Karlstad
Karlstad | |
|---|---|
  | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nickname(s): city of the Sun, Sun city | |
  Karlstad  Karlstad | |
| Coordinates:59°22′42″N13°30′15″E/ 59.37833°N 13.50417°E | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Province | Värmland |
| County | Värmland County |
| Municipality | Karlstad Municipality |
| Founded by | KingCharles IX |
| Government | |
| • Chairman of the Executive Board | Linda Larsson |
| Area | |
| •Episcopal seeandmunicipal seat | 30.31 km2(11.70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 64 m (210 ft) |
| Population (2020 (city); 2015 (metro))[2] | |
| •Episcopal seeandmunicipal seat | 67,122 |
| • Density | 2,035/km2(5,270/sq mi) |
| •Metro | 96,466 |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | 65x xx |
| Area code | (+46) 54 |
| Website | www |
Karlstad(US:/ˈkɑːrlstɑːd/,[3][4]Swedish:[ˈkɑ̌ːɭsta(d)])[5]is the20th-largest cityin Sweden, the seat ofKarlstad Municipality,the capital ofVärmland County,and the largest city in the provinceVärmlandin Sweden. Thecity properhad 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitants in the wider municipality in 2023, and is the 21st biggestmunicipalityin Sweden. Karlstad has auniversityand acathedral.
During recent years, Karlstad has started seeing big growth with many new buildings, for example the new apartment complexes aroundOrrholmenandTullholmen,hosting a brand new Coop store and a 17 story high rise apartment which was finished in late 2022.
Karlstad is built on the river delta where Sweden's longest river,Klarälven,runs into Sweden's largest lake,Vänern.It has the second largest lake port in the country afterVästerås.
Karlstad is often associated with sunshine and the symbol for Karlstad is a smiling sun. Karlstad is reputed to be one of the sunniest towns in Sweden and a local waitress, known as "Sola i Karlstad"(the Sun in Karlstad) for her sunny disposition, is also commemorated with a statue.
History
[edit]On Karlstad's largest islet, there was a place of counsel called Tingvalla in themedievalage, which had roots from theViking Agebefore 1000 AD. It was also used as amarket place.
Karlstad was granted itscity charteron March 5, 1584, by the Swedish Duke Charles, who would later be crowned KingCharles IX of Sweden.The city derives its name from the King – Karlstad literally meansCharles' city.The Duke also granted Karlstad the right as a governmental seat in the region, and gave it a substantial amount of land.
The Duke built his own house in the city, which is referred to asKungsgården(The King's Manor). Karlstad's Cathedral was built on the location Kungsgården in 1724–1730 by Christian Haller.
Then most significantcoup d'étatin modern Swedish history had its beginning in Karlstad. During the night of 7 March 1809,major generalGeorg Adlersparreused the part of the western army that was stationed in Värmland to occupy Karlstad. From there officially proclaimed a revolution, and during 9 March, he and his soldiers began their march toward the capital to end the reign of kingGustav IV Adolf.[6]
Karlstad has suffered four major fires. Only the cathedral and a few houses remained after the last fire on July 2, 1865. Karlstad was thereafter rebuilt according to agrid patternwith wide streets surrounded by trees.
In 1905, the agreement todissolve the union between Norway and Swedenwas negotiated and signed in Karlstad.[7]
Demographics
[edit]Language
[edit]The official language,Swedish,is the native language of a large majority and also spoken by most people in Karlstad. Immigration has also established five notable minority languages:[8]
- Arabic
- Somali
- Sorani
- Persian
- Serbo-Croatian;Bosnian,CroatianandSerbian(in practice treated as one language).
Religion
[edit]
Karlstad has several Christian denominations, including theChurch of Sweden,with notable churches such as theKarlstad Cathedralbuilt in 1730.[9]In the 1800s, a smallJewishcommunity formed in Karlstad and built asynagoguein 1899, which was demolished in 1961.[10]
Education
[edit]Several upper secondary schools (gymnasium) offer the most common range of courses usually available throughout Sweden, including theIB Diploma Programme.The majority of students in Värmland need to commute or move to Karlstad for their uppersecondary education.[citation needed]Tertiary educationis offered byKarlstad University,which was granted university status in 1999.[11]
Culture
[edit]Media
[edit]Värmlands FolkbladandNya Wermlands-Tidningenare both located in Karlstad, with county-wide circulations.
Sports and recreation
[edit]Winter sports
[edit]
Ice hockeyis a highly popular spectator sport in Karlstad. The most popular club isFärjestad BK.The team plays in theSwedish Hockey League(SHL, highest level) and their home arena isLöfbergs Arena.The club has won theSwedish Championshipseveral times, most recently in 2022, and is the most successful ice hockey club in Sweden since the foundation of Elitserien (Swedish Hockey League since 2013) in 1975. Several other ice hockey clubs exist and Karlstad is also represented in the 1st Division of ice hockey (3rd highest level) by the teamSkåre BK.The2010 Men's World Inline Hockey Championshipswas also hosted by Karlstad, with Löfbergs Arena as the primary site of the tournament.
