Orsa

Orsa
Orsa church
Orsa
Coordinates:
Country Sweden
Province Dalarna
County Dalarna County
Municipality Orsa Municipality
Area[1]
 • Total 12.57 km2 (4.9 sq mi)
Population (2005-12-31)[1]
 • Total 5,278
 • Density 420/km2 (1,087.8/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Orsa is a locality and the seat of Orsa Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,278 inhabitants in 2005.[1] It is located in the northern part of lake Siljan, about 15 kilometers north of the town Mora. Inlandsbanan and European route E45 runs through the town and the railroad Bollnäs-Orsa connects.

Contents

Nature

The southern parts of Orsa are characterized by "Siljansringen", the ring of lakes and rivers in northern Dalarna formed by the big meteorite strike 365 million years ago. In central Orsa, at the ouflow of river Oreälven a sand bank has been built up, in these days enjoyed by thousands of visitors and the inhabitants of Orsa. The big forests start just north of the town of Orsa, with the sparsely populated Orsa finnmark, to which many Finns emigrated during the 17th century.

Worth seeing

Orsamål dialect

About 500 people speak the orsamål dialect, an old scandinavian language, which is a variant of dalecarlian, also called Old Swedish in Minnesota, USA.

References