Karlskoga | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Alfred Nobel's Karlskoga | |
  Karlskoga  Karlskoga | |
| Coordinates:59°20′N14°31′E / 59.333°N 14.517°E /59.333; 14.517 | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Province | Värmland |
| County | Örebro County |
| Municipality | Karlskoga Municipality |
| Named after | Charles IX of Sweden |
| Government | |
| • Chairman of the municipal board | Tony Ring (M) |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.33 km2 (10.55 sq mi) |
| Population (2018)[1] | |
• Total | 27,562 |
| • Density | 991/km2 (2,570/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Website | http://www.karlskoga.se |
Karlskoga (Swedish pronunciation:[kaɭˈskûːɡa]ⓘ)[2] is alocality and the seat ofKarlskoga Municipality,Sweden. It is located withinÖrebro County, 45 km (28 mi) west ofÖrebro,[3] and 10 km (6 mi) north ofDegerfors. With a 2020 population of 27,386 distributed over 10.55 square miles (27.33 km2), Karlskoga is the second-largest city in both Örebro County and thehistorical province ofVärmland.
Karlskoga straddles the northern shore ofLake Möckeln.[4][5] Among the city's main topographical features are the two rivers, Timsälven and Svartälven. Other features include anesker,Rävåsen, designated as a nature reserve, and contiguous with thecity center.[6]
The broader Karlskoga area distinguishes itself from its surrounding regions, e.g. the Närke Plain, with its abundantwoodlands and hills, which made it better suited for activities beyondagriculture, such as theironwork industry.
Karlskoga evolved around thearms manufacturerBofors, and by 1970, it counted almost 10,000 employees.[7] The many jobs in the arms industry during the 1900s multiplied Karlskoga's population. Today, Karlskoga is still a thriving center of the arms industry, but its economy is more diverse than during the peak-Bofors era.
Karlskoga is home to theBjörkborn Manor, on the property of the Björkborn Works, whereAlfred Nobel lived. His residency there is the reason his will was adjudicated in Karlskoga atKarlshall, establishing theNobel Prize.[8] Other landmarks include theNobel Laboratory, theKarlskoga Church,Mässen, and theBofors Hotel.
Karlskoga was initially calledMöckelns bodar,[9] Möckelsboderna[4] orBodarna,[10] being derived from cottages located at the shore of lake Möckeln.[11] The locality's name "Karlskoga" was coined in 1591, and has been in use ever since. It is derived fromCharles (Karl) IX,[4] withskog meaning woods.[12]
Karlskoga and its surrounding area were sparsely populated in the beginning of the 16th century.[11] It was not until the 1580s that the area started to see an increase in population, when Charles IX made people settle in the area. EthnicSwedes (people from the historical provinces ofNärke andSödermanland), and particularlyFinns,[a] began to settle the area,[12][13] where they took up the farming methodslash-and-burn. They were followed byHuguenots, fleeing religious oppression inFrance,[14] and by other groups including bothDutch andGerman settlers, mostly skilledmetalsmiths.[14]
The parish of Karlskoga was established in 1586 and awooden church was soon built. It was small in size, and was solely made up of thesacristy still preserved at this site,[15] which was a consequence ofpopulation increase in the years prior. The first priest elected was Olaus Gestricius[16] (herr Olaf på Möckelnsbodar)[17] by the late 1500s.[18]
During the 17th century, fourteen smallironworks and eightwater-driven hammers for producingbar iron were established. This encompassed the emergence of both Björkborn Works and Bofors Works. As the owner of both ironworks,Sigrid Ekehielm assumed the leadership of an industrial empire.[19]
Most of the original ironworks were still operating in the 1860s, but the dominating ironworks was the one in nearbyBofors. In 1871, Bofors produced 6,124 metric tons ofiron, more than any other plant in Sweden. In 1882, Karlskoga Parish (socken) had 11,184 inhabitants.
The town of Karlskoga has evolved around Bofors, which in the late 19th century was transformed from an iron works to a manufacturer ofcannon and in the 20th century to a more diversified defense industry.Bofors was incorporated in 1873 and has since the 1880s been specializing in the lucrative manufacture of cannon.
