Skövde () 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

urban centre An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

Skövde Municipality Skövde Municipality (''Skövde kommun'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Skövde. The present municipality was formed in 1971 when the ''City of Skövde'' was amalgamated with ...

and

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern

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 ...

. Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, between Sweden's two largest lakes,

Vänern Vänern ( , also , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake of all Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmland in ...

and

Vättern Vättern ( , ) is the second largest lake by surface area in Sweden, after Vänern, and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden, to the southeast of Vänern, pointing at the tip of ...

. It lies on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge,

Billingen Billingen is the largest of the thirteen mesas in the Swedish county of Västra Götaland, with a maximum altitude of . The mesa extends in a north-southerly direct with a length of and a width of . Billingen is divided into two parts by an eas ...

(304 m), which cuts through the plain between the lakes. The Western Main Railway (

Västra Stambanan The Western Main Line ( sv, Västra stambanan) is the main state-owned railway line between Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. Its construction began in 1856 and it opened for service in 1862.Sweden's 32nd biggest locality (by population) with 39,580 inhabitants in 2020.

History

Skövde traces its history back to the

Medieval Age In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire an ...

. In Skövde's city coat of arms is the image of Saint Elin (also known as Saint Helena), who was considered a pious woman from Skövde. She was born about 1101, and was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...

in 1164. Of the medieval houses that once existed virtually nothing remains, as a fire in 1759 burned down the entire city except for some houses called Helensgården. After the fire, the city was rebuilt according to a grid pattern. The city only had a small population until the railway 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

was laid through the city, leading to an industrial and population boost.

Pre-16th century

Skövde's patron saint, Saint Elin (also known as Saint Helena), lived in the 12th century. According to legend, she was murdered on the way to a church consecration. She was canonized on 30 July 1164 by

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a con ...

and Archbishop Stefan of Sweden. During the Middle Ages, people made pilgrimages to Elin's grave, and this contributed to the city's development and growth. During the Middle Ages Skövde was a successful city, the economy thriving and Skövde eventually developed into a city of significant importance. Adjacent to the city were three churches: The City Church, The Elin Chapel directly south of the city, and Holy Birgitta's Chapel in the north. The city was at this time probably not especially great in area or population, rather its greatness lay in that it was once home to the Patron Saint of the Diocese, St. Elin. The pilgrims travelled here to visit the Saint's origin and burial place, and the commerce around the pilgrims came to be an important prerequisite for Skövde's development in the ensuing century. The exact year when Skövde got its town charter is unknown, but it can be assumed to be sometime around the year 1400 when the city was mentioned in a tax roll. At the beginning of the 16th century, King Gustav Vasa confirmed the town's charter in a letter.

The 16th century until the Fire of 1759

If the 15th century was marked by success, then the 16th century saw an emergent decline for the city. The main reason for this was the Reformation and the transition to the Lutheran faith. They wanted to cleanse out all forms of idol worship in the form of saintly cults from the churches; these churches were emptied of treasures and relics, and Skövde itself did not escape. Pilgrims ceased to travel here and a large part of the city's revenue disappeared practically overnight. King Gustav Vasa also had plans to move the city together with some other cities of the West Göta region to

Hornborgasjön Lake Hornborga ( sv, Hornborgasjön) is a lake in Västergötland in Sweden, famous for its many birds, in particular the many cranes that stay here temporarily during their annual migrations. History Lake Hornborga was created after the la ...

('Lake Hornborg') in order to build a great city. In 1520 the first documented setback took place for Skövde. The Danish King,

Kristian II Kristian is a name in several languages, and is a form of Christian (given name), Christian. Meaning in different languages The name is used in several languages, among them Albanian language, Albanian, Slovak language, Slovak, Danish language, Da ...

, undertook his third military campaign against Sweden. One of the Danish armies swept through

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

(Western Götland) and burned down Skövde,

Falköping Falköping is a locality and the seat of Falköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 16,350 inhabitants in 2010. History The town of Falköping was first spoken of in the Icelandic ''Rimbegla'' (around 1100 A.D.), and ...

