Falköping | |
|---|---|
 Trätorget (17 June 2006) | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Falköping  Falköping | |
| Coordinates:58°10′30″N13°33′11″E / 58.17500°N 13.55306°E /58.17500; 13.55306 | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Västergötland |
| County | Västra Götaland County |
| Municipality | Falköping Municipality |
| Founded | 1200 |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.46 km2 (3.65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 218 m (715 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2020)[1] | |
• Total | 17 939 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 521 xx |
| Area code | (+46) 515 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | Official website |
Falköping (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈfâlːˌɕøːpɪŋ]) is alocality and the seat ofFalköping Municipality inVästra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 16,350 inhabitants in 2010.[1]
The town of Falköping was first spoken of in the IcelandicRimbegla (around 1100 A.D.), and is mentioned in theWestrogothic law. It was also an important site ofpilgrimage due to its 12th-century church dedicated toSaint Olaf (Sankt Olofs kyrka). The town was heading for a shut-down during the 16th century and was even burnt to the ground by the Danish during theNorthern Seven Years' War. However the town survived and was rebuilt.[2]
Falköping or Falbygden (when meaning the agricultural landscape in which Falköping is located) is widely known for its ancient remains ofStone Age,Bronze Age andIron Age. The town is located between the twoplateausMösseberg andÅlleberg. The location has been inhabited since the end of the ice age and cultivated by people for the last 6000 years. The oldest find is a form ofmegalithic tomb calleddolmen, dating back to 3400 B.C. There are also 28passage graves dating back to 3300 B.C.
Also severalcists have been found here, they can be traced back to earlier Stone Age (Senneolitikum) 2400–1500 B.C and are believed to be built or inspired by travelers from the countries where this kind of grave was commonly constructed. Falköping is the only town in Europe with this amount of megalithic graves as visible contribution to the town image.[3]
Early industry in Falköping was the Victoria Brewery (sv.Victoriabryggeriet) (1856–1953), Haglunds Roller blinds factory (sv.Haglunds rullgardinsfabrik) (1885-) and Forss hat factory (sv.Forss hattfabrik) (1880–). In the early 20th-century (1900–) several companies were established, such as: Alton gold forgery (1928), Falköping dairy factory (sv.Falköpings Mejeri) (1930–), workshop industry Arkivator (sv.verkstadsindustrin Arkivator) (1940–) and the sewing factories Svaréns and Ottossons.
Falköpings Mejeri (Falköping dairy factory) is a co-operative dairy company which supplies milk to grocery stores in western Sweden. The Falbygdens Ost cheese factory supplies cheese to stores throughout Sweden. A "dry port" (sv.torrhamn) has recently been built in connection to the railway, enabling companies in the surrounding area to handle cargo in a more efficient way.
The town is located where theWestern Main Line (Swedish:Västra stambanan) betweenStockholm andGothenburg meets the railline fromNässjö viaJönköping to Falköping. As it takes less than a one-hour train journey to reach both Gothenburg and Jönköping respectively, Falköping makes a good location for commuting.[4]
Association football
Falköping has severalfootball fields.[5]
Clubs include:
Motor Sports
The Falköpings Motorklubb hosts car and motorbike racing at the Motorstadion, about 5 km west of the locality.[6] The Club originally ran a motorcycle speedway team known as Falkarna, who raced in theSwedish Speedway Team Championship. The speedway track held theContinental Speedway final round of the1952 Individual Speedway World Championship.[7]
Walking routes
There is also an 8 km (5.0 mi) long pathway around the core of the town calledHälsoslingan (path of health). It is used for running and taking walks together with friends and family.[8]
According to localfolklore, whenever the town of Falköping is in danger, the mountain-side of Ålleberg shall fall and reveal a troop of knight-like figures who shall ride out and vanquish the threat. They are known asÅllebergs Ryttare (The Riders of Ålleberg).[9]
Media related toFalköping at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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