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Hälsingland

Coordinates:61°30′43″N16°30′25″E/ 61.512°N 16.507°E/61.512; 16.507
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hälsingland
Historical province
Coat of arms of Hälsingland
Coat of arms
CountrySweden
LandNorrland
CountiesGävleborg County
Jämtland County
Area
• Total14,264 km2(5,507 sq mi)
Population
(31 December 2023)[1]
• Total129,193
• Density9.1/km2(23/sq mi)
Ethnicity
• LanguageSwedish
Culture
• FlowerFlax
• AnimalLynx
• BirdUral owl
• FishIde
Time zoneUTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+2(CEST)

Hälsingland(Swedish pronunciation:[ˈhɛ̌lːsɪŋland]ⓘ), sometimes referred to asHelsingiain English, is a historicalprovinceorlandskapin centralSweden.It bordersGästrikland,Dalarna,Härjedalen,Medelpadand theGulf of Bothnia.It is part of thelandofNorrland.

Princess Madeleineis currently theduchessof Hälsingland, along with Gästrikland.[2]

Administration[edit]

The traditionalprovinces of Swedenserve no administrative or political purpose, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Hälsingland the province constitutes the northern part of thelän('administrativecounty')Gävleborg County.Minor parts of the province are inJämtland Countyand inVästernorrland County.

The following municipalities have their seats in Hälsingland:

The six largest settlements are:

Heraldry[edit]

Unofficial flag of Hälsingland, designed 1992

The coat of arms were granted in 1560 in the era of KingGustav Vasa.At that time, Hälsingland was known for its large scalegoatbreeding, and the arms depicted a standing goat facingheraldic right(blazon:Sable, a Goat rampant Or attired and hoofed Gules). This, combined with the arms of Gästrikland, forms the coat of arms forGävleborg County.

Geography[edit]

The terrain is mostly hilly and rocky, sloping down towards the coast. The highest elevation in the northern part is 530 meters, and 671 meters in the western part. Approximately 85% of the land area is covered with forest, and the timber industry has historically been the main source of income. Apart from some areas around the river systems, notably around the RiverLjusnan,the soil is barren. Large areas consist of rocks and bogs and are unsuitable for agriculture.

A notable geological feature is theDellenlake system, created from flooded meteoric impact craters. It is the only occurrence in Sweden of the volcanicAndesiterock, to which it has given the namedellenite.

History[edit]

The earliest mention of the people of Hälsingland may be in theOld EnglishpoemWidsith,from the 9th or 10th century, where a people called theHælsingsare referred to. The first definite mention of the people is made byAdam of Bremenaround 1070, in reference to theleidangshipping fleet.

In the medieval age, the "Helsings" were the Swedish speaking inhabitants of the entire coastal region north ofUppland,a rather imprecise denomination. In the earlyprovincial law of Uppland,the border between northern Uppland and Hälsingland was theÖdmården[sv]forest.

In the 13th century a large number of people emigrated from Hälsingland to the southern coasts ofFinland,then calledÖsterland.They named places after Hälsingland, most notably the river Helsingeå and its first rapids Helsingfors. In 1550 the latter gave name to a new town founded next to it byKing Gustav Vasa.This town became the city ofHelsinki,and in 1812, it became capital of Finland.

The oldest city in Hälsingland isHudiksvall,chartered in 1582. After that,Söderhamnwas chartered in 1620. In 1942 Hälsingland was granted its third city,Bollnäs,which was to become the last city (in Hälsingland) ascity status in Swedenwas abolished in 1971.

Elections[edit]

Hälsingland is part of the Gävleborg constituency for national elections. This list covers the six municipalities that have their seats in Hälsingland, since the municipal reform before the1973 election.Historically, the area has been dominated by theSocial Democrats.This has especially been the case in the heavily industrializedSöderhamn Municipalitywhere the area aroundLjusneregularly recorded nearly 90 % of the vote left of centre. This meant that the southeast part of the province was the most left-wing in the country until Ljusne got surpassed byFredriksberginLudvika Municipality,Dalarna,in the 1990s. The municipalities ofBollnäsandHudiksvallleaned left also in the past. That trend strengthened from the 1980s onwards after the decline of theCentre Partynationwide with theModerate Partynever gaining a strong foothold in the province. With the number of residents decreasing while Sweden's population grew simultaneously, the popular vote share of Hälsingland fell from 1.8 % in1976to just 1.3 % in2018.The list below excludes the small area of the province located inJämtland CountyaroundYtterhogdal.

