Luleå

Luleå

Luleå is the largest city of Norrbotten and the capital of Norrbottens län, its the 4:th largest city in Norrland after Umeå, Gävle and Sundsvall, and national its the 22:nd largest city in Sweden.


The history of Luleå started when the digging of iron ore began in the 1800-century, since then the city started to grow. It was a very important point and under the secodn world war a very important place for Germany were they got their iron ore that was transported by train all the way from Norrbotten down to Germany.

Norrbotten

Norrbotten is one of the most northern provinces of Sweden. Its few people living up here, but there is a quite big city up here. The biggest city, also capital city of Norrbottens län, is Luleå with its 45 000 citizens.

Norrbotten is concidered to be the newest province in Sweden, cause before, this part has always been a part of Västerbotten. The year 1810 when the provinces more or less was replaced with the counties (län) Västerbotten was divided and the northern part came under the name Norrbottens län, and after this time Norrbotten was more and more seen as an "independent province". But it took all the time to 1995 until the governement agreed in this, and let Norrbotten to becoma a real province with its own shield. 195 000 people are living in Norrbotten.

Göteborg

Göteborg

Göteborg, with its around 500 000 citizens, this is the second largest city in Sweden. The city is located on the border between the provinces of Västergötland and Bohuslän. In a historical view, Göteborg has been the face of Sweden to the world. With its good postition on the western coast close to both Denmark and Norway and the Atlantic Ocean, most communications to the outside world has passed through Göteborg. In the year 1745 the great ship named Götheborg of the East Indian company made a trip to China but failed on the way back, so year 2003 a reconstruction of the ship were created. Götheborg had an interresting trip, started from Göteborg to Cadiz in Spain to continue all the way to Recife in Brazil and made many stops in the southern hemisphere before reaching China and come back home to Sweden in 2007.

In Göteborg there is alot of things worth visiting, not to forget the largest amusent park in the Nordic, namely Liseberg. Close to Liseberg there is Universeum, an enviroment house. In the downtown there is the large shopping district of Nordstan.

Cities in Västergötland

Borås

Borås is the 14:th largest city in Sweden with its population at 61 000 citizens. Things to visit in Borås is of course Borås Djurpark, the zoo.

Its location is not far from Göteborg. In the city there is also the shopping district, Knalleland, with the shopping gallery Knallerian.

Skara

Skara is another city in Västergötland, most fameous for the amusentpark kalled Skara Sommarland. The city is not specially big with its 18 000 inhabitants.

Tranemo

Tranemo is a quite known countryside town. It is fameous for the land mark outside the city on the highway, a statue of a big "trana", a bird as seen on the coat of arms. Its also fameous to have one of the very few, unique six edged shaped shurches, Tranemo Kyrka.

Västergötand

Västergötland is a province in southern Sweden on the west coast. This province has some big cities, like Borås but also the half size of Göteborg is also located in Västergötland.

Once upon a time in the viking era, Västergötland was an indepencent country, and even today there is a conflict about what part was the source of the swedish society, Götaland or Svealand.

Västergötland is also one of the most populated provinces with more than one million inhabitants.
It is bordering with Sweden's two largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern.

What to see in Småland

There is alot of interresting and historical places to see in Småland.

Just north of Jönköping there is a small city close to the shore of lake Vättern, second largest lake in Sweden and the fifth largest lake in Europe. The city is called Gränna, and here is a tradition of producing a very popular candy as well as a very popular souvenir, namely the "polkagris" or also called in english, peppermint rock... well actually its "polka-pig".

Not far from Gränna there is Visingsö in the middle of Vättern, this island can easliy be seen from Gränna, and this island was the place were the ancient kings lived.

Going north from Gränna is the always seen ruins of Brahehus castle ruins close to the street.

South of Jönköping is the old industrial region called Gnosjöregionen, (Gnosjö Region) also known as region-GGVV after the four municipalities Gnosjö-Gislaved-Värnamo-Vaggeryd. Its known for its high level of industries and small companies, and for being a countryside part its relatively easy to get a job compared to other parts of the country.

Well, if we make a trip to the east, we will find Glasriket (Kingdom of Crystal), were the production of glass is very common. The glass found here is by the most clear and high quality of glass to be found.

Another sing worth to visit that I really want to put into the text is the echo-temple that was (or is) used as a water tower. Despite the open area, while standing under it and talking, your voice will leave an echo very clear and high.

More to the east in the border of the Baltic Sea lies Kalmar, once upon a time the capital of all Nordic under the rule of Kalmar Union that existed in the medival time. The union was created when Sweden joined Denmark and Norway in their union when Queen Margarethe I of Denmark-Norway defeated the german king Albrekt af Mecklenburg. The royal residence then became Kalmar Castle were the queen lived and ruled.

Småland

The first province I write about is old dear Småland.

Småland is a province (landskap) in southern Sweden. Småland is mostly forested and have three greater cities, Jönköping, Kalmar and Växjö.

The word "småland" is old swedish wich means "small countries", the region got this name cause Småland was not only one region but many different, it was 13 of them. When the "small countries" dissapered in the end of the medival era, the region became one, and today is still known as Småland.

The people in Småland are very known to be greedy and close in their economy, and really disslike to waste money. In some jokes its said that a real smålandian save his/her money under the bed instead of put them in a bank.

Why people say this has historical reasons, cause in the 1800-century Småland was very poor, and the earth was not fertile at all, instead of pure earth, the land was filled with big, heavy stones wich made it difficult to plant things. Many people starved, and the few things they had, they wanted to save for themselves and not share with other. So the greedy attitude for the people in Småland get known all over the country.

The starving and poverty was also the reason why many people here left Sweden for mostly America (both north and south), it was alot more emigrants here than anywhere else in Sweden.