The most famous owner ofBofors wasAlfred Nobel, who owned the company from 1894 until his death in December 1896.
Nobel had a key role in reshaping the ironworks to a modern cannon manufacturer andchemical industry. During the summers of 1894–1896 he lived in themanor houseBjörkborn.[21][22]
Even though he died in his villa inSanremo,Italy and had a home inParis, it was decided that his legal residence was at Björkborn in Karlskoga, which had been his final residence in Sweden.[23][24] Because of that it was here his famoustestament that was written in Paris in 1895 was legally registered, which eventually made it possible to establish theNobel Prize.
In 1940 the town of Karlskoga and the surrounding area (the same territory as today's Karlskoga Municipality) got the formal title of acity (stad). Since 1971 this term has no legal meaning and only the built-up area is considered ade facto town.
Karlskoga spent most of the 20th century as a growing company town to Bofors. Only with thedemilitarization in the most recent decades has this started to be a problem for the town. There were 8,500 workers in Bofors in 1980, but the number had decreased to 2,600 as of 1998.
On January 10, 1985, agas leak occurred in Karlskoga, when a chemical plant releasedsulfuric acid gas over the area. The incident resulted in the evacuation of 300 people and left 20 individuals injured.[25][26]
During the first decade of the 21st century, approximately 1,000 apartments inmulti-family buildings were demolished due to reduced demand for firearms products. This resulted in the population dwindling to 29,600.[27] During the 2010s, however, the population trend reversed, and the numbers began to rise.
In 2023, the magazineFokus ranked Karlskoga as the fifteenth best municipality to live in Sweden.[28]
Karlskoga is situated more or less in a low mountainous ridge calledKilsbergen that separatesNärke fromVärmland. Such areas have traditionally been financially poor. This led to a significantSwedish emigration to North America from the district in the latter half of the 19th century.Stockholm, Wisconsin was for instance founded in 1854 by immigrants from Karlskoga.[29]
The city borders on the municipalities ofHällefors andStorfors to the north;Lekeberg to the east; Degerfors and the Lake Möckeln to the south; andKristinehamn to the west.
The many residential communities of Karlskoga express a character distinct to thecompany town.Million programme residential buildings can be found in enclaves such as Baggängen, Ekeby, Sandviken andSkranta.
The Rosendal neighbourhood, historically significant for the architecture of its homes,[30] planned community by the Bofors Works, was designated as an area of national interest forcultural heritage.[31]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1,810 | — |
| 1960 | 31,433 | +1636.6% |
| 1965 | 34,970 | +11.3% |
| 1970 | 36,963 | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 35,425 | −4.2% |
| 1980 | 34,329 | −3.1% |
| 1990 | 31,106 | −9.4% |
| 1995 | 30,177 | −3.0% |
| 2000 | 28,579 | −5.3% |
| 2005 | 27,500 | −3.8% |
| 2010 | 27,084 | −1.5% |
| 2015 | 27,490 | +1.5% |
| Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. | ||
Karlskoga's population grew steadily from the time when arms manufacturer Bofors had started to expand, until the 1970s. Thereafter, it underwent a sharp decline (down by almost 10,000 inhabitants over a 30-year period), with signs of recovery only in the very last few years as of 2021.[32][33] Nevertheless, with 27,386 inhabitants, Karlskoga is the second most populous place in Örebro County followingÖrebro (126,009).