Traditionally,bandyhas been the most popular winter sport in Karlstad, and the city is the home of two of the historically most successful clubs in Sweden,IF BolticandIF Karlstad-Göta.Boltic reached 10Swedish finalsin a row from 1979 to 1988. They won the first 7 and the one in 1988. They also won in 1995. In 2000, the two clubs merged intoBS BolticGöta.The first team again played as IF Boltic since the winter 2008/2009.[12]After a successful season inAllsvenskan2009/2010 the team qualified forElitserien,but was again relegated for the 2011/2012 season. Boltic's general meeting decided in 2014 to take back the club's old name IF Boltic.[13]The home arena of Boltic, Tingvalla Ice Stadium, built in 1967, is claimed to be one of Norhterns Europe's largest artificially frozen areas. The outdoor stadium was demolished in 2020 and converted into an indoor rink. The indoor rink was inaugurated in 2022. Afghans living in Karlstad has taken a liking to bandy and set up anAfghanistan national bandy team,which is based in the city.
Karlstad is a regular host of start, finish and special stages for theSwedish Rally.The competition has world championship status and is held annually inVärmland.[citation needed]
Summer sports
[edit]
Several football clubs exist.QBIKwas founded in 1978, and entered the premier division of women's football,Damallsvenskan,in 2005. The team currently plays in the 1st Division (2nd highest level),[14]but has several players in the Swedish national team.[15]Their home ground isTingvalla IP,and the facility was also the home ground for the football teamKarlstad BK,that played in the men'sDivision 1 Norra(3rd highest level), having gained promotion following a successful 2010 season. The third highest-ranking football team wasCarlstad United.The club was founded in 1998 by an alliance of seven local football clubs, with the aim of providing Karlstad with an elite football team. The club was accepted by theSwedish Football Association(SvFF) in 1999[16]and the team played in the men'sDivision 2Norra Götaland (4th highest level). Carlstad United and Karlstad BK ended up merging intoIF Karlstad Fotboll,who compete in Division 1 Norra. Another club from Karlstad isFBK Karlstad,who currently play inDivision 1.
Motorcycle speedwaytakes place at theKalvholmen Motorbana,situated in the southeast outskirts of the city. The team is calledSolkatterna(the Sun Cats), who compete in theSwedish Speedway Team Championship.[17]
American footballis also played on Tingvalla IP. TheCarlstad Crusadersplay inSuperserien,the highest level and since the founding of the club in 1990, the team has attended eight finals, winning its first championship in 2010.
Karlstad is also famous for athletics. The clubIF Götahas a number of international athletes and host the annual athletics meet Götagalan. There is an outdoor athletics track at Tingvalla IP and anindoor track(200 m) in Våxnäshallen.
Another prominent sports club in Karlstad isOK Tyr,one of the largestorienteeringclubs in Sweden. OK Tyr wonTiomilain 1989 and 1990.
Public facilities
[edit]Public sports facilities in Karlstad includeKlarälvsbanan,a 90 km (56 mi) cycle path on a formerrailway linerunning north from Karlstad toHagfors.It is popular with cyclists, inlines skaters and roller skiers.
There is also a large number of open-air beaches and bathing spots byVänern,smaller lakes andKlarälvenin the municipality, and a 25-metre (82 ft) indoor municipal swimming pool.
Many wood-chip jogging trails, some of which are lit, can be found in the city outskirts. During wintertime, several are used forcross-country skiing.
Economy
[edit]In 2023, Karlstads BVP per capita was 623 thousand Swedish crowns, about 20% above the national average at the time.[18]Karlstad has a relatively strong IT sector and a number of IT consulting companies –CombinedX,Sogeti,CGI Inc.,Tieto.Telia Grouphas a global network operation center in the city.
Climate
[edit]Karlstad has ahumid continental climate(Dfb) with influence from the surrounding waters of Vänern and the inflow from the Atlantic Ocean. It has large differences between seasons and is moderately influenced by both marine and land airflows. The highest recorded temperature since 1901 is 34.0°C (93.2°F) in July 1933 and the lowest is -36.0°C (-32.8°F) from February 1966.
