Jönköping

Jönköping
Jönköping University Foundation
Jönköping
Coordinates:
Country Sweden
Province Småland
County Jönköping County
Municipality Jönköping Municipality
Area[1]
 • Total 44.33 km2 (17.1 sq mi)
Population (2010-12-31)[1]
 • Total 103,784
 • Density 1,905/km2 (4,933.9/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Jönköping (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjœnːˈɕøːpiŋ]) (YERN-sher-ping) is a city in southern Sweden with 103,784 inhabitants (2010).[1] It is the 9th most populous city of Sweden. Jönköping is situated by the southern end of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern. The original town Jönköping has grown together with Huskvarna and Norrahammar forming a contiguous urban area, since 1971 wholly within the same municipality.

The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipality which has a population of 122,194 (2006), and also the seat of Jönköping County which has a population of 331,539 (2006). Jönköping is the seat of a district court and a court of appeal as well as the Swedish National Courts Administration. It is also the seat of the Swedish Board of Agriculture.[2]

Contents

History

Jönköping is an old trading center (Köping), since it was located on a crossroad for the roads following along the rivers Nissan and Lagan, and the road between the provinces Östergötland and Västergötland. This was rather natural due to the geographical position of the city at the southern end of lake Vättern, which divided the two counties. On 18 May 1284, Jönköping received rights as a City in Sweden as one of the first communities in the country, by King Magnus Ladulås, who at that time largely ruled the nation from Vättern's largest island Visingsö. In the name of the city "Jön-" is derived from a creek, "Junebäcken", which was situated in the nowadays western part of the city, Talavid. This was the location of the first known settlement in the area. The second part of the name "-köping", as mentioned above, is an old word for a trading center or market place.

However, the geographical position of the city also left it vulnerable to foreign attacks, mainly from the Danes, coming from the south with the river roads; at that time, the provinces of what is today southern Sweden — Scania, Halland and Blekinge — belonged to Denmark. Consequently, the city was plundered and burned several times, until a fortification was built in the 16th and 17th century.

Jönköping is known for its matchstick industry 1845-1970. Still today it is an important Swedish logistical center, with many companies' central warehouses situated there (like IKEA, Electrolux and Husqvarna).

Present

The urban area of Jönköping today includes the eastern industrial town of Huskvarna, with which it has grown together.

A major fair and exhibition center, Elmia is also located in Jönköping, with fairs including Elmia Wood, the world’s largest forestry fair. Elmia’s fairs are also the biggest of their kind in Europe for subcontractors, trucks, caravans and railways. Since 2001, Elmia has also been the site of the world's largest LAN party, DreamHack.

Climate

Jönköping's climate is humid continental (Köppen Dfb) with long, cold winters and short, warm summers.

Climate data for Jönköping
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −1.1
(30.0)
−0.5
(31.1)
3.0
(37.4)
8.5
(47.3)
15.2
(59.4)
19.6
(67.3)
20.5
(68.9)
19.6
(67.3)
14.7
(58.5)
9.8
(49.6)
4.0
(39.2)
0.6
(33.1)
9.49
(49.09)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.6
(25.5)
−3.8
(25.2)
−0.9
(30.4)
3.7
(38.7)
9.6
(49.3)
13.9
(57.0)
15.0
(59.0)
14.1
(57.4)
10.2
(50.4)
6.4
(43.5)
1.5
(34.7)
−2
(28.4)
5.34
(41.62)
Average low °C (°F) −6.6
(20.1)
−7.3
(18.9)
−4.6
(23.7)
−1.1
(30.0)
3.6
(38.5)
7.6
(45.7)
9.4
(48.9)
8.7
(47.7)
6.0
(42.8)
3.1
(37.6)
−1.2
(29.8)
−5.1
(22.8)
1.04
(33.88)
Precipitation mm (inches) 48
(1.89)
31
(1.22)
38
(1.5)
37
(1.46)
46
(1.81)
52
(2.05)
73
(2.87)
63
(2.48)
71
(2.8)
63
(2.48)
66
(2.6)
53
(2.09)
641
(25.24)
Source: Hong Kong Observatory [3]

Notable people

Education

Panorama of central Jönköping


Sport

See also

References

External links

Jönköping is one of 133 places with the historical city status in Sweden.