Falkenberg
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| Falkenberg | |
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  Falkenberg
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Sweden |
| Municipality | Falkenberg Municipality |
| County | Halland County |
| Province | Halland |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 14.54 km² (5.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 18,972 |
| - Density | 1,305/km² (3,379.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Falkenberg is a town in Halland County, Sweden. It is the administrative centre (seat) of Falkenberg Municipality. The town has a population of 19,000 (out of a municipal total of 40,000) and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain. Falkenberg is twinned with Oswaldtwistle (Lancashire, UK) and Gniezno (Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland). The main beach of the town, Skrea strand, was awarded a Blue Flag once again in 2007.
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[edit] History
As with the rest of Halland, Falkenberg belonged to Denmark at the time of the earliest available written records. In the early part of the 13th century the Danish king built a fort on the southern shore of the river Ätran, which eventually would give the town its name. It is known that falconry was pursued in the area. However, in Hallandia antiqua et hodierna, that specified a location ("mountain") where the falconry should have taken place, and which should have given name to the town, has later been shown to be incorrect.
The area north of River Ätran was from time to time Norwegian or Swedish. It was on this side that a market town developed. At around 1300 a church was built. From the 14th century until the Northern Seven Years' War (1563-1570) a second town, Ny-Falkenberg (New Falkenberg) was located close to the town. The fort was destroyed by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson's troops in 1434. The town gained market rights at the latest in 1558.
Along with the rest of the county, Falkenberg became Swedish following the Treaty of Brömsebro (1645). For a long period it struggled to keep its privileges with regard to trade and jurisdiction from the Danish time. Also like the rest of the county, it only started to slowly industrialise in the late 19th century. In the 20th century it has gained a reputation as a seaside resort.
[edit] Politics
The Right Party was the major party until 1931, when the Social Democratic Party gained that position. With the exception of the 1946 election the social democrats won a majority of the seats from 1938 until 1966. Falkenberg has remained a stronghold for the social democrats even after the municipal reform in the early 1970s. The municipality has, however, been run by the centre-right, except for 1994-1998.
[edit] Communications
The town is located along a traditional trade route along the Swedish west coast. These transport needs are currently catered by European route E6, which runs as a dual carriageway just outside the town, and the West Coast Railway Line. County road 150 and County road 154 connect to Torup and Svenljunga. Falkenberg railway operated from the 1890s to the 1950s. The town has seven bus routes.
[edit] Areas of the town
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[edit] Sport
The town hosts several teams at national level. The football team , Falkenbergs FF, has since the late 1980s established itself in the second league (currently Superettan). The table tennis team, Falkenbergs BTK, has won ten national championships, as well as one european championship. In the early 2000s, Falkenbergs VBK developed to become one of the best volleyball teams in the country and accordingly won the national championship 2007. BK Falkarna has played ten seasons in the top bowling league.
Sport venues in the town include Falkenberg Stadium, hosting Falkenbergs FF, Falkenberg Sports Centre, hosting Falkenbergs VBK and Klitterbadet, a bath house.
[edit] People from Falkenberg
- Rutger Backe, footballer
- Stellan Bengtsson, table tennis player
- Ulf "Tickan" Carlsson, table tennis player
- Nina Björk, author, journalist, feminist
- Walter Dickson, author
- Erik "Spänst" Svensson, athlete
- Jojje Jönsson, actor
- Carl-Johan Vallgren, author
- Pär Zetterberg, football player
- Annika Andersson, comedian
- Vains of Jenna, rock band
- Sonic Syndicate, melodic death metal band
- Peter Karlsson, table tennis player
- Lars Jahnson, art director
- Sonic Syndicate, rock band
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- (1995) in Hedén, Stig J.: Falkenberg - staden som hembygd. ISBN 91-630-3848-X.
- Eric Hägge (1966). Kommunalt sekel - Falkenbergs stadsfullmäktige 1866-1965. Landströms trycksaker AB.
- ^ a b Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005 (xls) (Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
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Falkenberg is one of 134 towns with the historical City status in Sweden. |
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