Öland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Öland is an island in the Baltic Sea, located off the coast of Småland. At 1,342 km² it is the second largest Swedish island, after Gotland. Administratively, it is now part of Kalmar County, (Kalmar län). Historically, however, Öland (or Latin Oelandia) formed one of the Provinces of Sweden (landskap).
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[edit] County
For current affairs see: Kalmar County
There was an Öland County between 1819 and 1824; otherwise, the island has belonged to Kalmar County since 1634. The island is connected to the mainland across the Kalmar Strait through the Öland bridge, which opened in 1972.
[edit] History
Archaeological evidence indicates the island of Öland was settled about 8000 BC, with excavations dating to the Paleolithic era showing the presence of hunter-gatherers.[1] In the early Stone Age settlers from the mainland migrated across the ice bridge that connected the island across the Kalmar Strait.
Evidence of habitation of Oland (known in earlier times as Oelandia) occurs at least as early as 6000 BC, when stone age settlements occurred at Alby and other locations on the island. Burial grounds from the Iron Age through the Viking era are clearly visible at Gettlinge, Hulterstad and other places on the perimeter ridge including stone ships.
There are nineteen Iron Age ringforts identified on the island, only one of which, Eketorp, has been completely excavated, yielding over 24,000 artifacts.
C. 900, Wulfstan of Hedeby called the island "Eowland", the land of the Eowan:
- Then, after the land of the Burgundians, we had on our left the lands that have been called from the earliest times Blekingey, and Meore, and Eowland, and Gotland, all which territory is subject to the Sweons; and Weonodland was all the way on our right, as far as Weissel-mouth.[1]
However, this is not the first mention of the Eowans. There is an even earlier mention of the tribe in the Anglo-Saxon poem Widsith:
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Scholars such as Schütte[2] and Kendrick[3] have pointed out that there was probably an even earlier mention of the people of Öland in 98 AD, by Tacitus, who called them the "Aviones":
- After the Langobardi come the Reudigni, Auiones, Angli, Varni, Eudoses, Suarines and Nuithones all well guarded by rivers and forests. There is nothing remarkable about any of these tribes unless it be the common worship of Nerthus, that is Earth Mother. They believe she is interested in men's affairs and drives among them. On an island in the ocean sea there is a sacred grove wherein waits a holy wagon covered by a drape. (Germania by Tacitus)
In Swedish history, the island long served as a royal game park; particularly Ottenby and Halltorps were selected by the Swedish Crown in the Middle Ages as royal game reseserves.
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of Öland
Öland was historically divided into one chartered city and five hundreds.
[edit] Cities and villages
- Alby
- Borgholm (1816)
- Gettlinge
- Hulterstad
- Färjestaden
- Mörbylånga
[edit] Hundreds
[edit] Facts
- Highest mountain: Högsrum 55 meters
- Largest lake: Möckelmossen
- Length: 137 km
- Width (at widest point): 16 km
[edit] Environment
The dominant environmental feature of the island is the Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement which is the habitat of numerous rare and endangered species. The first known scientific study of the biota of the Stora Alvaret occurred in the year 1741 with the visit of Linnaeus.[2] The underlying bedrock layer is chiefy Ordovician limestone that dates to at least 600 million years ago[3] Öland is served by a perimeter highway, Route 136.
[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Öland
The Borgholm Castle was built in 1669-1681 for Queen Hedvig Eleonora, and designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. In its vicinity sits the Solliden Palace, summer home to the royal family.
The limestone pavement habitat of southern Öland, known as Stora Alvaret. has been entered as a site of the UNESCO World Heritage program.[4] Features of this are the many rare species found; prehistory sites such as Gettlinge and Eketorp; numerous old wooden windmills left standing, some of which date to the 17th century; and the special geological alvar landscape.
Öland has since a decade back organized an annual harvest festival Skördefesten every October in which the island farmers come together with farmers from the rest of the country and sell their crops and let those that are interested take part of the every day life on their farms only to mention a few among many activities. There are also many art exhibitions for display during Skördefesten especially during the art night Konstnatten.
[edit] Heraldry
Main article: Heraldry of Öland
Öland was granted provincial arms in 1560, but it would not be until the 1940s that the province was assigned its proper ones. The arms granted to Öland had been mixed up with the arms granted to Åland and this was not discovered until the 20th century. While Öland changed its, Åland, which was now a Finnish (autonomous) province, kept its established but originally unintended coat of arms. The deer is meant to symbolise the status of Öland as a royal game park and the arms are topped by a dukal crown. Blazon: "Azure a Deer Or attired, hoofed and gorged Gules."
[edit] References
- ^ C. M. Hogan, The Stora Alvaret of Öland, Lumina Technologies, Aberdeen Library Archives, July 9, 2006
- ^ Carolus Linnaeus, Species Plantarum, Uppsala, Sweden (1753)
- ^ L.K. Königsson, The Holocene History of the Great Alvar of Öland, Acta Phytogeographica Suecica 55, Uppsala (1968)
- ^ Hakan Sandbring and Martin Borg, Oland: Island of Stone and Green, May, 1997
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Mitt Öland - Öland guide with local news, weather forecast, TV-guide and current events.
- Öland - Tourist site
- World Heritage profile
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