Skara Skara is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecc ...

and Bogesund (now

Ulricehamn Ulricehamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, with 9,787 inhabitants in 2010. History Ulricehamn, originally known as ''Bogesund'', has been populated at least since the ...

). It was only in the 17th century that figures of how many people lived in Skövde could be estimated with any fair degree of certainty. For the year 1655, the city presented a census of 134 people, 34 farmers, 38 housewives, 12 sons, 3 daughters, 2 farmhands, 8 maids, 10 boarders, 14 boatmen, and 13 described as '63 years old', i.e. contemporary retirees. During the 1660s there was some growth, and in 1669 the city had a population of 168 people. At the beginning of the 18th century, Skövde was one of the county's smallest towns. In 1700, the town has just 154 inhabitants, but only 50 years later had the population risen to 381. In 1770 the population had risen up to 500 people. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Swedish towns and country districts had to take care of prisoners of war captured by Karl XII's armies. It was the Saxons, Germans, Danes, Norwegians, Poles and Cossacks who lived in enforced internship in Skövde. In 1708, there were up to 56 prisoners of war in Skövde. In the town hall's civil rules one can read that the number of prisoners was now so great that every citizen had to now take care of a prisoner. In 1718, there were up to 90 Danish prisoners, in other words, the number of prisoners of war came to dominate the small Skövde. In 1746,

Carl von Linné Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

was out on his journey through Västra Götaland, where he also visited tracts of Skövde. He talks in detail about the

pollarded Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In ancient Rome, Propertius mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE. The practice oc ...

meadows in Berg,

beeches Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

on Ingasäter and Mölltorp's

alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , where is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium or a ...

works. When on 27 June he reached Skövde, he did not have much positive to say, 'Skövde town, quarter before six from Berg, was a very small spot, located on the east side of

, without any lake or particular feature, the houses were small, streets irregular and Cemetery on set with lovely boxes. This city has once been the seat of St. Helena.' His journey continued southerly, the next stop being

Skultorp Skultorp () is a locality situated in Skövde Municipality, Västra Götaland County, 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 Ki ...

. Once again Linnaeus was compelled to share his experiences, describing women's hats, farmhands' courtship and the magnificent view from Skultorp's Nabbe. The year 1759 saw the destruction of central Skövde in a large fire. A block of old wooden houses are preserved, and together with a botanical garden, form the cultural reserve Helénsparken. The oldest house in the park, Helénsstugan ('Heléns cottage') is from the early 18th century. Next to Hertig Johan's Torg ('Duke Johan's Square') is Saint Helena's Church and church park.

Town after the fire

Skövde recovered after the fire. The social life began to flourish, balls and theatrical performances followed one another. The inhabitants of the city lived a safe and hopefully pleasant small-town life. However, new winds would blow that would change the city's development for a long time. At the start of the 1860s, the city's area was limited to what is now called the old city. Some major industries did not exist yet; handicrafts, trade and agriculture were the only industries that were practiced.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

were the primary industries for the inhabitants right up to the 1850s, while the actual town's urban

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

industries were developed. The policemen in Skövde, or 'the magistrate's henchmen' as they were known in formal terms of the time, were few in number during the first part of the 19th century. The city's police force consisted of one permanent employee. The uniform cap showed his power and authority, while his armament consisted of a truncheon. His task was to carry out the punishment when someone was convicted to be flogged. In the early 19th century, the town was dominated by one-storey houses. The roofs were usually covered with straw, reeds, peat or boards. Only in 1850 did it become common to use brick. During the 19th century, the first half of the year had six or seven markets in Skövde. 1847 saw the introduction of market square days, which soon came to have the character of regular market days. The market came to be limited to two times a year, one in spring and one in autumn. An important market was the remounting market (''remonterinsmarknaden''), or horse market, that occurred annually on 19 September. It was widely known, even beyond the country's borders. Buyers came from the cavalry and artillery regiments, but also individual buyers from Norway, Denmark and Germany, to buy young horses. The trade was so great that several thousand horses could change hands in a single day. On 2 April 1832 it was decided that the streets would be named. Previously, all the plots of land were only numbered. But it was not long before street addresses completely broke through, though even in the 1930s plot numbers were sufficient to use as post addresses. In 1858, the population of the city increased and soon the railway stood finished. In 1859, the

Västra stambanan The Western Main Line ( sv, Västra stambanan) is the main state-owned railway line between Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. Its construction began in 1856 and it opened for service in 1862.Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning ''Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning'' (''GHT'') was a daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1832 to 1985. History and profile ''GHT'' was founded in 1832 by publisher Magnus Prytz and had a liberal alignment from the lat ...