| Climate data forKarlstad Airport(1991-2020 averages; 2008–2018 precipitation forVäse;2002-2020 average record highs and lows and sunshine hours; extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
13.9 (57.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
29.0 (84.2) |
32.5 (90.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
32.0 (89.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
17.1 (62.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
34.0 (93.2) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
12.8 (55.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
24.6 (76.3) |
26.8 (80.2) |
28.6 (83.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
22.1 (71.8) |
16.1 (61.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
10.6 (51.1) |
15.9 (60.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
1.4 (34.5) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
15.7 (60.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
6.3 (43.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.1 (32.2) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
2.1 (35.7) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −17.1 (1.2) |
−14.8 (5.4) |
−11.9 (10.6) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
4.9 (40.8) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −32.5 (−26.5) |
−36.0 (−32.8) |
−26.9 (−16.4) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
2.0 (35.6) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−36.0 (−32.8) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 50.0 (1.97) |
35.0 (1.38) |
35.0 (1.38) |
50.0 (1.97) |
55.0 (2.17) |
65.0 (2.56) |
60.0 (2.36) |
85.0 (3.35) |
65.0 (2.56) |
75.0 (2.95) |
70.0 (2.76) |
55.0 (2.17) |
700 (27.58) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 47 | 69 | 168 | 219 | 261 | 287 | 271 | 223 | 174 | 108 | 52 | 44 | 1,923 |
| Source 1:[19] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:[20] | |||||||||||||
Notable residents
[edit]- Adam Alsing,radio and television host
- Gustaf Bengtsson, musician and composer
- Jonas Brodin,National Hockey League ice hockey player
- Niklas Edin,2013 World Men's Curling Champion
- JH Engström,contemporary photographer
- Joel Eriksson Ek,Ice hockeyplayer,Ice Hockey World Championshipwinner
- Nils Ferlin,poet
- Jenny Fransson,wrestler
- Gustaf Fröding,poet
- Stefan Holm,notable high jumper,2004 Olympicgold medalist
- Oscar Klefbom,plays for theEdmonton Oilers
- Anders Kulläng,rally driver
- Zarah Leander,notableUFAactress
- Lina Länsberg,professionalmixed martial artistand two times gold medalist in theIFMAWorld Championship inMuay Thai
- Martin Molin,composer, inventor, and member of the bandWintergatan
- Jan Nilsson,racing driver
- Thomas Rhodin,ice hockeyplayer (four times Swedish Champion withFärjestads BK)
- Christer Sjögren,rock/dansbandsinger (Vikingarna)
- Ulf Sterner,ice hockeyplayer (first European schooled player to play in theNational Hockey League)
- Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky,racing driver
Twin towns – sister cities
[edit]
Image gallery
[edit]-
Karlstad Cathedral -
Karlstad from the Klaraborg Bridge -
Statue ofSola i Karlstad,next to Klarälven -
Wooden houses that survived the fire in 1865
-
Karlstad Theatre, a theatre and the home of theWermland Opera -
The East Bridge -
Carlarnas sluss,a lock from the early 19th century -
The Bishops House
-
Värmland Museumby night -
The new part of Värmland Museum -
-
Karlstad Town Hall
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km22005 och 2010 "(in Swedish).Statistics Sweden.14 December 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2012.Retrieved10 January2012.
- ^"Statistiska tätorter och småorter 2020"(PDF)(in Swedish).Statistics Sweden.17 June 2022.Retrieved3 April2024.
- ^"Karlstad".The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(5th ed.). HarperCollins.Retrieved24 April2019.
- ^"Karlstad".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.Retrieved24 April2019.
- ^Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979).Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter(in Swedish). p. 13.
- ^Norberg, Johan (1999),Den Svenska Liberalismens historia,Timbro, pp. 56–57,ISBN91-7566-429-1
- ^"Norsk kupp spräckte unionen".Popularhistoria.se(in Swedish). 2 December 2019.Retrieved14 February2023.
- ^As per info on the Karlstad Municipal web page
- ^"Karlstads gamla kyrka".karlstad.se(in Swedish).Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^Rist, Marcus (25 March 2022)."Karlstads synagoga"[Karlstad Synagogue].digitaltmuseum.se(in Swedish).Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"Historia i korthet | Karlstads universitet".kau.se(in Swedish).Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"BolticGöta blir IF Boltic".Nya Wermlands-Tidningen(in Swedish). Karlstad: NWT Media AB. 6 November 2008.Retrieved18 February2024.
- ^"Boltic tar tilbaka sitt gamla namn".Värmlands Folkblad(in Swedish). Karlstad: NWT Media AB. 27 June 2014.Retrieved18 February2024.
- ^"Om Klubben | QBIK".Klubben.se. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-01-18.Retrieved2011-09-16.
- ^"Tre gånger QBIK i landslaget | QBIK".Klubben.se. 2010-03-15. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-04.Retrieved2011-09-16.
- ^"United-idén | Carlstad United".Laget.se. 1998-04-12. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-30.Retrieved2011-09-16.
- ^"KARLSTAD / SOLKATTERNA - Sweden".Speedway Plus.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^"BRP per invånare, kommun".Regionfakta(in Swedish). 2023-12-15.Retrieved2024-02-26.
- ^"Climate karlstad (Sweden)".climatestotravel.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"SMHI Open Data"(in Swedish). SMHI.Retrieved30 April2019.
- ^"Internationellt arbete"(in Swedish).Karlstad Municipality.Retrieved18 November2023.
External links
[edit]
Media related toKarlstadat Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- .Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.
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