Borgholm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Borgholm is a city in south-eastern Sweden, located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. It has about 3,500 inhabitants and is the seat of Borgholm Municipality.
Borgholm is one of Sweden's historical towns with city status (stad). The town is best known for its once-magnificent fortress—now ruined.
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[edit] Geography
The town is situated some 20 kilometres north of the Öland bridge that connects the island with the city of Kalmar.
Öland, as a whole, has a characteristic geography. Unlike the mainland of Småland, it has few forests. Instead, it has many areas suitable for agriculture. A rather flat terrain with meadows and plains give it a unique fauna. Several locations have been marked as nature reserves. Blå Jungfrun, a Småland island just to the west of Öland, is also a national park.
[edit] History
Borgholm is the main town of Öland, but remains one of the smallest cities in Sweden. The town received its charter in 1816 and emerged as a spa-town in the shadow of the ruins of the once mighty Borgholm Castle, which burned down in 1806. So important and magnificent was this castle, that it has become the city arms, and the ruins are the best known attraction in the municipality, perhaps of Öland. Slightly further south is Halltorps, a historic royal estate linked to Borgholm Castle.
The town serves as centre of northern Öland, and remains one of the most popular summer towns in Sweden. Despite its small size, the centre somewhat retains a feeling of urbanness, with a grid-net of streets and many shops, restaurants and hotels.
Borgholms Castle has its modern counterpart outside Borgholm. The Swedish Royal Family has its official summer residence at Solliden Palace a couple of kilometres outside centre. The Crown Princess Victoria's birthday is annually celebrated on July 14th at the Borgholm Sports Field.
[edit] Gallery
[edit] Environmental elements
There are small reaches of the Stora Alvaret geological formation in the environs of Borgholm, which level exposures of limestone host a variety of rare species of butterflies and wildflowers, some of which are endemic to Oland. Sound levels are relatively high in Borgholm compared to other parts of the island. For example, in the centrum area, typical sound levels are in the range of 58 to 62 dBA in the daytime compared to levels of 45 to 49 in other parts of Oland (Environmental Baseline Study for Oland, Sweden Lumina Technologies, prepared for the province of Oland, Borgholm, July, 2004)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Borgholm - Official site
Borgholm is one of 134 towns with the historical City status in Sweden.