'' (''Gothenburg Trade and Maritime News Journal''), S.A. Hedlund, who promised to provide news content and editorials. The newspaper was called ''Sköfde Tidning'' (''Skövde Newspaper'') and was published every Saturday. The first issue came out on 13 November 1858. In 1960, the paper, then known as ''Västgöta Korrespondenten Skövde Tidning'' (VK – ''The West Göta Correspondent''), joined together with Skaraborgs Läns Annonsblad (SLA – ''Skaraborg County Advertiser'', founded in 1884). On 18 June 1870, a

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

spa opened nearby the railway station, which had the effect of Skövde experiencing a short period as a spa resort. The spa, founded by Dr. Lars G Dovertie, was busily frequented by during the 1870s and 1880s. Since 1992, the spa has been a student union building. In 1884 a company was formed to meet the need of an indoor riding arena. The city voluntarily donated a spot just north of the city. The riding school was later to become a key player in future discussions about placing regiments in Skövde. 1889 brought the issue of trying to get

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...

's recruit school to Skövde. It was suggested that this would see a shift from a ' tenement soldier' regiment (soldiers from Sweden's allotment system) to an enlisted troupe. In 1891 it was decided that Skövde would get the regiment in two years, but at the end of 1894

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

emerged as a competitor to Skövde. Örebro had certain advantages, for example a large indoor riding arena, but after new bids from Skövde, the town emerged victorious. Since 1896 the Husarernas rekrytskola ('Hussars Recruit School') has been located in Skövde. The latter half of the 20th century was characterised by furious redevelopment. This brought parking lots and the creation of monumental buildings, some arguably more beautiful than others. Centuries-old features of the cityscape were erased, in particular all the old wooden housing settlements in the old town's western part. Otherwise the 20th century in Skövde was characterised greatly by the presence of the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Military-dressed men have been a marked feature of Skövde's streets, even if drastically less so at the end of the 20th century and into the new millennium.

Climate

Skövde has a

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 Princ ...

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'' ( ...

hybrid climate. The town is influenced by being in the slope of a hill, which leads to warmer overnight lows than in

on the western side of the same higher area. In July 2018, Skövde recorded a mean during the 2018 European heat wave. This makes it one of the very few stations in Sweden to have met the

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

definition of a hot summer at any point in recorded weather history. Even so, Skövde is not frequently warm during an average year. On average, summers are cooler than on the east coast of the country. This is due to strong

low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...

systems from the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

bringing plenty of rainy days along with an elevation of . Skövde does still have a lower precipitation total than areas to its south such as

Borås Borås ( , , ) is a city (officially, a locality) and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 66,273 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the ...

and areas in

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

that are affected even more by the maritime patterns.

Industry and enterprise

Volvo and Aurobay

Aurobay (formerly part of

Volvo Cars Volvo Cars ( sv, Volvo personvagnar, styled VOLVO in the company's logo) is a Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Torslanda, Gothenburg. The company manufactures SUVs, station wagons, and sedans. The company's ...

) and Volvo Group Truck Operations (a company within the

Volvo Group 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 ...

) jointly operate one of the world's largest automotive foundries in Skövde, and are Skövde's two largest employers. The Volvo Group Truck Operations plant is AB Volvo's largest producer of industrial diesel engines worldwide (producing

engine block In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was atta ...

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...

s and

flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, ass ...

s as well as engine mounts and

disk brake Disk or disc may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a geometric shape * Disk storage Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * Disk (album), ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other uses * Disk (functional analysis), a subset of a ...

s). Aurobay produces sustainable, efficient, hybrid engines for Volvo Cars and will eventually do so other customers. Aurobay has capacity for 600,000

powertrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

solutions a year. In 2021, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency approved a grant of SEK 144 million for the conversion of part of the Skövde plant to produce

powertrains A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

for

electric vehicles An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...

