Sölvesborg (old da, Sølvesborg) 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 the seat of
Sölvesborg Municipality
Sölvesborg Municipality (''Sölvesborgs kommun'') is a municipality in Blekinge County in South Sweden in southern Sweden. It borders to Bromölla Municipality, Olofström Municipality and Karlshamn Municipality. The town Sölvesborg is the seat ...
in
Blekinge County
Blekinge County ( sv, Blekinge län) is a county or '' län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne, Kronoberg, Kalmar and the Baltic Sea. The capital is Karlskrona. It is the smallest of the present administrative countie ...
,
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 10,024 inhabitants in 2013.
[
Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as 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 ...
''. 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 ...
, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.
History of the city
As the water from the Baltic Ice Lake
The Baltic Ice Lake is a name given by geologists to a freshwater lake that evolved in the Baltic Sea basin as glaciers retreated from that region at the end of the last ice age. The lake existed between 12,600 and 10,300 years Before Present ...
withdrew, the land around present-day Sölvesborg became accessible to settlers from what today is Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. The first people to settle were farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
s; remains of their presence have been found in the area dating back to the Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
, mostly in the area around Gammalstorp
Gammalstorp, Sölvesborg is a minor community in Sölvesborg municipality, Blekinge, Sweden. Between 1863 and 1970, Gammalstorp was a municipality. In contrast to other municipalities of the time (e.g. Mjällby), Gammalstorp did not have a partic ...
, Siretorp and Istaby. The hill in the east, marking the border towards Karlshamn
Karlshamn () is a locality and the seat of Karlshamn Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden. It had 13,576 inhabitants in 2015, out of 31,846 in the municipality.
Karlshamn received a Royal Charter and city privileges in 1664, when King Charles X ...
called Ryssberget
Ryssberget is a hill in the municipality of Sölvesborg, in the southeastern Swedish province of Blekinge. Ryssberget is made up of some of the oldest stone in Blekinge, so-called metavulcanites created about 1700 million years ago.
As the ice a ...
, was a direct creation of the glacial movements. On the western side of the hill, the different times of ice withdrawal are clearly noticeable. The old, now drained lake of Vesan
Vesan is a former lake in Sölvesborg, Blekinge County, Sweden. Originally Vesan was a strait. In the area between Ryssberget and Listerlandet, water from Hanöbukten flowed in and in effect cut off Listerlandet from the rest of the mainland. The ...
was also a product of the ice age.
The port town of Sölvesborg was founded in the 12th century, between the mountain Ryssberget and the bay to the east (Sölvesborgsviken), but the city itself has grown up around the church, the monastery and later on the castle. The oldest part of the church of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
is from the 12th century. In the 14th century, the church formed part of a Carmelite
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
.[Kindström, Lars-Göran. (1945). ''Sölvesborg Staden bygden borgen'', Stockholm: Norstedts.] In 1564 Sölvesborg took over the city charter of Elleholm
Elleholm is a former Danish town in Blekinge, Sweden. The town existed between 1450 and 1600, when it was abandoned.
The town was based around a former castle, called Sjöborg (meaning "Lake Castle") which today is a Hill fort.
The name "Elleh ...
.
At about the same time as the church was built, the castle took shape. The oldest part are slightly younger than the church, and although the earliest days are not well documented,[Liedgren, Rut. (1971). ''I Sölvesborg på 1800-talet'', Stockholm: Norstedts] it is supposed that it was originally merely a fortress. The castle came to be extended - both its height as well as the area it covered during the years.
The city was granted 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 1445 by the Scandinavian king 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, ...
.
The history of Sölvesborg is marked by its location on the main road connecting the then Danish districts of Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
and Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second ...
, therefore a fortress was built as Sölvesborg was the main city in the province of Sölvesborg (called Sölvesborgs län).
The origin of the name Sölvesborg is unclear, but is believed to come from the founder of the castle, Sölfwitz or Sölvitz. The name thus means the castle (Borg) of Sölfwitz. Others claim that the mentioned Sölve might be the Norse Viking King Sölve
Sölve was a sea-king who conquered Sweden by burning the Swedish king Östen to death inside his hall.
The ''Heimskringla'' relates that he was the son of Högne of Nærøy, and that he had his home in Jutland (however, according to the olde ...
or Salve. Sølv means silver in Danish.
During the Middle Ages and well into the 16th century, Sölvesborg marked a strategic city in the west, together with the easternmost city - Kristianopel
Kristianopel () is a village in Karlskrona Municipality in the southeastern Swedish region of Blekinge. In 2015 it had a population of 88.