The presence of foreign residents in Karlskoga accounts for 16.5% of inhabitants. This compares with 19.1% in the town Örebro.
| Country of Birth | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 25,246 | |
| Non-Sweden | 5,032 | |
 Finland | 815 | |
 Syria | 756 | |
 Somalia | 338 | |
 Vietnam | 332 | |
 Iraq | 251 | |
 Afghanistan | 247 | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 163 | |
 Norway | 152 | |
 Turkey | 136 | |
 Iran | 121 | |
| Others | 1,721 | |
| Total | 30,278 | |
In the 1580s, a total of five Finns settled in Möckelsbodar (present-day Karlskoga).[36] In 1649, 32 of a total of 186agricultural holdings were occupied by Finns.[37]
In 2017, the three most commonly reported ethnic origins (by-birth) overall were Finns (935 or 3.1 per cent),Syrians (650 or 2.1 per cent) andSomalis (409 or 1.3 per cent).[c]
In 2012, Karlskoga Municipality received its status as aFinnish-speaking administrative municipality.[39]
Various religious denominations and congregations are based in Karlskoga, including theChurch of Sweden, which has several churches in Karlskoga. The oldest church, theKarlskoga Church, is the parish church in the Karlskoga parish and can be traced back to the 1600s. Later churches built in the city include the Karlberg Church and the Rävåsen Church. There are also severalfree churches represented in Karlskoga. TheSwedish Pentecostal Movement has its own church, while theJehovah's Witnesses have theirKingdom Hall.
A baptist congregation, the Bofors Baptist congregation, was established in 1884,[40] and St. George's Catholic congregation was established in 1956.[41]
There are several cemeteries in Karlskoga. The city's oldest cemetery was likely established when Karlskoga Church was built. North of it liesSkogskyrkogårdenlit. 'The Woodland Cemetery', inaugurated in 1908. The Eastern Cemetery in the eastern parts of the city was established in the 1940s.
The city is an important center for the arms manufacturing andpharmaceutical industries; it is home to various multinational corporations, including subsidiaries and divisions ofBharat Forge,BAE Systems,Saab AB (SAAB Bofors Dynamics),Nammo,Cambrex Corporation,Recipharm,Moelven Industrier,[42] andEurenco.[43]
Karlskoga has a connection with notable literary figures, includingMaja Ekelöf, whose best-sellingRapport från en skurhink was published in 1970.[44][45] Nobel laureateSelma Lagerlöf stayed in Karlskoga during herconfirmation period withTullius Hammagren. In her 1925 novel "Charlotte Löwensköld," she depicts estates and surroundings in Karlskoga.[46][47] Moreover,children's literature writersAnders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson are intertwined with Karlskoga, using the town as inspiration for fictional characters and locales, such as in the "Bert Diaries," which were set in the fictional town ofÖreskoga.
Karlskoga Tidning-Kuriren stands as Karlskoga's primary and soledaily newspaper. It formed through the merger ofKarlskoga Tidning andKarlskoga Kuriren, the city's two former daily newspapers, it came into existence in 2020.[48] There is also a commercialradio station based in Karlskoga,Cityradion.
Karlskoga is home to several stadiums, of whichNobelhallen is the largest (it hosted the1979 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships). Karlskoga is home to theice hockey teamBIK Karlskoga, established in 1978,[49] currently playing as per the2021–2022 season inHockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish ice hockey.
Karlskoga also upholds a heritage indiving andcanoeing, housing clubs like Bofors SHK and Bofors KK. Notable Olympic champions includeUlrika Knape in diving, as well asAgneta Andersson[50] andMaria Haglund in canoeing.
There is also a football team calledKB Karlskoga FF, and awomen's soccer team,Rävåsen IK.[51]
Aalborg, DenmarkFredrikstad, Norway
Wheaton, Illinois, United States
Húsavík, Iceland
Narva, Estonia
Olaine, LatviaRiihimäki, Finland
Sanremo, ItalyKarlskoga also cooperates with:[52]
Birmingham, England
Bremen, Germany
Irvine, Scotland
Jordanów, PolandŁódź, PolandLüchow-Dannenberg, GermanyRheinfelden, Germany
Strathclyde, Scotland Unter Franken, Germany
Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Vitry-le-François, FranceWatford, EnglandBofors är nu som störst och har nästan 10 000 anställda i Karlskoga.
The village has a rich heritage. It was founded in 1854 by immigrants from Karlskoga, Sweden, who named it after theircountry's capital.
Etter årtusenskiftet har folketallet holdt seg stabilt.
Media related toKarlskoga at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities and seats ofÖrebro County | ||
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