Riksdag[edit]

Year % Votes V S MP C L KD M SD NyD Other
1973[3] 89.6 93,853 9.1 45.5 31.2 6.3 1.8 5.7 0.5
1976[4] 90.2 97,764 7.0 46.4 31.8 7.0 1.4 6.0 0.4
1979[5] 89.2 97,152 7.3 48.1 26.5 6.9 1.7 8.9 0.6
1982[6] 90.0 98,734 7.2 50.3 2.0 22.2 4.1 2.1 11.8 0.2
1985[7] 87.8 96,637 6.9 50.4 1.8 19.0 10.4 11.3 0.1
1988[8] 83.6 90,823 7.4 48.8 5.4 18.0 8.6 3.3 8.1 0.4
1991[9] 84.3 91,410 6.1 43.5 3.7 15.3 6.8 7.1 11.3 5.8 0.4
1994[10] 84.3 91,066 8.3 50.9 6.2 12.8 4.8 3.7 11.5 1.0 0.7
1998[11] 78.3 82,026 17.1 39.9 5.6 10.2 3.0 10.4 11.9 2.0
2002[12] 76.6 78,506 11.4 41.0 4.6 15.9 8.8 8.0 8.2 0.7 1.4
2006[13] 77.8 78,449 7.7 40.0 4.0 15.8 4.2 5.7 16.5 2.9 3.1
2010[14] 81.1 81,954 7.0 38.4 5.6 9.9 4.4 4.6 21.4 7.1 1.5
2014[15] 84.3 84,494 6.0 39.1 4.7 8.9 2.9 3.5 15.9 16.1 3.0
2018[16] 85.3 84,442 8.0 34.6 2.7 12.1 3.0 5.9 13.8 18.6 1.3

Culture[edit]

Dialect[edit]

The local dialect is known asHälsingemålorHälsingskabut has no official linguistic recognition.

Folk architecture[edit]

The magnificentDecorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland— "Hälsingegårdar" —are aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.Two or even three storeys high, the farmhouses are built to show wealth and independence, and much inventiveness has gone into decorating their interiors, which combine aristocratic fashions with traditional materials and techniques.

Sports[edit]

Svenska Fönster ArenainEdsbynwas the first Swedish indoorbandyvenue

Bandyis very popular in Hälsingland; it is the only district where bandy is bigger than ice hockey.[citation needed]

Hälsingland currently has 4 clubs in the highest tier of Swedish Bandy,Elitserien.[17]

  • Bollnäs GiF
  • Broberg / Söderhamn Bandy IF
  • Edsbyns IF
  • Ljusdals BK


Football in the province is administered byHälsinglands Fotbollförbund.

Hockey teams in Hälsingland include:

  • Järvsö IK- HockeyTrean
  • Gällsta IK- HockeyTrean
  • Bollnäs IS- HockeyTrean
  • Soderhamn/Ljunse HC- HockeyTvåan
  • Hudiksvalls HC- Hockeyettan

Notable natives[edit]

Subdivisions[edit]

Hälsingland was historically divided into districts:

In popular culture[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Folkmängd 31 december; ålder".Statistikdatabasen.Retrieved1 June2024.
  2. ^"H.K.H. Prinsessan Madeleine".kungahuset.se(in Swedish).Retrieved2024-06-01.
  3. ^"Allmänna valen 1973"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  4. ^"Allmänna valen 1976"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  5. ^"Allmänna valen 1979"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  6. ^"Allmänna valen 1982"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  7. ^"Allmänna valen 1985"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  8. ^"Allmänna valen 1988"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  9. ^"Allmänna valen 1991"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  10. ^"Allmänna valen 1994"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  11. ^"Allmänna valen 1998"(PDF)(in Swedish).SCB.
  12. ^"Gävleborgs län - summering"(in Swedish).Valmyndigheten.
  13. ^"Allmänna val 17 september 2006 - Gävleborgs län"(in Swedish).Valmyndigheten.
  14. ^"Gävleborgs län - Röster Val 2010"(in Swedish).Valmyndigheten.
  15. ^"Gävleborgs län - Röster Val 2014"(in Swedish).Valmyndigheten.
  16. ^"Gävleborgs län - Röster Val 2018"(in Swedish).Valmyndigheten.
  17. ^"Klubbarna".Elitserien(in Swedish).Retrieved2024-06-01.

External links[edit]

61°30′43″N16°30′25″E/ 61.512°N 16.507°E/61.512; 16.507

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