Värmland
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Värmland (Wermlandia) is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Its Latin name is Wermelandia; its English derivative is Wermland or similar variation. The origin of the name is uncertain. It may refer to a lake by that name, or to a river.
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Administration
Provinces serve no administrative function in Sweden today. Instead, that function is served by Counties of Sweden; however, in many instances a county has virtually the same border as the province, which is the case with Värmland and its corresponding county Värmland County. The main exception is a smaller part to the south east which belongs to Örebro County.
Heraldry
Arms were granted in 1560, when it depicted a wolverine. This was however too similar to that of Medelpad. In 1567 it was revised into an eagle. In the late 17th century the eagle was black. In 1936 it got its current blazon, when the eagle became blue. Blazon: "Argent, an Eagle displayed Azure beaked, langued and membered Gules."
Geography
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The largest lake is Vänern. Most streams of importance lead to Vänern. However, the province is rich in small lakes, ponds and streams. The scenic nature with mountains and lakes is usually regarded among the most picturesque in Sweden, and has inspired painters and writers since the 19th century.
Western Värmland
There are several mountain plateaus in the western part of Värmland, which is in the Scandinavian mountain range. The highest elevations are found in the northern parts, with plateaus of 500-700 meters. Here also the highest mountain top is found, the Granberget at Höljes, 701 meters.
Eastern Värmland
The eastern part of Värmland is counted into the Bergslagen, the Central Swedish Mining District. Its terrain is rather hilly, but a few high-altitude hills are present: Hvitklinten (414 m.), Dalkarlsberget (450 m.) and Vålbergsrös (476 m.).
This part of Värmland is rich in minerals, most notably iron ore which exists in large quantities. Some notable sites in this area are around Långban and Nordmark Hundred. In the southeast, the ridge of Kilsbergen marks the border with Närke.
Population
The population of Värmland is 312,591 as of December 31, 2007. It is distributed over four counties as follows:
| County | Population |
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| Värmland County, entirely | 273,640 |
| Örebro County, partly | 38,551 |
| Västra Götaland County, peripherally | 398 |
| Dalarna County, peripherally | 2 |
History
The province was scarcely populated in the pre-historic age compared to Sweden's southern half. Its 5,500 registered ancient remains are few, compared to other areas. The province was considered to be of minor importance in the Swedish Realm. There are however interesting histories told by Snorri Sturlasson about Värmland in the 13th century. It extends back to Ingjald Illråde a legendary king in the 7th century.
The early history was not only strongly influenced by the proximity to Västergötland, but also with its western neighbour Norway. When Sweden was at war with Norway, it had a strong effect on Värmland too. In 1225, Haakon IV of Norway (Haakon the Old) invaded Sweden and burnt down all villages if they did not pay a ransom. This feud was eventually settled in 1249.
Värmland was originally considered a part of Götaland, and had a strong connection to its southern neighbour Västergötland. Eastern Värmland traditionally belongs to the Bergslagen area, Sweden's central mining district.
In 1582, Värmland was granted its first city privileges, Kristinehamn, but those were revoked. The second city, Karlstad, on the north shore of lake Vänern, was granted by Duke Charles, later king Charles IX of Sweden, in 1584. It became the capital of the province and its name is derived from the King, and literally means Charles' City. The third city was Filipstad in 1611; however, its privilege was revoked in 1694 after a devastating fire. King Charles IX took great personal intererest in expanding mining in the province and the industry developed sigificially during his reign.
The early 17th century marked the beginning of a substantial immigration from Finland. The areas where they centred were known as Finnskog. They kept their Finnish customs and language until the late 19th century. The last native resident to speak Finnish here died in the 1980´s.
The most significant coup d'état of modern Swedish history had its beginning in Karlstad. The man behind the uprising was a liberal nobleman and a prominent man of the opposition, the former officer Georg Adlersparre. He was backed up by the radical captain Henrik Anckarsword and used the part of the western army that was stationed in Värmland to occupy Karlstad on the night of the 7th March 1809. From there he officially proclaimed revolution, a proclamation which held the view that the wars and oppression had ruined the country and that the government therefore had to be overthrown. On the 9th of March, Adlersparre and his enthusiastic soldiers (many of Finnish origin) finally began their successful march towards Stockholm, and in the events that followed, the king Gustav IV Adolf abdicated under pressure.
Under the Continental system (1806-1814), timber industry fluorished in Värmland and during the modern era, forestry became industrialized and is still the economical backbone of the provice.
During the World War II, western Värmland was the area of heavy military deployment. An agreement from the dissolution of the union with Norway in 1905 stated that no fortification was allowed on the border between the two nations, but after the German occupation of Norway, old fortifications were renovated and several new constructed. Most notably is the fortlet Hultet in Eda Municipality, built 1940-1941, and equipped with a network of machine gun emplacements, casemates and other concrete bunkers, surrounded by barbed wire, walls and several lines of tank traps. The fortifications have been renovated by locals and are now open to the public.
Culture and literature
The province has powerful literary and musical traditions and has spawned some of the most well-known and loved authors of Sweden. In the 19th century several leading authors had their origin here, and retained links to Värmland, among them Erik Gustaf Geijer, Esaias Tegnér, Gustaf Fröding and Selma Lagerlöf. Education, theatre and a somewhat glamorous lifestyle were buoyed by the landed gentry and the wealth being generated through a lively local iron trade, and also by the position of the landscape on the edge between civilization and wilderness, which inspired art, literature and folklore. During the second half of the 19th century, the iron processing industry was largely put out of business by the revolution in the steel industry which made Central Europe and the United States vastly superior in this field, and the overall economic crisis throughout Europe of the 1870s and 1880s, and the subsequent emigration to North America, shook the landscape. The consequence, however, was to make authors like Lagerlöf and Fröding more aware of the heritage of their province, and they both drew on what they felt to be an oral tradition of story-telling and local legends. This emphasis on richly textured, often romantic or burlesque tales which nonetheless transcend the local has remained a focus of later writers, such as Göran Tunström (1937-2000) and Lars Andersson (b.1954).
The musical traditions have inspired a number of prominent musicians, such as singers Zarah Leander, Monica Zetterlund and Rigmor Gustafsson.
Dukes
Since 1772, Sweden's Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces in Sweden. This is solely a nominal title.
- Prince Carl Adolf (1798)
- Crown Prince Gustaf (from his birth in 1858 until he became King in 1907)
- Prince Carl Philip (1979-)
Notable Natives
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Sub-divisions
Sweden's provinces were sub-divided into hundreds or districts. Värmland was historically divided into chartered cities and districts. One district formed part of Bergslagen and was a mountain district, and all the other districts were hundreds.
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External links
- (Swedish) Värmland - Tourist site
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