by groundwater and can see large variations in the lake level. The ground water source also gives the lake it is characteristic turquoise-green colouring.

Sister cities

* Denmark :

Glamsbjerg Glamsbjerg is a town in central Denmark with a population of 3,350 (1 January 2023),Tynset Tynset is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tynset. Other villages in Tynset include Fådalen, Fåset, Telneset ...

* Finland:

Ikaalinen Ikaalinen (; sv, Ikalis) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, located northwest of Tampere. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The munici ...

* Estonia:

Vinni Øyvind Sauvik (born 3 February 1976), better known by his stage name Vinni, is a Norwegian musician and hip hop artist. Biography Born in Arendal, Norway, Sauvik moved with his parents to Tanzania when he was three years old, as they worked w ...

* Germany:

Schlieben Schlieben ( dsb, Sliwin) is a town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated north of Bad Liebenwerda. Schlieben was the site of a concentration camp during the Holocaust. History From 1815 to 1944, Schlie ...

Gallery

Image:Riotorg.JPG, Ljusdal Municipal Building on Rio square Image:Ljusdal vattentornet.jpg, The Water tower Image:Ljusdalskyrka.JPG, The church of Ljusdal Image:Ljusdalsbygdens museum.jpg, Ljusdalsbygdens museum Image:Borrgarden.jpg, Historic Borrgården

References

External links

Ljusdal
– official website
Sweden's Nearest Norrland
– tourism website in Swedish/English/German
Energy Flow Survey of Ljusdal's Municipality
– pdf
Energy flow survey of Ljusdals municipality
(Abstract) {{authority control Municipalities of Gävleborg County