. In 2011, the two plants combined had over 4,000 permanent employees (2,100 employees at Volvo Group Truck Operations ).

Diversified industries

Skövde is a diversified industrial centre, and includes companies such as CEJN AB (pneumatic, hydraulic and high pressure hydraulic quick connect couplings), Furhoffs Rostfria ('Furhoff's Stainless Steel' – sinks and drainage), Cementa (cement) and Grahns Konfektyr ('Grahn's Confectionery' – sweets). Skövde has many public service employers and the largest of them in

. Other public service employers include the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...

, Skaraborg Hospital, Kärnsjukhuset (also known as KSS – The Central Hospital), The University, Skaraborgs District Court (''Skaraborgs Tingsrätt''),

Swedish Police The Swedish Police Authority ( sv, Polismyndigheten) is the national police force (''Polisen'') of the Kingdom of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under lo ...

and

Västtrafik Västtrafik is the agency responsible for public transport services involving buses, ferries, trains, and the Gothenburg tram network in the county of Västra Götaland, Sweden (plus Kungsbacka Municipality). It was established with the Västra ...

. Few places can match Skövde's development in recent years as a commercial centre. Retail sales in the city have increased by 40% over the past 10 years. This contributes to the relatively large trade sector bringing many jobs in small and medium enterprises. Skövde is a centre for game development and games for training. In the business park Gothia Science Park, there are dozens of game companies that have both developed and produced games in Skövde. The proximity to the relatively large gaming development program at the

University of Skövde The University of Skövde (in Swedish: Högskolan i Skövde, HIS) is a state university in Skövde, Sweden. The University of Skövde was granted university status in 1983 and is now an academic institution with general and specialised educationa ...

is a major contributing factor to Skövde having become a game development centre. The many varied employment opportunities in Skövde have meant an increase in daily commuting to the city from neighboring municipalities.

Commerce, retail and trade

Skövde is a shopping town with a large selection. The city centre is Skaraborg's largest shopping centre with over 40 shops and restaurants. It is located directly adjacent to Hertig Johans Torg and Sandtorget ('Sand Square') and has its own car park. In the centre are several major brands and a variety of smaller shops. In October 2008, the newly renovated shopping mall Vasaporten was finished (formerly Göfab Huset) with a dozen shops, a new entrance to Willys grocery store and 500 parking spaces in the adjoining car park. Norrmalm's commerce precinct contains about twenty shops along Gustavus Adolphusgatan. Here lies a big, new shopping centre, Elins Esplanad (formerly Maxi-house), with 30 shops, an Ica Maxi Supermarket and a restaurant and cafe. There are thousands of free parking spaces including 200 in the garage. Elin's Esplanade was opened on 28 November 2008. Stallsikens commerce precinct is an entirely new bulk retail area built for big new stores to open in Skövde. Tenants include auto parts store

Biltema Biltema is a Swedish chain of retail stores, specializing in tools, car supplies and leisure products. Founded in 1963 in Linköping, Sweden, Biltema also has stores in Finland, Norway and Denmark. The company is owned privately by founder Sten � ...

, garden store Plantagen, furniture retailer Mio, discount retailer Ö&B, furniture and home decor store Chili, home and leisure department store Rusta and electronics store

Media Markt Media Markt is a German multinational chain of stores selling consumer electronics with over 1000 stores in Europe. With chain of stores Saturn it constitutes Media-Saturn Holding, owned by the retail company Ceconomy, which was demerged from M ...

. The inauguration took place in stages, starting in the spring of 2008. Skövde has three trading areas: The Centre, Norrmalm and Stallsiken, which are all within easy reach of the city. In addition, there are more specific traders in several other areas of Skövde: Aspelund, Hasslum, Mariesjö, Hallenbergrondellen ('Hallenberg'ss roundabout'), Karstorpsrondellen ('Karstorp's roundabout') and Billingesluttningen ('The Billinge Hillside').

Culture and entertainment

Skövde Kulturhus ('Skovde's Civic Cultural Centre') was built in 1964 and is Sweden's first cultural centre to bring together diverse cultural disciplines under the one roof. The cultural centre was designed by architect Hans-Erland Heineman, and houses the art gallery, art museum, library, theatre and cinema.

