Hjo | |
|---|---|
 Hamngatan in Hjo | |
  Hjo  Hjo | |
| Coordinates:58°18′N14°17′E / 58.300°N 14.283°E /58.300; 14.283 | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Västergötland |
| County | Västra Götaland County |
| Municipality | Hjo Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2010)[1] | |
• Total | 6,094 |
| • Density | 1,343/km2 (3,480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Hjo (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈjuː]ⓘ) is alocality and the seat ofHjo Municipality,Västra Götaland County,Sweden. It had 6,094 inhabitants in 2010.[1] The town is located on the west coast ofVättern.
The place is named after Hjoån 'Hjo river'. The meaning of the river nameHjo is probably 'muddy'. The way the name is spelled have been changed many times. Some of the previous ways of spelling the name has been Hyo, Hio, Hiyo and Hioo.
Hjo is known to have had a charter as early as 1413. Hjo is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as acity.Statistics Sweden, however, only countslocalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.
Many wooden towns have suffered fires, but Hjo has been relatively spared, apart from when the church and some adjacent houses burnt down in 1794. The city structure is therefore almost exactly the same as inmedieval times.
Hjo works together with the cities ofEksjö andNora to develop wooden towns astourist attractions, under the joint name "Three wooden towns" (Tre trästäder).
In the year 2013, the city celebrated the town's 600th anniversary.
The steamshipS/STrafik is one of the oldest steamships in Sweden. In the summer, it goes on small trips, such as trips toVisingsö, the biggest island inVättern.
Estrid Ericson, founder of Swedish interior decorating companySvenskt Tenn, grew up in Hjo, where her father ran a hotel.
Guldkroksbadet is a free entry outdoor bath containing 3 pools, the largest one measures 50 by 25 meters. There is also two smaller ones for children. Guldkroksbadet also has a beach where you can swim in the lake.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
 | This article about a location inVästra Götaland County, Sweden is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
