Eskilstuna () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and the seat of

Eskilstuna Municipality Eskilstuna Municipality () is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between Lake Mälaren and Lake Hjälmaren. The seat of the municipality is in the city of Eskilstuna. The present municipality was formed in 1971 by the m ...

Södermanland County Södermanland County (, ) is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is virtually universally shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is the ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The city of Eskilstuna had 69,948 inhabitants in 2020, with a total population of 107,806 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality 2023. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population. The town is located on the River

Eskilstunaån Eskilstunaån (''Eskilstuna River'') is a small river in Sweden, length 32 km, running through the city of Eskilstuna and the town of Torshälla in Södermanland County. The river drains Lake Hjälmaren into Lake Mälaren Mälaren ( , , ...

, which connects

Lake Hjälmaren A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

and

Lake Mälaren A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

History

Eskilstuna's history dates back to medieval times when English

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

Saint Eskil Saint Eskil (11th century) was an Anglo-Saxon monk particularly venerated during the end of the 11th century in the province of Södermanland, Sweden. He was the founder of the first diocese of the lands surrounding Lake Mälaren, today the Di ...

made "Tuna" his base and diocese of the South coast of

. Saint Eskil was stoned to death by the pagan

vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

of neighbouring town

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...

, east of Eskilstuna, when he tried to convert them to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Saint Eskil was buried in his

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

church in Tuna. The monastery of Saint Eskil was completely destroyed by Swedish king

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

and was replaced with the royal castle of

Eskilstuna House Eskilstuna House () was a royal palace in Eskilstuna, in present-day Södermanland County, Sweden. It was erected on the site of a medieval monastery in the 16th century, and was later destroyed in a fire in 1680. The palace was the county seat o ...

. Later the pagan city of Strängnäs was Christianised and was given the privilege of becoming

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of South Lake Mälaren, and "Eskil" was combined with "Tuna", although the town of Eskilstuna did not receive municipal privileges due to its proximity to the medieval city of

Torshälla Torshälla () is a locality situated in Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,612 inhabitants in 2010. It is mainly known for steel manufacturing, centered on the Nyby Bruk steel mill, and also for its historic old town ce ...

. The city's first city privileges were granted in 1659, and its boundaries included Tunafors and the newly founded town of ''Karl Gustavs Stad'' ("City of Karl Gustav"), located on the west side of the river. Karl Gustavs Stad was built around the iron forges of master smith Reinhold Rademacher, encouraged by King Karl X Gustav. The first products of the forges were

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

and

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. It was a free town from 1771, where manufacturers and craftsmen were allowed to establish tax-free workshops and factories. The town was merged with the rest of Eskilstuna in 1879. The city grew enormously during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

and became one of the most important industrial cities of Sweden, earning the nickname "Stålstaden" ("The City of

Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

"). Aside from firearms, the city also produced superior carpentry and wood carving

chisels A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. While most cutlers ...

scissor Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...

s, keys,

machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, Boring (manufacturing), boring, grinding (abrasive cutting), grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some s ...

s and precision instruments. As a tribute to the steel industry, the figure of a steel worker is included in the city's coat of arms. Eskilstuna is sometimes called ''The

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

of Sweden''. Both cities at their peak were home to numerous steel production companies.

Economy

Eskilstuna remains an important industrial city with internationally known companies such as

Volvo The Volvo Group (; 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, distribution and sale of truck ...

Wheel loaders, main site for the heavy construction equipment division of Volvo, Assa (locks, keys), and

Stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

manufacturer

Outokumpu Outokumpu Oyj is a group of international companies headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with 10,600 employees in more than 30 countries. Outokumpu is the largest producer of stainless steel in Europe and the second largest producer in the Americ ...

, Thin Strip Nyby in Torshälla.

Mälardalen University Mälardalen University (Swedish: ''Mälardalens universitet''), or MDU, is a Swedish university located in Västerås and Eskilstuna, Sweden. It has 18,000 students and around 1000 employees, of which 91 are professors, 504 teachers, and 244 doct ...