Museums

Skövde's City Museum was previously situated in Gamla Rådhuset ('The Old Town Hall') at Hertig Johan's Torg. After 2005 the museum was moved to Norrmalm. In the museum, there are letters, legal documents, maps, theatre posters and newspaper clippings. In the archive there are even tens of thousands of photographs from Skövde and numerous portrait photos from the 19th century. In storage there are nearly 40,000 objects, though nobody really knows how many as not all are yet catalogued. There is also an external exhibition in the city cente: Helénsgården ('Helén's farm' or also Helénsstugan – 'Heléns cottage' or Petter Heléns stuga – 'Petter Heléns cottage'). It is the only remaining building from the great fire affecting the city in 1759, which essentially destroyed the whole town. Helénsgården was probably built in the beginning of the 18th century and is today protected as a cultural preservation. Its park is used widely as a meeting place and for events such as Sweden's National Day celebration. At the Skövde garrison there is the Garnisonsmuseet ('Garrison Museum'), which has military and soldier exhibits from throughout the ages. Additionally, the central soldier register proves an invaluable tool for genealogy. Skövde Sport History Museum, the newest museum in Skovde, from 2001, is located in the basement of Billingehus. Here you will find the city's sports history in sounds, images, old trophies and sports equipment. The Volvo Museum tells of the start of Sköfde Gjuteri och Mekaniska Verkstad ('Skövde Foundry and Mechanical Workshop') in 1868 and its transformation to today's automotive industry. Ryttmästarbostället ('The Stablemaster's Residence') is located at Simsjön outside Skövde and is operated by a non-profit organisation. Its purpose is to preserve the buildings, furniture and appliances from the allotment system time and make the collections accessible to the public.

Music

Musical events are often organised in the city, such as Loke, a local initiative organising amateur nights when amateurs can play and even borrow instruments. Valhall is a local initiative right beside Loke in the Kulturhus (Skövdes Civic Culture Centre), which sees established bands play, such as

Mustasch Mustasch is a rock band from Sweden. They were formed in the fall of 1998 by Ralf Gyllenhammar, Hannes Hansson, Mats Hansson and Stam Johansson in Gothenburg. Band history Mustasch was formed in Gothenburg in 1998, and recorded demos at "The ...

and

Hardcore Superstar Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1997 and have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, ...

. In wintertime,

Arena Skövde Skövde Arena is a building for rehabilitation, fitness, gym, massage and public events in Skövde, Sweden. It has a capacity for 2,400 spectators during sport events. External links *Nya Arena Skövde
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arena Skovde Indoor arena ...

is usually used for major artists that attract large audiences. In summer, Karstorp recreation area or Boulognerskogen ('Boulogner Forrest') are often used.

Theatre

Theatre productions can be seen at the City Theatre, located in the Kulturhus (Skövdes Civic Culture Centre). There you can see everything from revues to children's theatre. Eric Ugglas Theatre is another, in Eric Ugglas plats ('Eric Uggla's Place'), slightly south of Skövde's city centre.

The Food Festival

The Food Festival is a festival of Skövde which started in 1990 and is always the last weekend in August. The festival's focus is on food that is served in small portions from different restaurants in the city. The restaurants also compete to see who makes the best cuisine as decided by the festival's visitors. The Food Festival also has an amusement park that is located on Sandtorget and a market hall that is located on Hertig Johans Torg.

Restaurants

Skövde has a number of well-regarded restaurants. The most highly rated include the cozy and ornate Kryddan Pizzeria and Restaurant on Mariestadsvägen; Wallermans, also on Mariestadsvägen; and Pim's, with its park views on Hertig Johans Gata. Popular amongst the locals, there are a number of pizzerias throughout Skövde, each with their own take on Swedish-style pizza as well as international variations.

Military

The armoured corps regiment Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) and the logistics corps regiment

Göta Logistic Regiment The Göta Logistic Regiment ( sv, Göta trängregemente, T 2), is the only logistic regiment in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its new organisation was laid down in 2000, when the regiment became the only logistic regiment in Sweden. The regiment is ...

