| Bohuslän | |||
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| Country | Sweden | ||
| Land | Götaland | ||
| County | Västra Götaland County | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4,400 km2 (1,698.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2009)[1] | |||
| • Total | 287,223 | ||
| • Density | 65.3/km2 (169.1/sq mi) | ||
| Ethnicity | |||
| • Language | Götamål | ||
| Culture | |||
| • Flower | European honeysuckle | ||
| • Animal | Harbour seal | ||
| • Bird | Eurasian Oystercatcher | ||
| • Fish | Mackerel | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal codes | |||
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold in Norway to the north. In Norwegian the province is known as Båhuslen.
Bohuslän is named after the Norwegian medieval fortress of Båhus. Båhuslen was a norwegian province from around 1050 until the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, which also saw the transfer of Skåneland (Blekinge, Halland, and Scania) from Denmark to Sweden.
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The provinces of Sweden serve no administrative function. Instead, that function is served by the counties of Sweden. For centuries, the administrative county for Bohuslän was the Gothenburg and Bohus County, and as its name implies it consisted of the entire Bohuslän province together with the city Gothenburg. In 1999, some Swedish counties were merged to reduce administration costs– and Gothenburg and Bohus County was merged into the much larger Västra Götaland County.
Bohuslän was granted its arms at the time of the funeral for Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1660, it was identical to the arms of the Town of Kungälv. In 1962 the higher claim of the town was established and a variation for the arms of the county was introduced. The coat of arms is surmounted by a ducal coronet. Blazon: "Argent, a Castle embattled Gules with one embattled Tower of the same and two doors Or hinged Sable between a Sword point upwards and Lion rampant holding the Tower both Azure langued and armed Or."
The geography is distinguished by the rocky coast, bordering an archipelago: there are about 3,000 islands and 5,000 islets (skerries). These make up the northern part of the Gothenburg archipelago, Sweden's second largest after Stockholm archipelago. In old days, the seascape was renowned for its many reefs and sunken rocks which caused many shipwrecks. The largest of the islands, Orust and Tjörn, constitute their own municipalities. Both islands have a distinctive culture and history. However, the rocky terrain cannot be said to be mountainous: the highest point is Björnepiken at 224 meters.
Sweden's only fjord, Gullmaren, is located near Lysekil. It is 25 kilometers long, between 1-3 wide, with a depth of 118.5 meters at its deepest, with a unique marine life.
Unlike other parts of Sweden, there are relatively few lakes or streams in Bohuslän: out of a total land area of 4,500 km² only 177 km² is freshwater. Although lakes are common, they tend to be small in size. The largest lakes are the northern and southern Bullaren lakes, with a combined area of about 40 km².
As of December 31, 2009, the number of inhabitants was 287,223,[1] giving a population density of 65.3 inhabitants/square kilometer.
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Bohuslän's formerly chartered cities are:
They are now non-administrative urban areas.
In addition there are several other notable settlements:
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During the 2nd millennium BC, the Nordic Bronze Age began (c. 1700-500 BC), including rock art such as the examples found throughout Bohuslän. During the Migration Period (300 to 700 CE) and the Viking Age (700-1000 CE), the area was part of Viken, and was actually known as two entities: Ranrike in the north and Elfsyssel in the south. It has been claimed that King Harald Fairhair made it part of the unified Norway in about 872, but contemporary sources give rise to doubt that Harald actually ever held the Viken area properly. The earliest proof of Båhus lands being in Norway's hands is from 11th century.
As long as Norway was a kingdom of its own, the province prospered, and Båhus castle was one of the key fortresses of the kingdom. When Norway was united with Denmark, the province began its decline in wealth; the area was frequently attacked by Swedish forces as part of the larger border skirmishes. The Norwegian fortress, Båhus, was built to protect this territory. Being a border zone towards the Swedish kingdom, and to a lesser extent against Danish lands in Halland, the Båhus region was disproportionately populated by soldier families.
Båhuslen belonged to Denmark/Norway until it was ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. This fact explains why the treaty was signed in Denmark. The fortress of Carlsten was built in Marstrand during the 17th century. For a period Marstrand was also a free port (porto franco), with a free religious practice and, as such, home to the only synagogue in Sweden at the time.
The commercial fishing of herring increased in the 18th century, and the province flourished during a major herring period around 1747–1809. Many small fishing communities grew up around the coast.
Before the large scale fishing of herring started, Bohuslän had a considerable forest cover. Timber was once the largest export product and main source of income in Bohuslän. But with the increased importance of fishing, more wood was needed as construction material for houses and boats, and as fuel for herring oil boilers (trankokerier). Deforestation during the 19'th century gave rise to today's rugged, rocky landscape.
In Bohuslän a variety of the Götaland dialect of Swedish is spoken. The province was a part of Denmark/Norway until 1658 as mentioned above. That year a peace treaty was signed in Roskilde in Denmark. Still today traces of Norwegian remain in the dialect. "Bohuslän", literally means the "Fief of Bohus", referring to Bohus Fortress and Län.
The Nordic Bronze Age (c. 1700-500) BC) produced rock art showing scenes from the daily life and religious rituals, such as the examples found in Bohuslän. The rock art at Tanum, possibly made earlier, c. 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, have been entered as a site in the UNESCO World heritage program. Rock carvings can be found scattered throughout Bohuslän. The carvings portray the life of an agricultural society with images of daily life, with human figures, religious rituals, ships, circular objects, soles, animals, and fertility figures (E.g. phalluses); and the creation of shallow bowls.
Hundreds of Sweden were sub-divisions of the Swedish provinces until early 20th century. Bohuslän's hundreds were:
Despite the non-administrative status of Bohuslän some historical functions remain with football being administered by Bohusläns Fotbollförbund.
People from Bohuslän are known as bohuslänningar.
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