(''Mälardalens högskola''), founded in cooperation with the neighboring city of

Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

, has a campus in the city. The city also has a combined

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

and

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

- Parken Zoo. The hospital, Mälarsjukhuset is one of the largest in the region, employing around 3000 people. Starting in 2012 the town has been pivoting towards a

green economy A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without environmental degradation, degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological econ ...

, including

biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

-powered

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

and

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

plants, seven-colored

recycling bin A recycling bin (or recycle bin) is a container used to hold recyclables before they are taken to recycling centers. Recycling bins exist in various sizes for use inside and outside of homes, offices, and large public facilities. Separate conta ...

s (compared to the standard Swedish five), and a recycling center with an attached second-hand mall.

Climate

Eskilstuna has a climate transitioning between

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

and maritime with vast seasonal differences for a Southern Swedish climate. Unlike the coastal part of the Sörmlandic region, Eskilstuna has higher

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

and stronger waves of either heat or cold. With regards to daytime maximum and minimum temperatures, the weather station has been operated since 1961 with a total of three breaks of 2-3 years apiece in between 1984 and 2008.

Demography

As of December 31, 2019, Eskilstuna Municipality has a population of 106,859 people, making it the 15th largest municipality in Sweden.

Sport

The handball club Eskilstuna Guif plays in the national top division. They have reached the Swedish Championship final four times (1997, 2001, 2009 and 2011), but lost on each occasion. Eskilstuna is also home to EFK (Eskilstuna Flygklubb), Sweden's largest glider Flying Club which hosted the

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competitions, gliding competition held roughly every two years by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are always held in the sum ...

in 2006. Eskilstuna has had three men's football teams playing in the highest tier

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

;

IFK Eskilstuna Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Eskilstuna, commonly known as IFK Eskilstuna, or, especially earlier, Eskilstuna-Kamraterna, is a Swedish Association football, football club located in Eskilstuna, Södermanland County. In their early seasons, IFK ...

have played fourteen seasons in Allsvenskan,

AFC Eskilstuna Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish professional football club based in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching owne ...

two seasons, and Eskilstuna City one season. The women's football team,

Eskilstuna United DFF Eskilstuna United DFF is a Association football, football club from Eskilstuna, in Södermanland County, Sweden. The club was established in 2002 and was promoted into the Women's Premier Division (Damallsvenskan) for the first time in 2014. The ...

, play in the Elitettan, the second tier of women's football in Sweden, and spent nine seasons in the highest tier

Damallsvenskan The (; ), known as OBOS for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is one of the best women's leagues in the world, and was founded in 1988. The division consists of a league of 14 teams. From 2013, t ...

between 2014 and 2022. They finished as runners-up in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, making them qualify for the

2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League The 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League was the 16th edition of the European women's club football championship organised by UEFA, and the 8th edition since being rebranded as the UEFA Women's Champions League. The final was held at the Card ...

. The speedway team in Eskilstuna,

Smederna Smederna is a motorcycle speedway club based in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The club competes in the highest speedway league in Sweden called the Elitserien (speedway), Elitserien and race its home matches at Smedstadion, Eskilstuna motorstadion outsid ...

, competes in the highest speedway league in Sweden, Elitserien and race its home matches at Smedstadion outside Eskilstuna. They formerly raced at the Snälltorpet track before it was sold for housing in 2001. In

eSports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

, Eskilstuna is home to CS:GO player Maikelele. The stadium

Tunavallen Tunavallen is a multi-use stadium in Eskilstuna, Sweden. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium holds 7,800 seated spectators. The original stadium was one of the venues for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. It ...

was a venue for the

1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the 6th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first and only FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Br ...

, hosting one match between

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. It has also been used for several practice games for the Swedish National Youth Teams. Sports clubs using Tunavallen include

, Eskilstuna City FK and

. Eskilstuna Södra FF are based at Skogsängens IP and BK Sport is based at Ekängen.

