Olofström, previously Holje by, is a

locality 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 ...

Blekinge County Blekinge County () is a county or '' län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden ...

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 ...

with 7,327 inhabitants in 2010. in 1967, the market town of Olofström was merged with the villages

Kyrkhult Kyrkhult is a locality situated in Olofström Municipality, Blekinge County, 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 ...

and

Jämshög Jämshög is a locality situated in Olofström Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 1,494 inhabitants in 2010. It is the site of Jämshög Church (''Jämshögs kyrka'') in the Diocese of Lund. During the Northern Seven Years' War (1563 - 1 ...

to create

Olofström Municipality Olofström Municipality () is the only landlocked municipality in Blekinge County, South Sweden. It borders to Osby Municipality, Kristianstad Municipality, Bromölla Municipality, Sölvesborg Municipality, Karlshamn Municipality, Tingsryd Munici ...

. Olofström is the seat of

. The increased use of cars in the 1950s and 1960s was the great boost for the municipality. Today the automobile industry, dominated by

Volvo Cars Volvo Car AB, trading as Volvo Cars (, styled VOLVO in the company's logo) is a Sweden, Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles. Volvo is headquartered in Torslanda, Gothenburg. The company manufactures SUVs, station wagons, and ...

, is the largest employer in Olofström.

Geography

Immediately west of Olofström lies , a nature reserve covering of land and water, making it one of the largest protected areas in Blekinge. It was established in 1972 for its recreational value and it has since been expanded. It features hiking trails, rest areas, and accessibility-adapted facilities, including a trail around the small lake Blåsegylet. The lake Halen, which is partly included in the reserve, is popular for swimming and canoeing and is connected to a larger lake system. The area is also rich in biodiversity, with old-growth forests and habitats for a variety of bird species, including ospreys and loons. Both the

Skåneleden The Skåneleden trail is a Long-distance trail, long-distance walking trail that stretches all over the countryside of Scania, Skåne, in southern Sweden. The trail spans over and is divided into seven sub-trails, with a total of 147 sections. T ...

and hiking trails traverse the nature reserve and the surrounding nature, connecting Olofström to

in the north,

Näsum Näsum is a locality situated in Bromölla Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,117 inhabitants in 2010. The village and its surrounding landscape, including the nature reserve are a part of the hiking trail Skåneleden The Skåneleden ...

and

Sölvesborg Sölvesborg 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 as a ''city''. Statis ...

to the south, and

Osby Osby () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Osby Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 7,157 inhabitants in 2010 and 13,238 inhabitants in 2022. It is the birthplace of the toy manufacturer BRIO, whose museum, the BRIO Lekoseum, ...

to the west.

Olofström Church

Olofström church (''Olofströms kyrka'') belongs to Jämshög's parish in the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund () is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Church of Sweden. Th ...

. The original building is a chapel built in 1933. A rebuild was completed in 1962 under the guidance of architects Hanna and Roy Victorson in Karlshamn. The entrance hall and the parish hall's northwest wing were built in 1986 under the direction of architectural firm K.E. Dudzik.

Education

The gymnasium, Nordenbergsskolan, accommodates one of the few

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...

schools in Sweden, as well as the only archery school in Sweden.

Sports

Olofström is home to football club ,Olofströms IF
/ref> floorball club

Olofströms IBK Olofströms IBK is a floorball club in Olofström, 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 ...

and ice hockey club

Olofströms IK Olofströms IK is an ice hockey club in 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 ...

Natives from Olofström

Calle Clang Calle Clang (born 20 May 2002) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract as a prospect to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League ...

(born 2002), professional ice hockey goaltender *

Jan Gunnarsson Jan Gunnarsson (; born 30 May 1962) is a former tennis player from Sweden, who won one singles title in Vienna in 1985 (beating Libor Pimek in the final) and nine doubles titles on the world tour during his professional career. In 1989 he reach ...

(born 1962), professional tennis player *

Katherine Haataja Katherine Elina Haataja (née Hannikainen; February 16, 1969) is a Finnish-Swedish mezzo-soprano and entrepreneur, known for her work advocating for young opera artists. She is a descendant of the Hannikainen family of composers and writers, P ...

(born 1969),

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

Magnus Larsson Per Henrik ''Magnus'' Larsson (; born 25 March 1970) is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. Playing career Larsson turned professional in 1989 and won his first top-level singles title at Florence in 1990. His first doubles titl ...

(born 1970), professional tennis player *

André Petersson André Willy Petersson (born 11 September 1990) is a Swedish people, Swedish professional ice hockey player, who is currently playing under contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 4th r ...

(born 1990), professional ice hockey player

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olofstrom Municipal seats of Blekinge County Swedish municipal seats Populated places in Olofström Municipality Market towns in Sweden