Örebro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Örebro | |
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  Örebro
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Sweden |
| Municipality | Örebro Municipality |
| County | Örebro County |
| Province | Närke |
| Charter | 1404 |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 42.96 km² (16.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 98,237 |
| - Density | 2,287/km² (5,923.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Website: orebro.se | |
Örebro [œrə'bruː] is a city in Närke in central Sweden. Örebro is the seat of Örebro Municipality and the capital of Örebro County.
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[edit] History
Örebro received its Royal Charter and city privileges not later than 1404.
Örebro literally means a bridge over gravel banks, which is how the geography looks, with the stream Svartån draining into the lake Hjälmaren. The location became a natural seat of commerce in the (Scandinavian) medieval time, and is mentioned in print in the 13th century. Old buildings from the early days include the foundations of the city church, a building which has undergone several modifications. The natural center of the city is otherwise the magnificent Örebro Castle, situated on an islet in the Svartån, and dividing the town into a northern and a southern part. This castle was constructed during the stewardship of Birger Jarl during the early 13th century and then modified and enlarged during the reign of King Gustav Vasa in the 1560s.
Notable events in Örebro's history include the national diet meeting at Örebro in 1810, where Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected crown prince of Sweden.
Although a trade town, Örebro remained small until the second half of the 19th century, when it grew rapidly as a center of the national shoe manufacturing industry (see: History of Närke).
[edit] Sites of interest
Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of the Svartån. It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions.
The water tower of Örebro, nicknamed Svampen (The Mushroom) is a popular destination as an outlook tower. In 1958, a replica of the tower was built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Örebro University is one of Sweden's most recent, being upgraded from högskola (university college) in 1999. It currently has around 14,070 students and a staff of 1,100. Gustavsvik, the largest water park in the Nordic countries, is located just a kilometer south of central Örebro. With more than 700,000 visitors per year, it is one of the most popular tourist and leisure establishments in Sweden. Only Liseberg, Gröna Lund and Skansen are more popular. In the summer the manor of Karlslund is a very popular place to visit.
[edit] Notable natives
- Olaus Petri, (16th century) Principal reformator in Sweden
- Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, (1390s–1436) rebellious politician and later Sweden's first rikshövitsman (Primeminister)
- Henry Allard - Speaker of the parliament 1969–1979
- Erik Agabus Nilsson, Minister of Defence 1917–1920
- Leni Björklund, Minister of Defence 2002–2006
- Sten Tolgfors, Minister of Defence 2007–
- Biljana Plavšić, former president of Bosnia and Hergezovina, now a prisoner for 11 years in Hinseberg prison, about 10 miles from Örebro.
- Hjalmar Bergman, author
- Manne Siegbahn, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate
- Gunnar A. Sjögren, Saab designer
- Johan Röjler, ice speed skater
- Richard Göransson, Swedish Touring Car driver
- Ernst Kirchsteiger, TV-profile
- Dan Swanö, multi-instrumentalist, lead vocalist of Edge of Sanity
- Millencolin, punk rock band
- Nasum, grindcore band
- Witchcraft, doom metal band
- Nina Persson, lead singer of the pop group The Cardigans
- Peter Andersson, former NHL hockey player
- Timmy (Battousai) Skoog, World-champion of Kyokushin-Karate, and Grand-master of the European Karate-Association.
- Peter Flack, comedian
- Mary Stävin, former Miss World who appeared in two James Bond movies, Octopussy and A View to a Kill, as agent Kimberley Jones.
- Jan-Peter Lahall, photographer
- Ronnie Peterson, Former racing driver
- Daniel Westling, the boyfriend of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
[edit] Sports
[edit] Football
- Örebro SK are the most popular football team in Örebro County. The club was founded in 1908 and the team currently play in the highest division in Sweden (Allsvenskan).
- KIF Örebro DFF play in the highest level of women's soccer leagues in Sweden (Damallsvenskan).
- BK Forward currently play in Division 1 Norra.
- Karlslunds IF currently play in Division 2 Södra Svealand.
- Rynninge IK currently play in Division 2 Södra Svealand.
- Adolfsbergs IK currently play in Division 3 Västra Svealand.
- Örebro Syrianska BK currently play in Division 3 Västra Svealand.
[edit] Volleyball
- Örebro Volley play in the highest level of women's volleyball leagues in Sweden. They have won the league ten times.
[edit] Ice Hockey
- Örebro Hockey Vipers currently play in Division 1 (the third level) in the Swedish Hockey League.
[edit] American Football
- Örebro Black Knights are an American Football Club that played in the Swedish Championship Finals in 1998 and 1999.
[edit] Culture
- Örebro is the hometown of the punk-rock band Millencolin. They named one of their albums Pennybridge Pioneers, where Pennybridge stands for Örebro as a colloquial translation into English.
[edit] Sister city
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005 (xls) (Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
- Örebro - Official site
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Örebro is one of 134 towns with the historical City status in Sweden. |
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