Norrköping

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Norrköping

Flag

Seal

Nickname: "Peking"

Area

- City

1503.61 km²

Population

- City (2006-09-30)

125 266

Total in Norrköping Municipality

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Website: http://www.norrkoping.se

Norrköping [ˈˈnɔrɕøːpɪŋ] is a city in Östergötland in midth-east Sweden, situated at 58°36′N 16°12′E. It has 83,000 inhabitants, and is the seat of Norrköping Municipality with 125,000 inhabitants, making it among Sweden's tenth largest. It has two nicknames: "Sweden's Manchester" and "Peking".

The city is situated where the river Motala ström drains into Bråviken, a gulf of the Baltic Sea. Water power from the Motala and the good harbour were the foundation of this once industrial city, known for its textile industry.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Notable natives
4 External links

[edit] History

Norrköping before it was burnt in 1719. Contemporary engraving by Jan vad den Aveelen.

The city has medieval foundations by settlers around the Motala stream estuary, who used the falls and rapids to power their mills. The stream was also full of fish such as salmon. Exact dates are uncertain, but there are mentions of a church in the 12th century. It was dedicated to Saint Olaf, Norway's patron.

The first trace of the city's name is from 1283, when Sofia of Denmark - wife of Valdemar I of Sweden - donated her rights of salmon fishing to the Skänninge monastery. The town is estimated to have received city status in the early 14th century, although no written documents exist prior to a document from 1384. This document, signed by Albrekt of Sweden is stored in the city archive today.

The city was the location of several battles in the ensuing centuries. As a consequence, nothing of the medieval Norrköping remains today. During the Northern Seven Years' War (1563-1570), the entire southern part of Norrköping was burnt. It was rebuilt by John III of Sweden and John, Duke of Östergötland (1589-1618), who designed the current street pattern. An impressive castle fortress called Johannisberg was in 1614 begun by the Duke John, although not completed until 1639.

In 1618, a weapon industry was established by supervision of Gustavus Adolphus. The harbour also attracted ships due to its proximity to the industries of Finspång. In addition to the weapon industry, a large scale industry of textile was also initiated. An important benefactor was the industrial man Louis De Geer (1587-1652). At De Geers death, Norrköpings had 6,000 inhabitants and was Sweden's second largest city.

The city again burnt in 1655, and again in 1719 during the Great Northern War when the Russians burnt it to the ground. Stones from the Johannisborg castle were used to build new houses, and today only a few stones remains.

During the 18th century it was rebuilt and several industries soon got a stronghold: In the 1740s, Norrköping boosted three sugar refinery; in the 1750s the large scale influential snuff industry was established. From this time stems the city churches of Saint Olof and Saint Hedvig, and several other old houses.

Motala ström runs through Norrköping

Norrköping's importance again flourished. In 1769 the Swedish Riksdag assembled there. In 1800 the king Gustav IV of Sweden was crowned in the Church of Saint Olof.

The city again suffered fires in 1822 and 1826. Thereafter wooden houses were banned. In 1841 a ship industry was initiated as a branch of Motala Verkstad in Motala. In 1850 the industry had over 600 employees making it Sweden's largest ship industry at the time. During the remaining 19th century, the industries kept expanding. Motala Stream was further cultivated for refining of cotton; a paper mill was constructed in 1854, specializing in newspaper, and is still today exporting to around the world.

The textile industry kept expanding. In 1950 a total of 54 had 6,600 employees in town. By 1956, however, 18 of them had been closed due to competition from countries abroad with lower wages, such as Italy and Japan. In 1970 only 10 factories and 1,200 employees remained. In that year, the renowned Holmen paper mill, with its 350 years long history, announced closure, and another 900 people were let go. To counter the effects, several governmental work places were situated in Norrköping. But see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braviken_Paper_Mill

As of 2002, Norrköping is now seeing a revival, as a center of culture and education. The Norrköping symbol represents the "new" Norrköping.