Transport

Eskilstuna is served by Eskilstuna Central Station. Regional operator Mälartåg runs trains on the via Eskilstuna to destinations such as

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Stockholm Arlanda Airport Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the main international airport serving Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is located in Sigtuna Municipality, north of Stockholm and nearly southeast of Uppsala. The airport is located within Stockholm County. ...

and

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

European route E20 European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia. Its length is but it is not continuous; at three points, a ...

passes the city. The city has a minor

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

, east of the centre.

European Cooperation

Eskilstuna is a member city of Eurotowns network.

Notable people

Music

* patrikkolar *

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

(band) *

Pain of Salvation Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...

(band) *

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945), also known simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Courtesy titles ''Principality of Reuss-Gera, Princess Re ...

* Mika "Gas" Ieppä * Towa Carson *

Joakim Berg Herbert Joakim "Jocke" Berg (born 16 March 1970) is a Swedish singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Kent. Biography Berg was born and grew up in Eskilstuna. He moved to Stockholm in 1993 after the fou ...

Daniel Gildenlöw Daniel Gildenlöw (born 5 June 1973) is a Swedish musician and songwriter. He is best known as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for the progressive rock band Pain of Salvation. In the band, he is the main songwriter, lead singer, guitarist, p ...

Kristoffer Gildenlöw Kristoffer Gildenlöw (born in 1978) is a Swedish musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist of progressive rock band Pain of Salvation. Early life and education Gildenlöw was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden. He studied piano for six years u ...

Tikkle Me Tikkle Me was a Swedish band from Eskilstuna which was formed in 2006 by Frida Herchenröther and Karin Taberman. The band is signed to the Skellefteå-based record label :sv:A West Side Fabrication, A West Side Fabrication. Herchenröther writes ...

(band)

Athletes

Anna Nordqvist --> , death_place = , height = , weight = , nationality = , residence = Orlando, Florida, U.S. , spouse = , partner = , children = , college = Arizona State University (2.5 years) , yearpro = ...

* Kent Carlsson * Kjell Johansson *

Tomas Gustafson Sven Tomas Gustafson (born 28 December 1959) is a retired Swedish speed skating, speed skater, and one of the most successful distance skaters of the 1980s. Early career Born in Katrineholm, he won the World Junior Speed Skating Championships, ...

* Tommy Jansson *

Linnea Torstenson Linnea Marie Torstensson (born 30 March 1983) is a Swedish former handballer who played for the Sweden national team. She competed in three Olympic Games (2008, 2012 & 2016). She was given the award of ''Cetățean de onoare'' ("Honorary Citi ...

* Kristján Andrésson * Lars Sandberg * Joel Granfors

Footballers

* Mika Väyrynen *

Kennet Andersson Bernt Kennet Andersson (born 6 October 1967) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Starting off his career with IFK Eskilstuna in the mid-1980s, he went on to p ...

* Sebastian Larsson * Marcus Danielson

Other

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

* Anna of Finland * Carl Victor Heljestrand * Fredrik Lindström * Yvonne Ryding, Miss Sweden 1984 and Miss Universe 1984 * Susanne Aalto, radio astronomer

Gallery

File:Klosters kyrka, Eskilstuna. Exterior.jpg, Klosters church of Eskilstuna File:Kvällsfoto-12 (9232326753).jpg, File:Rademachersmedjorna 04.jpg, Rademachersmedjorna File:Eskiltuna.jpg,

File:Eskilstuna rådhus 02.jpg, Stadshuset File:Nyfors, Eskilstuna.jpg, Nyfors, Eskilstuna File:Årby IP.JPG,

Årby Årby or Årby housing projects is one of the public housing and private owned developments in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The housing opened in the 1960s as a result of the Million Programme by the Swedish government. Location Årby is located in th ...

in Eskilstuna File:Solnedgång över Mälarbaden.jpg, Sunset over lake Mälaren, viewed from Mälarbaden in northern Eskilstuna

References

External links

Official website
(in Swedish, French, German, English and Finnish)
Tågtider för Eskilstuna C
{{Attached KML Finnish diaspora Populated places in Eskilstuna Municipality Municipal seats of Södermanland County Swedish municipal seats Cities in Sweden