Västmanland | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Land | Svealand |
| Counties | Västmanland County Örebro County Dalarna County |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,363 km2 (3,229 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023)[1] | |
• Total | 320,335 |
| • Density | 38.30/km2 (99.21/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Languages | Swedish |
| Culture | |
| • Flower | Mistletoe |
| • Animal | Roe deer |
| • Bird | Crested tit |
| • Fish | Pike-perch |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Västmanland (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈvɛ̂sːtmanˌland]or[ˈvɛ̌sːt-]ⓘ)[2] is a historicalSwedish province, orlandskap, in middleSweden. It bordersSödermanland,Närke,Värmland,Dalarna andUppland.
Västmanland means "West Man Land" or, less literally, "The Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (västermännen) were the people living west ofUppland, the core province of early Sweden.[3]
The traditionalprovinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes (except sometimes as sport districts), but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Västmanland the corresponding administrative county,Västmanland County, constitutes the eastern part of the province. The western part is inÖrebro County where the municipalities ofHällefors,Lindesberg,Ljusnarsberg andNora are located.
The coat of arms was granted in 1560. At the time, it featured one fire mountain, to represent the mine ofSala Municipality. Soon, their numbers were increased to three, to also symbolize the Lindesberg and Norberg/Skinnskatteberg mines and the present blazon was ratified in 1943.[4]Blazon: "Argent, in base triple Mount Azure issuant from each Flames Gules." When crowned with a ducal coronet it represents the province. However rather different in sizeVästmanland County was granted the same arms in 1943. The counties may decorate the coat of arms with a royal crown.[4]
The terrain is to the north and north-west rocky. In these parts the highest mountains are located: Älvhöjden with 422 meters, and Gillersklack with 408 meters.
In the other parts it consists mostly of plains.
The largest lake isMälaren marking the southern border, Sweden's third largest lake.
Western Västmanland traditionally belonged to the mining district ofBergslagen.
In 2014, the area aroundRamnäs saw the largest forest fire in Sweden in modern times.[5]
The oldest city of Västmanland isVästerås, founded sometime around 990. The city was once the provincial capital; further, from 1120, it became the seat of thediocese of Västerås. Västerås is today also the largest city in the province, with 140,000 inhabitants in themunicipality.
After thatArboga, was chartered in the 12th century,Köping in 1474,Sala in 1624;Lindesberg andNora both in 1643, and finallyFagersta in 1944. Withcity status in Sweden being abolished in 1971, these are solely historical titles.
The mines ofNorberg andSkinnskatteberg began being in use in the 14th century. The mine ofLindesberg was being cultivated in the early 16th century.
Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title.
Engelsberg Ironworks is aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Västerås SK is the most successful Swedishbandy team with 20 titles as of 2017. SeveralBandy World Championship finals have been played in Västerås.
Västmanland was historically divided into districts. WithinBergslagen they were called mountain districts (bergslag), and in the rest of the provincehundreds.