History of the town
Flint finds have been made at the site, which indicates that there have been Stone Age ...
. During its heyday, the city came to host many of the ruling Danes when they came to visit the town. One notable character to inherit the Sölvesborg castle, was Sören Norby, which he was granted after his leaving 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 ...
, as he had fallen out of favour with the Swedish king, Gustav Vasa
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
.
With the Danish king Christian IV
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
, change came to be. The old town west to Sölvesborg, Vä
Vä is a former town in Scania, now a village in the municipality of Kristianstad in Sweden, ca 5 km south west of the town of Kristianstad.
History
The name stems from the old Danish word ''væ'', meaning "cult place or holy ground".
Vä ...
, was burnt down during the wars with Sweden and Christian wanted to replace it with a new one – Christianstad (the city of Christian). In order to accomplish this, the trade privileges for Vä and Sölvesborg were withdrawn and given to Kristianstad
Kristianstad (, ; older spelling from Danish language, Danish ''Christianstad'') is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 40,145 inhabitants in 2016. During the last 15 years, it has ...
. The city thus became less important and subsequently fell behind. Some minor production, such as a Faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...
factory between 1773 and 1798 made no major impressions.
The castle was abandoned after the Danish defeat to the Swedes at the battle of Knäred in 1637. Rather than letting the Swedes seize the castle, the foreman of the castle decided that it should be burnt. Today, nothing but ruins remain, but the old castle in Bäckaskog
Bäckaskog is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, between Ivö Lake and Oppmanna Lake, with 293 inhabitants in 2010.
The village has developed around the castle and the Premonstratensian monastery. The monas ...
is of the same age and of similar construction.
The now defunct city privileges were not restored until in 1841, by the Swedish king Carl XIV.
Industries
In the 18th century, a porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
factory was established in 1773 by Baron Erik Gabriel Sparre. The porcelain produced here is referred to as faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...
, and the production was spread around Sweden. The factory remained for only a few decades and production was cancelled in 1790. In 1901, a glass factory was established. In order to provide the factory with sand, a train line was built after a private initiative, to Olofström
Olofström, previously Holje by, is a locality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 7,327 inhabitants in 2010.
in 1967, the market town of Olofström was merged with the villages Kyrkhult and Jämshög to create Olofström Municipality. Olofström is t ...
and Älmhult
Älmhult () is a locality and the seat of Älmhult Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden with 8,955 inhabitants in 2010.
It was in Älmhult that the first IKEA (the Swedish furniture company) store was built. IKEA continues to have a large c ...
. The glass factory closed in 1982.
A shipping dock was opened in 1892 and remained in the city until 1982.
Today, little of the old, traditional industries remain. Instead, the city relies on work commuters
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...
and small scale industries, as well as tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
. Outside the city, the fishing industry, especially in the harbour towns of Djupekås, Hällevik
Hällevik is a locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County
Blekinge County ( sv, Blekinge län) is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne County, Skåne, Kronoberg C ...
and Nogersund
Nogersund is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 495 inhabitants in 2010.
References
Populated places in Sölvesborg Municipality
{{Blekinge-geo-stub ...
are important employers. In Norje
Norje is a locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 657 inhabitants in 2010.
Since 1998, Norje has been the location of the Sweden Rock Festival
The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held ...
a chicken production is in place as an important local industry. Also the neighbouring paper mills
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
of Mörrum
Mörrum is the second largest locality situated in Karlshamn Municipality, Blekinge 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 ...
( Södra Cell) and Nymölla
Nymölla is a locality situated in Bromölla Municipality, Skåne 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 Kingdom of Swe ...
are notable.
Transport and connections
Sölvesborg got its first railroad connections in the late 19th century, firstly to Karlshamn and Kristianstad and later on extended to Karlskrona in the east. This today is the only remaining railroad connection and is now connecting Karlskrona
Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...
in the east with Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in the west.
In 1910 the railroad connections were extended to Listerlandet, the countryside surrounding Sölvesborg and connecting the town to the neighbouring municipality of Mjällby
Mjällby is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 1,254 inhabitants in 2010. It is located on the Listerlandet peninsula.
The town has traditionally lived of fishing. The nearby har ...
and ending in Hörvik. This railroad continued to run up until the 1950s.
Private investments saw to it that a new railroad was built between Sölvesborg and Älmhult
Älmhult () is a locality and the seat of Älmhult Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden with 8,955 inhabitants in 2010.
