Skövde

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Skövde is a Swedish city in Västergötland in Sweden, located at 58°23′N 13°51′E. It has 36,000 inhabitants, with 51,000 in the municipal area and about 250,000 inhabitants in the surrounding area Skaraborg.

1 Geography
2 History
- 2.1 Early history
- 2.2 Later history
3 Industry
4 Military
5 Education
6 Notable natives
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Skövde is situated between the two largest lakes in Sweden, Vänern and Vättern. The western main railway (Västra Stambanan) was located through Skövde in the 1890s, which dramatically gave the town an industrial and population boost.

[edit] History

[edit] Early history

Skövde traces its history back to the medieval age. On its city arms is the image of Saint Helena who allegedly was a pious woman from Skövde. She was born about 1101, and was canonized in 1165 by Pope Alexander III and Archbishop Stefan of Sweden.

[edit] Later history

Of the medieval houses nothing remains, as a fire in 1759 burnt down the entire city except for one house called Helensgården. After the fire, the city was rebuilt according to the grid pattern. The city still only had a small population until the railroad between Stockholm and Gothenburg was laid through the city and leading to an industrial and population boost.

[edit] Industry

Volvo has a large industry in the city, with more than 5,000 workers.

The higher education is located at University of Skövde, that is mainly focused on interdisciplinary education, blending natural sciences with engineering and the arts.

There is also the Skövde Garrison, one of the country's largest regiments.

[edit] Military

The armoured corps regiment Skaraborgs regemente (P4) and the logistics corps regiment Göta trängregemente (T2) are both located in Skövde. So is the Army Combat school.

The Göta Trängregemente, T2, is called Göta Supply and Transport Training Regiment in English. T2 is the military abbreviation for "Second Supply Regiment. T2 has about 150 employed officers, and educates about 600 conscripts in supply service every year. (2006)

[edit] Education

The University of Skövde [1] has over 8,000 students and six faculties. The University's current Vice-Chancellor is Leif Larsson. A restaurant in the premises of the University by the name Götasalen is very popular among students. It can serve 220 guests.

[edit] Notable natives

Kristina Lugn, poet
Tim Skold, former vocalist/bassist/programmer/guitarist for KMFDM currently with Marilyn Manson
Karl Larsson, artist
Thomas G:son, Eurovision composer
Calle Kindbom, Eurovsion composer
Fredrik Belfrage
Robert Gustafsson, Actor, Comedian