(T 2) are both located in Skövde, as is the Army Combat school.

History

Around the year 1900, several

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

units became stationed in Skövde. In 1913 the Skaraborg Regiment also moved there, costing the city a lot of money but also contributing to increased consumption and business. Today the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

is one of the largest in Sweden.

Active military units

There are several military units in Skövde, Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) and the

(T 2) with the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics and Motor School (''Försvarsmaktens logistik och motorskola'', LogS) and the Land Warfare Centre (MSS). P 4 trains primarily mechanized shooting units and tank units while TrängR trains logistics units of various types. The Land Warfare Centre is for the training of officers in land combat as well as development methods and evaluation practice. The Logistics School is a joint armed school that develops the skills of students and staff from the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

within disciplines of military science, military technology, leadership and individual combat fighting. The Logistics School is located at the Göta Logistic Regiment in Skövde and works together with the Armed Forces Logistics Regiment Centre of Excellence in Logistics. After the recent decision by Defence, Skövde's garrison's role in the Armed Forces has increased, with smaller units being moved to Skövde, including the Armed Forces Engine School and Logistics School. New duties for the troops in the city include erecting and manning positions for the

Nordic Battle Group The Nordic Battlegroup (NBG) is one of eighteen European Union battlegroups. It consists of around 2,500 soldiers including officers, with manpower contributed from the seven participating Northern European countries, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Irel ...

, a task force within the European Union's battlegroup concept. In essence, Skövde garrison has commitments of approximately 230 soldiers and officers in a logistics

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

, nearly one hundred in an infantry battalion staff and also a couple of independent

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

s. Additionally, further troops are assigned to the separate mechanized operation company IA07.

Education

University of Skövde

The

is a university with over 9,000 students that conducts research and has a number of courses focusing across several areas. Currently, the main areas of focus are information technology and systems biology, but a few more courses are under development. The university trains, amongst others,

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

computer scientists Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (including th ...

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

cognitive scientists Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s. The University of Skövde profiles itself as having strengths across interdisciplinary courses where technology, natural science and the humanities are united. At the university, there is an ongoing project within the teaching faculty in collaboration with KK-stiftelsen called KompLIT (Competence Development Teacher Education and IT).

Other education providers

On the outskirts of the city is also Skövde Garrison, which is one of Sweden's largest, with two regiments, Skaraborg Regiment (P 4),

(T 2), with the Logistics School (''Logistikskolan'') and the Land Warfare Centre (MSS). The Rescue and Survival College ( sv, Räddningskolan) is a competency-enhancing education and training provider, providing education and certification in rescue, fire safety and international humanitarian work areas. It also provides hotel accommodation and conference facilities for hire. The Swedish Rescue Training Centre (SRTC, formerly known by its Swedish moniker, Räddningverkets övningsfält) is located in Hasslum, also providing education and training in risk and safety areas. There are two municipal highschools in Skövde, Västerhöjdsgymnasiet and Kavelbrogymnasiet, which now operates under the name of Gymnasium Skövde. There is also a municipal adult education school ( ''vuxenutbildning'' or

Komvux Komvux (short for ''kommunal vuxenutbildning'', literally "municipal adult education") is a form of secondary education for adults in Sweden. The government of Sweden allocates funds to the municipalities for this type of education. It is primarily ...

Sports

Skövde's sports scene has long been focused around handball, however the town boasts other sports played at the elite level, albeit with relatively lower profiles. Such sports include baseball, softball and taekwondo.

Handball

Skövde's handball team play at the highest level for both males and females. IFK Skövde has more recently competed in handball's elite series (Elitserie) and 2005 saw the men compete in the final against Sävehof. This was a final that, despite great success during the season, IFK Skövde lost by the narrowest of margins. In 2007 the team was once again in the final, this time against Hammarby IF, who went on to win the match. Skövde HF's (Handbollsflickor – handball girls) women's team is also in Sweden's highest division. Amongst other achievements, the team played five finals over the course of several years and became Swedish champions in 2008 after they beat IK Sävehof 31−24.