It was in Älmhult that the first IKEA (the Swedish furniture company) store was built. IKEA continues to have a large c ...
(city of IKEA
IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
) (the Sölvesborg-Olofström-Elmhult-Järnväg and on this route the first and longest natural tunnel, and also the only railway tunnel in Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
, came to place of its time near Barnakälla. Today, only half of the railroad remains and only industrial traffic between Olofström
Olofström, previously Holje by, is a locality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 7,327 inhabitants in 2010.
in 1967, the market town of Olofström was merged with the villages Kyrkhult and Jämshög to create Olofström Municipality. Olofström is t ...
and Älmhult
Älmhult () is a locality and the seat of Älmhult Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden with 8,955 inhabitants in 2010.
It was in Älmhult that the first IKEA (the Swedish furniture company) store was built. IKEA continues to have a large c ...
.
The major road connection is the E22 ( E66 up until 1994). Between 1993 and 1999 Sölvesborg and Wolgast
Wolgast (; csb, Wòłogòszcz) is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast that can be ...
in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
had hover boat traffic during the summer months (May to August).
Sölvesborg still retains its picturesque street structure, unlike many other Swedish cities. Even after a near total fire in 1801, when the entire city except the church burnt down, it was decided to retain it instead of adapting a grid pattern
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 orthogo ...
.
Sights
Apart from the aforementioned Ryssberget
Ryssberget is a hill in the municipality of Sölvesborg, in the southeastern Swedish province of Blekinge. Ryssberget is made up of some of the oldest stone in Blekinge, so-called metavulcanites created about 1700 million years ago.
As the ice a ...
, the countryside villages outside of Sölvesborg are very scenic. In July, the village of Krokås hosts the day of eel fishing (''Ålafiskets dag'').
In central Sölvesborg, the twin hills of ''Kanehall'' and ''Vitehall'', which up until the 18th century were magnificent lookout points, are still worth a visit as they are located in the beech
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 ...
tree forest, one of Europe's largest coherent beech tree forest. Today, visitors need to go further upp ''Ryssberget'' to get the same view, as the trees have grown tall. Before reaching ''Kanehall'' and ''Vitehall'', the houses on ''Norregatan'' should be passed. These houses reflect the old town and was, when the houses were built, an outskirt of the town referred to as the ''Fattigstaden'' or The Poor people's town. The town centre itself is a good example of the Medieval town planning of Swedish and Danish towns.[''Lagerås'']
Other notable visits include the Nicolai Church, whose oldest part stem from the 12th century and the runestone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones da ...
s in and outside the church. The best preserved runestone is the stone located inside the church. The Museum and Gallery, located in the harbour in old warehouses are worth a visit. The museum reflects the history of the city, from the early settlements to the early 20th Century. The Gallery shows local artists mainly.
In 1985, SR International - Radio Sweden established a powerful medium-wave radio transmission facility at Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg (old da, Sølvesborg) is a locality and the seat of Sölvesborg Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 10,024 inhabitants in 2013.
Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to ...
. Broadcasting international programming to a large area of Europe, its twin antenna towers, located some from the town of Sölvesborg itself, are notable local landmarks.
During the summer period, a visit to one of the many beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
es is well worth. Notable beaches are 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 ...
, Tredenborg and Hällevik
Hällevik is a locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County
Blekinge County ( sv, Blekinge län) is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne County, Skåne, Kronoberg C ...
.
Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Sölvesborg:
* Mjällby AIF
Mjällby Allmänna Idrottsförening, also known simply as Mjällby AIF, Mjällby or (especially locally) MAIF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Hällevik. The club is affiliated to Blekinge Fotbollförbund and play its home ...
* FC Giffarna
* Hörvikens IF
* Sölvesborgs GoIF
Sölvesborgs GoIF is a Swedish football club located in Sölvesborg in Blekinge.
Background
Sölvesborgs Gymnastik-och Idrottsförening were founded on 13 October 1915.
Since their foundation Sölvesborgs GoIF has participated mainly in the mid ...
* Lörby IF
References
;Bibliography
*'I Sölvesborg på 1800-talet', Rut Liedgren (Red)
*'Tidsbilder II', Jonte Göransson, Jan Lagerås & Bo Sandqvist (Red).
;Notes
External links
Sölvesborg Municipality
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solvesborg
Municipal seats of Blekinge County
Coastal cities and towns in Sweden
Swedish municipal seats
Populated places in Sölvesborg Municipality
Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea