Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) 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 ...

on the coast of northern

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 ...

, and the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

Norrbotten County Norrbotten County (, Meänkieli/, ) is the northernmost county or '' län'' of Sweden. It is also the largest county by land area, almost a quarter of Sweden's total area. It shares borders with Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf ...

, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core as of 2018 and is the seat of

Luleå Municipality Luleå Municipality () is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Luleå, which is also the county seat of Norrbotten County. Localities There are 18 localities (or urban areas) in Luleå Municipality: ...

with a total population of about 79,000 as of 2023. Luleå is Sweden's 25th largest city and Norrbotten County's largest city. Luleå is considered as the world's largest brackish water

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

with 1,312

islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

, several rivers and vast forestland. Luleå has the seventh biggest harbour in Sweden for shipping goods. It has a large steel industry and is a centre for extensive research. It is also home to the

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

Wing Norrbotten Wing (F 21) based in

Luleå Airport Luleå Airport is located about 7 km (4.3 mi) south-southeast of Luleå, Sweden, near the village of Kallax. The official name according to the Swedish Aeronautical Information Publication is Luleå/Kallax Airport. The airport handled ...

Luleå University of Technology Luleå University of Technology is a Public university, public research university in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The university has four campuses located in the Arctic, Arctic Region in the cities of Luleå, Kiruna, Skellefteå, and Piteå. With ...

is one of Sweden's three technology universities with around 15,000 students and is the northernmost university in Sweden.

History

The town's Royal

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 ...

was granted in 1621 by King

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

. The original town was situated where

Gammelstad Gammelstad Church Town () is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in Gammelstaden 10 km north of Luleå, Sweden, at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is the best preserved example of a type of town that was once widespread througho ...

(Old Town) is situated today. The town had to be moved in 1649 to the current site, due to the

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

that had made the bay too shallow for ships to enter. In 1805, Luleå only had 947 inhabitants, but in 1865 Luleå succeeded Piteå as the county town in Norrbotten county and now had around 1400 residents. In the 1860s the industries also started taking root in the city. The town was plagued by fires in 1653, 1657 and 1887, and the fire in 1887 was a devastating fire that destroyed most of the town, sparing only a few buildings. The

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

Cathedral (originally the Oscar Fredrik church), dedicated in 1893, standing at 67 meters (220 ft), is the tallest building in town.

Geography

Residential areas

Bergviken Bergviken is a residential area in Luleå, 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 ...

Björkskatan Björkskatan, often called Björx, is a residential area in Luleå, 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 ...

* Centrum *

Hertsön Hertsön is a Swedish island in the Bothnian Bay, largely occupied by the eastern districts of the city of Luleå. Due to post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land mas ...

* Kronan *

Lerbäcken Lerbäcken is a residential area in Luleå, 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 ...

* Lulsundet * Lövskatan * Malmudden * Mjölkudden * Notviken *

Porsön Porsön is a peninsula and residential area in Luleå, Sweden. It had 5,476 inhabitants in 2010 and is home to a large number of students. Luleå University of Technology Luleå University of Technology is a Public university, public research un ...

Skurholmen Skurholmen is a residential area in Luleå, 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 ...

* Svartöstaden *

Örnäset Örnäset is a residential area in Luleå, 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 ...

Östermalm Östermalm (; "Eastern city-borough") is a 2.56 km2 large district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 71,802 inhabitants, it is one of Sweden's most populous and exclusive districts. It is an extremely expensive area, having the highest ho ...

Localities Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

* Bergnäset *

Gammelstaden Gammelstaden or ''Gammelstad'' (''Luleå Old Town'') is a locality situated in Luleå Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 4,960 inhabitants in 2010. It is known for the Gammelstad Church Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History A ...

* Karlsvik

Economy

Luleå's commerce and industry are a mix of industry, research, education, trade, and services. Major employers in the city are the

SSAB SSAB ABSSAB ASSAB B
, earlier Svenskt Stål AB (), is a Swedish company, formed in 1978, that spec ...

steelworks A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

and

. A

wing, ''F 21'' (or ''Norrbotten Air Force Wing''), is stationed near Luleå at the neighbouring

. Other major employers include Ferruform (a subsidiary of

Scania AB Scania AB ( , ), stylised SCANIA in its products, is a major Sweden, Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for hea ...

) and

Gestamp Gestamp Automoción, S.A. simply known as Gestamp is a Spanish multinational automotive engineering company. It is one of leading firms in the European automotive industry. History Corporación Gestamp, Spain's largest automotive supplier steel ...

HardTech (acquired from

SSAB SSAB ABSSAB ASSAB B
, earlier Svenskt Stål AB (), is a Swedish company, formed in 1978, that spec ...

2005-01-01).

IT industry

The

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

industry in Luleå has about 2000 employees (2008). Luleå is the home of several major innovations and technological milestones. * Broadcast radio: RDS, DAB, DARC (1992–1997) * The

Luleå algorithm The Luleå algorithm of computer science, designed by , is a technique for storing and searching internet routing tables efficiently. It is named after the Luleå University of Technology, the home institute/university of the technique's authors. ...

for routing (1997) * Living Labs: leading European service testbed with 6000 users (2001–) *

Marratech Marratech was a Swedish company that made software for e-meetings (e.g., web conferencing, videoconferencing). It was acquired by Google in 2007. History Marratech was founded in 1998, as a spin-off company from the Centre for Distance-Spanni ...

: pioneers in Internet-based E-meetings (1998–) – acquired by

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

, releasing in November 2008 video-chat support in

Gmail Gmail is the email service provided by Google. it had 1.5 billion active user (computing), users worldwide, making it the largest email service in the world. It also provides a webmail interface, accessible through a web browser, and is also ...

* Arena project, IT in Sports: sensors, handheld wireless video (1999–2002) * Estreet project: First large-scale mobile marketing experiment (2000) * On 27 October 2011,

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

announced it would locate its first data center outside of the United States in Luleå. The whole facility is made up by a set of three buildings. The first building was to be operational in 2012. The establishment will help turn the Luleå region into a major node for European data traffic. The town's northern location and that it will become a hub for data traffic in Europe has generated a new epithet for the Luleå region – The Node Pole. The Node Pole region provides stable, low-cost electricity that is 100-percent derived from renewable sources. In addition, they cite the benefits of low cooling expenses, given that the region is one of the coolest in Sweden. Sweden's long political stability is cited as another long-term benefit of the Node Pole's location.

Climate

Luleå has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

( Dfc) with short, mild to warm summers and long, cold, snowy winters. Luleå's climate is influenced both by the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

and the proximity to the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

and it has milder climate than most of cities on the same latitude and even some that are further south in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...

and

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. During the summer in June and July the temperature in Luleå can some days rise to around . Summers are very bright, with marginal twilight being the only exception during the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

. From September to March, northern lights can be seen if the sky is clear.

Media

Newspapers include: * ''

Norrbottens-Kuriren ''Norrbottens-Kuriren'' (simply ''NK'') is a daily regional conservative newspaper published in Norrbotten County, Sweden, and has its main office in Luleå. History and profile ''Norrbottens-Kuriren'' was founded in 1861, and therefore is the o ...

'' * ''

Norrländska Socialdemokraten ''Norrländska Socialdemokraten'' (''NSD'') ( Swedish: ''The Norrland Social Democrat'') is a daily regional newspaper published in Norrbotten County, Sweden. History and profile As of the division of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Par ...

Transportation

Luleå became a transport hub in the region for ore, steel and freight, with trans-shipping between road, ship and rail.

Public transport

Public transport in Luleå is operated by

Luleå Lokaltrafik Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core as of 2018 and is the seat of Luleå Municipality wit ...

and consists of five main bus lines, an additional five bus lines, and direct connection bus traffic and night bus service. From Luleå Bus station, Länstrafiken i Norrbotten operates several regional bus lines within

Air

Luleå/Kallax Airport (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

: LLA,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

: ESPA), located 7 km (5 mi) south of the city centre, is the fifth largest airport in Sweden, with about 1.2 million yearly passengers. It is the largest airport in

Norrland Norrland (, , originally ''Norrlanden'', meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administrative p ...

. The domestic route to

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. ...

is the third busiest domestic route in Sweden with over 1 million passengers per year. There are about 15 daily flights to and from Stockholm.

operates connections to and from Luleå/Kallax Airport via lines 4 and 104. In total, there are seven scheduled destinations and about 15 additional charter destinations. The

route is operated by

Scandinavian Airlines The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden. Including its subsidiaries SAS Link and ...

and

Norwegian Air Shuttle Norwegian Air Shuttle Aksjeselskap, ASA, trading as Norwegian, is a Norway, Norwegian Low-cost carrier, low-cost airline and Scandinavia's second-largest airline, behind Scandinavian Airlines. It is the fourth largest low-cost carrier in Europe ...

and serves the vast majority of passengers at the airport with about 16 daily connections each way. Scandinavian Airlines also operates a direct connection to

Göteborg Landvetter Airport Göteborg Landvetter Airport also known as Gothenburg Landvetter Airport is an international airport serving the Gothenburg (Swedish: ''Göteborg'') region in Sweden. With just over 5.3 million passengers in 2024, it is Sweden's second-largest ...

Nextjet NextJet was one of the largest regional airlines in Sweden. It was headquartered in Frösundavik in Solna Municipality, just north of Stockholm. The airline filed for bankruptcy on 16 May 2018. History NextJet served most of their domestic dest ...

operates connections to and from

via

Höga Kusten Airport Höga Kusten Airport , translated ''High Coast Airport'', is an airport situated between the localities Kramfors and Sollefteå in Sweden. Its official name according to the Swedish Aeronautical Information Publication In aviation, an Aeronaut ...

, and their

Tromsø Airport Tromsø Airport (; ) is an international airport located at Langnes in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality, Troms county, Norway. Situated on the western shore of the island of Tromsøya, it features a runway aligned 18/36. Owned and op ...

–

Oulu Airport Oulu Airport (; , ) is located in Oulu, Finland, south-west of the city centre. The airport is the third busiest airport in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa and Rovaniemi airport, as measured by the number of passengers and landings. There are arou ...

route lands at Luleå/Kallax Airport on some departures.

Jonair Jonair is a Swedish regional airline headquartered in Umeå and based at Umeå Airport. History Jonair was founded in 1972. The company has operated the Luleå-Pajala route since March 2015 and the Umeå-Östersund and Sveg- Arlanda routes sin ...

offers connections to

Pajala Airport Pajala Airport () is an airport in Pajala, Sweden. While the English name is the official name, it may also be referred to in Swedish as ''Pajala flygplats.'' History The airport was opened for regular traffic in 1999. Before that, Pajala was sa ...

Rail

Luleå has rail lines coming from both north and south. SJ operates night train services northbound for Kiruna and Narvik, and southbound for Stockholm.

Norrtåg Norrtåg (English: Northern Trains) is a publicly owned company which is owned by Norrbotten County, Västerbotten County, Västernorrland County and Jämtland County in Sweden. The company owns passenger trains and organises passenger train ope ...

operates train services from Luleå to Umeå, Kiruna and Haparanda.

Sea

In terms of bulk shipments, the Port of Luleå is one of the country's biggest ports.

Shopping

The world's first indoor mall was opened in Luleå in 1955 (architect: Ralph Erskine) and was named ''

Shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A Retail#Shopper profiles, typology of shopper types ha ...

''. There are two other malls in Luleå: Strand and Smedjan. The main shopping streets in Luleå are Storgatan and Kungsgatan. A few kilometres outside Luleå there is a shopping centre called Storheden.

Culture

Luleå has a variety of cultural institutions, among them Norrbottensteatern; Norrbottens Museum; and , led by

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

. In January 2007 the Cultural House (Kulturens Hus) was opened. A library, concerts, and art exhibitions are all hosted here. Luleå is also home to hardcore punk band

Raised Fist The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often a symbol of solidarity, especially with a political movement. It is a common symbol representing a wide range of political ideologies, most notably socialism, ...

, melodic death metal band

The Duskfall The Duskfall is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Luleå, formed in 1999. The band released four full-length studio albums and, shortly afterwards, split in 2008; however, they reformed in 2014. History The band was formed in 1999 when gu ...

, power metal band

Machinae Supremacy Machinae Supremacy is a Swedish/Finnish band that combines modern heavy metal, power metal and alternative rock with chiptunes. Self-defined as "SID metal", many of their songs use a SidStation that features the SID chip of the Commodore 64. ...

and death 'n' roll band

Helltrain Helltrain is a Swedish death 'n' roll band formed in Luleå in 2002 by Pierre Törnkvist, Oscar Karlsson and Patrik Törnkvist. The current line-up consists of Pierre Törnkvist (vocals), Patrik Törnkvist (guitars, keyboards), Mikael Sandorf ( ...

One of the largest winter festivals in Luleå is the indoor Minus 30-festivalen, held at Kulturens hus (the House of Culture) annually on a Saturday in mid-March. Luleå Hamnfestival (Luleå harbor festival) is a big summer event in the center of Luleå, mostly centered around the north harbor. The festival has been a recurring event each summer since 2013. Held in July, it is a free event not targeting a specific group. The festival is the new version of Luleåkalaset which was held each summer from 2002 to 2012, which itself replaced sjöslaget, the summer festival from 1988 to 2002. Musikens makt (The power of music) is a smaller, free music festival that is held each summer in August at Gültzauudden since 2010. Ice music is a new art form where professional musicians play on instruments made out of ice. The concerts are performed in a huge igloo and the instruments pulsate in all the colors of the rainbow. Luleå is the base for the Norrbotten Band of the Home Guard Music which consists of voluntary musicians from Norrbotten County's

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

Sports

Luleå has many teams competing in a variety of sports. Four teams in Luleå compete in the highest Swedish leagues: Luleå Basket (female basketball team, previously called Northland Basket);

BC Luleå BasketballClub Luleå is a professional basketball club from Luleå, 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 we ...

(male basketball team, previously named Plannja Basket and LF Basket Norrland); and Luleå Hockey/MSSK (Munksund-Skuthamns Sportklubb) (female ice hockey team) and

Luleå Hockey Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban ...

(male ice hockey team). Luleå Basket has won two Swedish championships (2014 and 2015), while BC Luleå has won eight Swedish championships (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2017). Luleå Hockey/MSSK female team won their first Swedish Championship in 2016 while the male Luleå Hockey team has won one Swedish Championship in 1996, the European Trophy in 2012 and the Champions Hockey League in 2015.

Football

* Bergnäsets AIK *

Ersnäs IF Ersnäs IF is a Swedish football club located in Ersnäs, Luleå. Background Ersnäs IF currently plays in Division 4 Norrbotten Södra which is the sixth tier of Swedish football Association football is the most popular sport in Sweden ...

IFK Luleå IFK Luleå is a Swedish professional football club formed in 1900, located in Luleå. The club merged with Luleå FF and played under the name Luleå FF/IFK from 1986 to 1989. History IFK Luleå was originally founded in the year 1900, but wen ...

* Lira BK * Luleå SK *

Notvikens IK Notvikens IK is a Swedish football club located in Luleå in Norrbotten County. Background Since their foundation Notvikens IK has participated mainly in the middle and lower divisions of the Swedish football league system. The club currently ...

Ice hockey

Luleå HF Luleå Hockeyförening, also known as Luleå Hockey, is a professional ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. The club has been playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden, since the 1984–85 season. They are ...

play in the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; ) is a professional ice hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the ice hockey in Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Li ...

Luleå HF/MSSK Luleå Hockey/MSSK are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). They play in Luleå, a port city in northeastern Sweden, at Coop Norrbotten Arena. The team is the most successful in SDHL history, having b ...

play in the

SDHL The Swedish Women's Hockey League (), abbreviated SDHL, is the elite league for women's ice hockey in Sweden. It was established in 2007 as the by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and was renamed prior to the 2016–17 season. The league ha ...

Basketball

, formerly LF Basket Norrbotten and Plannja, for men and Luleå Basket for women; Plannja has won

Basketligan Svenska Basketligan, or the Swedish Basketball League (SBL), is the premier league for professional basketball in Sweden. The league was originally established in 1992 as Basketligan and was known as that prior to the season of 2006–07, but whe ...

seven times, which is a record

Yukigassen

The Swedish Championship in

Yukigassen is a snowball fighting-competition from Japan. Today there are annual tournaments in Sōbetsu in Japan, Kemijärvi in Finland, Vardø in Norway, Murmansk in Russia, Mount Buller in Australia, Luleå in Sweden, Anchorage in Alaska, Aparan ...

is held in Luleå annually.

Notable people

; Acting & Art *

Martin Ljung Martin Vilhelm Ljung (15 August 1917 – 30 September 2010) was a Swedish comedian, actor and singer.Martin Ljung
en ...

(1917–2010) a Swedish comedian, actor and singer *

Gösta Wallmark Per Gustav Gösta Hjalmar Wallmark (June 11, 1928 – November 20, 2017) is a Swedish visual artist and cartoonist. Gösta Wallmark was born on June 11, 1928 in Luleå, Sweden. He got his education from Otte Skölds målarskola in Stockholm, E ...

(1928–2017) a Swedish artist *

Lena Granhagen Karin Anna-Lena Granhagen (born 7 January 1938) is a Swedish actress and singer. She has appeared in 40 films and television shows since 1958. She starred in the 1969 film '' Made in Sweden'', which won a Silver Bear award at the 19th Berlin Int ...

(born 1938) a Swedish actress and singer *

Bernt Ström Bernt Valter Ström (6 March 1940 in Säter, Sweden–31 August 2009 in Luleå, Sweden) was a Swedish actor. Ström studied at Skara Skolscen and at NAMA in Stockholm. He was under a long time engaged at Norrbottensteatern. Selected filmogr ...

(1940–2009) a Swedish actor * Hans Ernback (1942–2013) a Swedish actor between 1966 and 1984 *

Maud Adams Maud Solveig Christina Adams (née Wikström; 12 February 1945) is a Swedish actress and model, best known for her roles as two different Bond girls, first in '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974) and then as the title character in ''Octopus ...

(born 1945) Swedish actress, appeared in two

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films *

Fanny Gjörup Fanny Louise Gjörup (16 October 1961 in Örnäset, Luleå Municipality Luleå Municipality () is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Luleå, which is also the county seat of Norrbotten County. Lo ...

(1961–2001) a Swedish child actress *

Mamma Andersson Mamma Andersson (born 1962) is a Swedish contemporary artist. She is based in Stockholm and is married to artist Jockum Nordström. Biography Born Anna Karin Andersson, she drew and painted from an early age without any family members being inte ...

(born 1962) aka ''Karin Andersson'', a Swedish artist of domestic interiors, lush landscapes and genre scenes *

Gry Forssell Gry Charlotta Forssell (born February 16, 1973) is a Swedish television host on TV4 and TV3 and radio talk-show host. She is the daughter of singer Tomas Forssell and niece to actor Johannes Brost. Early life and career Forssell grew up in L ...