Orienteering

The

1989 World Orienteering Championships The 1989 World Orienteering Championships, the 13th World Orienteering Championships, were held in Skövde, Sweden, 17–20 August 1989. The championships had four events; individual contests for men and women, and relays for men and women. M ...

were held in Skövde. The 2002 edition of O-Ringen was also held in Skövde.

Clubs and associations

* IFK Skövde HK –

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

club * Skövde HF – Handball club * HP Skövde 90 – Handball club * Skövde IK – Ice hockey club *

Skövde AIK Skövde AIK is a Swedish football club from Skövde. It was founded on 21 June 1919. The club is currently in Superettan. Background Skövde AIK has played 14 seasons in second tier Swedish football, the last time being as recently as 1995 ...

−

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club * Skövde KIK − Football (soccer) club * IFK Skövde Fotboll Klubb −

club * Våmbs IF − Football (soccer) club * FC Södra Ryd − Football (soccer) club * Skövde IBF – Innebandy (floor hockey) association * Föreningen SkövdeBor, Stockholm-based expatriate association * Skövde Saints BSK − Baseball and Softball club * IFK Skövde Friidrott Athletics association * IF Hagen Friidrott – Athletics association * IF Hagen Orientering – Orienteering association * Orienteringsklubben P 4 − Orienteering association * Skövde Dukes – American football (gridiron) club * IF Hagen SK − Ski club * IFK Skövde Skidklubb – Ski club * IF Skövde Karate Kai – Karate and Martial Arts * Skövde ABK - Athlete- and Wrestling Club * Skövde Bandy - Bandy association * Skövde BC – Boxing club * Skövde Bågskytteklubb − Archery club * Skövde CK – Cycling club * Skövde GF – Gymnastics association * Skövde GK – Golf club * Skövde Judo – Judo club * Skövde KK – (Konståkningsklubb) – Figure Skating club * Skövde FK − Table Tennis club * Skövde RF – Equestrian association * Skövde SS – Swimming association * Skövde Taekwon-do Club − Taekwondo club * Skövde Tennisförening − Tennis association * Skövde VBK – Volleyball association * S:t Helena Basket – Basketball club * Candanza DF – Dance association

Airport

Skövde Airport Skövde Airport is an airport located in Skövde and was inaugurated in 1989. The airport was built as Skövde's replacement for the failed project for a joint airfield, Skarlanda, for Skaraborg County near Axvall outside Skara. Lidköping-Hovby ...

is located approximately 10 km from Skövde. Currently there are no scheduled flights, however there is an active flying club, gliding club and at least one corporate jet is based at Skövde.

Other

The North's largest gold treasure, ''Timboholmsskatten'' ('Timboholm's Treasure'), was found in Skövde in 1904 by two farmhands by the names of Carl Wernlund and Per Rythén, better known as Sjôle-Lotta and Bly-Per.Skövde Museum, ''Otrons vinter - en utställning av Skövde museum'' (1993) sidan 23. The treasure, which contains 24 carat gold, weighs over 7 kilograms and consists of 16 rings and two

ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sh ...

s. Today, the treasure is in the

Swedish Museum of National Antiquities The Swedish History Museum ( sv, Historiska museet or Statens historiska museum) is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates ...

in Stockholm (Historiska museet) and a copy can be found in Skövde City Museum (Skövde stadsmuseum). The treasure dates back to the later

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

(around the fifth to the sixth centuries.)

Personalities associated with Skövde

Stig Bergström Stig M. Bergström (born 12 June 1935 in Skövde) is a Swedish-American paleontologist. In 1981, he described the conodont family Paracordylodontidae. In 1974, he described the multielement conodont genus '' Appalachignathus'' from the Middle Ord ...

, a Swedish-American paleontologist, born in 1935 in Skövde

Notable Skövde residents

Christian Älvestam Christian Älvestam (Born 14 April 1976 in Sweden) is a vocalist, lyricist, guitarist, bassist and drummer for several bands from Sweden. He is, however, best known as the former vocalist for the Swedish metal band Scar Symmetry. He currently per ...

, vocalist *

Fredrik Belfrage Fredrik Belfrage (born Knut Fredrik Åkesson Belfrage; 29 July 1949, in Växjö) is a Sweden, Swedish TV and radio presenter and sports reporter. He is the son of the dentist Åke Belfrage (1915–1985) and Vera Maria, born Vange (1914–1984). H ...

