Oviken parish

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Oviken is parish and a place close to the southern part of Storsjön, Berg's municipality in Jämtland, Sweden. The parish church is Oviken old church. There was built a new church in the year 1905, but it is now used mostly during the summer. The parish belong to the old Sunne, Oviken and Hall ”tingslag”.

Oviken and its surroundings are old farming land in the fertile area between the mountains in the west and the large lake Storsjön. The "new" church and is now adays used only for concerts and services in summer time. The audience can be 1 000 people. In winter it is not used at all because it is too expensive to keep it warm. It is the old church from the 1500s which is once again a parish church. The parish has today 1 300 inhabitants. In 1913, it was 2 207 inhabitants. The name Oviken is probably an original location name that might be construed as "ford". The name is known since 1314.

Oviken are now included in Berg's municipality. West of Oviken is ”Oviksfjällen” which is the mountain area closest to the lake Storsjön. It is also the only mountains visible from the city Östersund. Oviken farmers had from the 1700s ”fäbodar” along a route through the mountains west off and through Western Galåbodarna and up against Arådalen. In Arådalen, there are nearly 140 summer houses and a chapel (the Swedish Church) erected in the late 1960s. The chapel is owned by a special foundation. In the chapel there are held each year some few marriages and baptisms and services.

In Oviken, with only 1 350 inhabitants, has horese racing a strong tradition. As early as the 1920s there were horse races arranged on the ice on the lake. Oviken has a very small airport.

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