(born 1973) a Swedish TV host and radio talk-show host; brought up in Luleå ; Writing * Nels F. S. Ferré (1908–1971) a theologian and writer on Christian theology *

Erik Lindegren Erik Lindegren (5 August 1910 – 31 May 1968) was a Swedish author, poet, critical writer and member of the Swedish Academy (1962–68, chair 17). Grandson of composer Johan Lindegren. Lindegren was born in Luleå, Norrbotten County, the son of ...

(1910–1968) a Swedish author, poet, critical writer and member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

Staffan Göthe Lars ''Staffan'' Göthe (born 20 December 1944, in Luleå), is a Swedish playwright, actor and director.DramaDirectory He is a professor at Malmö Theatre Academy (Teaterhögskolan i Malmö) at Lund University. Göthe graduated from the Gothenb ...

(born 1944) a Swedish playwright, actor and director * Katarina Kieri (born 1965) a Swedish writer ; Classical Music *

Ingvar Wixell Karl Gustaf Ingvar Wixell (7 May 19318 October 2011) was a Swedish baritone who had an active international career in operas and concerts from 1955 to 2003. He mostly sang roles from the Italian repertory, and, according to ''The New York Times'' ...

(1931–2011) a Swedish baritone, active from 1955 to 2003 *

Gunnar Wiklund Lars Gunnar Wiklund (17 August 1935 – 29 September 1989) was a Swedish singer. He scored several Svensktoppen hits, and participated in Melodifestivalen four times. Early life Lars Gunnar Wiklund was born on 17 August 1935 in Luleå, Sweden, ...

(1935–1989) a Swedish singer *

Malin Gjörup Eva Malin Maria Gjörup (28 April 1964 – 20 May 2020) was a Swedish actress, mezzo-soprano, and arts administrator. She was sister to the actress, Fanny Gjörup (1961–2001), and stepdaughter to actor Håkan Serner. Early life and educa ...

(1964–2020) a Swedish actress, mezzo-soprano and producer at

Gävle Symphony Orchestra The Gävle Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra based in Gävle, Sweden. The orchestra is resident at the ''Gävle Konserthus'' (Gävle Concert Hall). History Founded in 1912, giving its first concert on 16 January that year, the orchest ...

Peter Mattei Peter Mattei (born 3 June 1965) in Piteå is a Swedish operatic baritone, particularly known for his performances in Mozart's baritone roles. Biography Mattei studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and debuted in Mozart's ''La finta gi ...

(born 1965) a Swedish operatic baritone Sweden.se
Peter Mattei puts Luleå on the musical map ; Modern Music *

(1935–1989) a Swedish singer of

Schlager music Schlager (, " hit(s)") is a style of European popular music and radio format generally defined by catchy instrumental accompaniments to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, easygoing, and often sentimental lyrics. Schlager tracks are typ ...

* Emilia de Poret (born 1976) a Swedish singer, fashion designer and editor * Zacke (born 1983) aka ''Zakarias Lekberg'', rapper *

The Bear Quartet The Bear Quartet was a cult indie rock band from Luleå in northern Sweden. They were formed in the summer of 1989 with the original roster of Mattias Alkberg on guitar and vocals, Jari Haapalainen and Johan Forsling on guitar, Peter Nuottani ...

(formed 1989) a Swedish indie rock band * Elizabeth and Victoria Lejonhjärta (born 1990) raised in Luleå, Swedish twin models, and writers; work with rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

* Him Kerosene (formed 1991) a Swedish alternative rock band *

Breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Mirosla ...

(active 1993–2002) a defunct Swedish post-hardcore band *

(formed in 1993) a Swedish hardcore punk band *

(formed in 1999) a Swedish melodic death metal band *

(formed 2000) a Swedish modern heavy metal, power metal and alternative rock band *

Movits! Movits! () is a Swedish music group from Luleå. The group plays swing mixed with hip hop. Their debut album ''Äppelknyckarjazz'', literally translated as ''Apple swiper jazz'' or '' scrumping jazz'', was released in November 2008 and has been ...