, television personality *

Dan Wikman Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

, television personality *

Helena Bergman Helena Bergman ( Jansson, born 28 August 1985) is a Swedish orienteer who became World Champion in the sprint distance in Miskolc, Hungary in 2009. She lives in Stockholm and competes for OK Ravinen OK Ravinen is a Swedish orienteering club i ...

, orienteering World Champion *

Mustafa Can Mustafa Can (born October 15, 1969 in Obuzbaşı, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Wes ...

, journalist *

Gustav Ejstes Gustav Ejstes (born 23 December 1979) is a Swedish musician. He is the singer and frontman of the Swedish psychedelic rock band Dungen. Ejstes himselfs plays many of the instruments within his recordings, alongside bandmates Reine Fiske (guitar ...

, musician (Dungen, Amason) *

Alfred Grenander Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander (26 June 1863 – 14 March 1931) was a Swedish architect, who became one of the most prominent engineers during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn network in the early twentieth century. Biography Gre ...

, architect * Thomas G:son, musician *

Robert Gustafsson Carl Robert Olof Gustafsson (born 20 December 1964) is a Swedish comedian, actor, and member of ''Killinggänget''. pr References External links Official homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafsson, Robert 1964 births Living people Swedish ma ...

, comedian *

Marcus Hellner Carl Marcus Joakim Hellner (born 25 November 1985) is a Swedish former cross-country skier who competed between 2003 and 2018. He retired at the end of the 2017-18 FIS World Cup season. Athletic career Hellner had a total of seven victories in ...

, cross-country skier * David Johansson, football *

Michael Jonzon Michael Jonzon (born 21 April 1972) is a Swedish professional golfer. Jonzon was born in Skara, Sweden. He turned professional in 1991 and has spent most of his career on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour. He has two European Tour titles, ...

, golfer *

Andreas Larsson Peter Andreas Larsson (born 13 August 1974) is a Swedish handball player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics and in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was born in Locketorp, Skövde Skövde () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and urban c ...

, handball player *

Kristina Lugn Gunhild Bricken Kristina Lugn (; 14November 1948 – 9 May 2020)Jones, Evelyn.Författaren Kristina Lugn är död", Dagens Nyheter 9 May 2020. Accessed 9 May 2020. was a Swedish poet and dramatist and member of the Swedish Academy. Early ...

, poet * Christian Magdu, actor * Johan Mårtensson, footballer *

Johan Sjöstrand Johan Sjöstrand (; born 26 February 1987) is a Swedish handballer for Bjerringbro-Silkeborg, and has represented the Swedish national team at several competitions including the 2012 Olympic Games where he was part of the Swedish team that won ...

, handball player *

Tim Sköld Tim Skold (born Thim Sköld) is a Swedish musician and record producer who produces solo work and has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, Marilyn Manson and Motionless in White. Biography Early li ...

, musician *

Petter Stymne Petter Stymne (born 9 May 1983 in Ryd, Sweden) is a Swedish swimmer from Skövde, representing SK Neptun from Stockholm. He competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Stymne became gold medalist and world rec ...

, swimmer * Elina Thorsell, musician (

Timoteij Timoteij were a Swedish ethnopop group established in 2008. The group originally consisted of four women, Cecilia Kallin, Bodil Bergström, Elina Thorsell and Johanna Pettersson, all born in 1991. Pettersson left the group in 2014. History Tim ...

) * Oscar Wendt, footballer *

Gert Wingårdh Gert Wingårdh (born 1951) is a Swedish architect whose company, Wingårdh arkitektkontor, maintains an international practice.''Gert Wingårdh; Thirty Years of Architecture'', Mikael Nanfeldt (ed.) (Birkhäuser Publishers for Architecture, 2008 ...

, architect

References

External links

*
SkövdeNätet
– Website and forum for people living and working in Skövde {{DEFAULTSORT:Skovde Municipal seats of Västra Götaland County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Västra Götaland County Populated places in Skövde Municipality Skaraborg Cities in Västra Götaland County