(formed 2007) a Swedish swing and hip hop band ; Public Service *

Erik Benzelius the Elder Erik Benzelius (the Elder) (16 December 1632 – 17 February 1709) was a Swedish theologian and Archbishop of Uppsala. Benzelius was born at the Bentseby farm in the parish of Luleå in northern Sweden, son of the farmer and lay assessor (''nä ...

(1632–1709) a Swedish theologian and

Archbishop of Uppsala The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until the early 20th century) has been the primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church. Historical ove ...

Anders Hackzell Anders Mårtensson Hackzell (1705, in Nederluleå, Norrbotten, Sweden - February 13, 1757, Alatornio, Lapland, Finland) worked as the chief enforcement officer (Swedish: kronofogde) and a cartographer and a mapper (Swedish: lantmätare) for the S ...

(1705–1757) the chief enforcement officer and cartographer for the Swedish crown. *

Paul Petter Waldenström Paul Petter Waldenström (alternately spelled "Paul Peter") (20 July 1838 – 14 July 1917) was a Swedish lecturer, priest in the Church of Sweden and theologian, member of the Riksdag, and writer, who became the most prominent leader of the fre ...

(1838–1917) a Swedish theologian, leader of the

free church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

* Fritiof Enbom (1918–1974) a Swedish railway worker and convicted spy for the Soviet Union *

Marita Ulvskog Marita Elisabet Ulvskog (born 4 September 1951) is a Swedish politician who served as Member of the European Parliament from 2009 until 2019. She is a member of the Social Democrats, part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. ...

(born 1951) a Swedish politician and

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

Jan Lexell Jan Lexell (born March 13, 1958) is a Swedish physician and academic, who is a specialist in rehabilitation medicine and neurology. He is head of the rehabilitation medicine research group in the Department of Health Sciences at Lund University, L ...

(born 1958) a Swedish physician and academic, specialises in rehabilitation medicine and neurology *

Åsa Nyström Åsa Gunilla Elisabet Nyström (born 12 August 1960 in Umeå) is a Swedish prelate and current bishop of the Diocese of Luleå within the Lutheran Church of Sweden. Biography Nyström was ordained priest of the Swedish Evangelical Mission in 19 ...

(born 1960) a Swedish prelate and current bishop of the

Diocese of Luleå The Diocese of Luleå () is a Swedish diocese of the Church of Sweden with its Episcopal see in the city of Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards ...

Amanda Lind Amanda Sofia Margareta Lind (; born 2 August 1980) is a politician for the Swedish Green Party. She has been co-spokesperson of the Green Party since April 2024. From 2019 to 2021, she was the Minister for Culture and Democracy, with responsibi ...

(born 1980) a Swedish politician, since 2019 the Culture minister and Democracy minister ; Business * John W. Nordstrom (1871–1963) a Swedish American businessman, co-founded the chain store

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a seco ...

* Stephan Gip (born 1936) a Swedish designer and interior designer * Leif Östling (born 1945) CEO of

Adam Dunkels Adam Dunkels (born 28 May 1978) is a Swedish computer scientist, software engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Thingsquare, an Internet of things (IoT) product development business. His father was professor of mathematics Andrejs Dunkels. His ...

(born 1978) a Swedish computer scientist, programmer and entrepreneur ; Sport *

August Wikström August Wikström (25 November 1874 – 16 August 1954) was a Swedish sports shooter. He competed in the 300m free rifle, three positions event at the 1912 Summer Olympics. References External links * * 1874 births 1954 deaths Sw ...

(1874–1954) a Swedish sports shooter, competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

* Robert Zander (1895–1966) a Swedish footballer, competed in the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

* Sigge Bergman (1905–2001) a Swedish sports executive, secretary general of the

International Ski Federation The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...

1961–1979 *

Stig Lundholm Stig Gustav Lundholm (14 November 1917 – 19 May 2009) was a Swedish chess master. Lundholm was born in Luleå, Sweden. He won at Stockholm 1942, tied with Folke Ekström, ahead of both Gösta Stoltz and Erik Lundin, took second place behind ...

(1917–2009) a Swedish chess master, won 1944

Swedish Chess Championship The first Swedish Champion was Gustaf Nyholm, who won two matches against winners of national tournaments: Berndtsson in Göteborg and Löwenborg in Stockholm in 1917. Until 1931 Swedish Chess Championships were decided by match play. In the 1930s, ...

Sonja Edström Sonja Viola Edström-Ruthström (''Edström'' before 1960, 18 November 1930 – 15 October 2020) was a Swedish cross-country skier. She competed at the 1952, 1956, and 1960 Olympics in the 10 km and 3 × 5 km relay events and won bro ...

(born 1930) a retired Swedish cross-country skier, competed at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics *

Runald Beckman Runald Beckman (born 5 July 1951), also known as Runald Backman, is a Swedish former athlete. He competed in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the four-man bobsleigh at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Competing fo ...

(born 1951) a Swedish athlete, competed in the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

and the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

Lars Petrus Lars Erik Petrus (born 4 November 1960) is a Swedish accomplished speedcuber. He has been described as a Rubik's Cube icon and master. Information Petrus grew up in Gammelstaden just outside of Luleå.''Aftonbladet'', 4 November 1981. He too ...

(born 1960) an accomplished

speedcuber Speedcubing or speedsolving is a competitive mind sport centered around the rapid solving of various combination puzzles. The most prominent puzzle in this category is the 3×3×3 puzzle, commonly known as the Rubik's Cube. Participants in this ...

* Göran Titus (born 1967) a former Swedish freestyle swimmer, competed in the

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* Magnus Ingesson (born 1971) a Swedish cross country skier, competed in the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

Jonas Eriksson Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States Arts, entertainment, and media * Jonas Brothers, American pop rock band. ** ''Jonas'' (TV serie ...

(born 1974) a former Swedish football referee, a full FIFA referee 2002–2018 * Sara Eriksson (born 1974) a retired amateur Swedish freestyle wrestler * Peter Larsson (born 1978) a Swedish cross-country skier, competed at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

Per Ledin Pehr Gunnar Ledin (born September 14, 1978) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He most notably played with Luleå HF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and enjoyed a brief career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the C ...

(born 1978) a Swedish professional ice hockey forward *

Niklas Bäckström Niklas Oskar Bäckström (; born 13 February 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played ten seasons for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames in the Nation ...

(born 1989) semi-retired Swedish mixed martial arts fighter, competed in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

* Anders Nilsson (born 1990) a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender *

Alexander Majorov Alexander Alexandrovich Majorov (, born 19 July 1991) is a Swedish retired figure skater. He is the 2017 Winter Universiade bronze medalist, the 2011 World Junior bronze medalist, a five-time Nordic champion (2011–14 and 2016), and a four-t ...

(born 1991) a Swedish figure skater, lives in Luleå * Linus Werneman (born 1992), Swedish professional ice hockey player ;Other *

Märta Bucht Märta Johanna Bucht (1882–1962) was a Swedish schoolteacher, suffragist and peace activist. From 1908, she chaired the Luleå branch of the National Association for Women's Suffrage (Sweden), Swedish Association for Women's Suffrage (FKPR). She ...

(1882–1962), suffragist and peace activist * Inga Hedberg (1927–2024), botanist and academic

Panorama

References

External links

The official guide for the location Luleå
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lulea County seats in Sweden Populated places in Luleå Municipality Norrbotten Coastal cities and towns in Sweden Municipal seats of Norrbotten County Swedish municipal seats Cities in Sweden