Växjö
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Växjö | |
  Växjö
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Sweden |
| Municipality | Växjö Municipality |
| County | Kronoberg County |
| Province | Småland |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 29.29 km² (11.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 55,600 |
| - Density | 1,899/km² (4,918.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Växjö (pronounced [vɛkːɧøː]) is a city in Småland in southern Sweden. Växjö is the seat of Växjö Municipality and is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County. Furthermore it is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö.
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[edit] History
The city's name is believed to be constructed by the words "väg" (road) and "sjö" (lake), meaning the road over the frozen Växjö Lake that farmers took in the winter to get to the marketplace that later became the city.
Växjö received its city charter in 1342, but was an important market and commercial centre already at the pass of the first millennium. In the 12th century the construction of Växjö Cathedral was begun and hence Växjö grew to become an important religious centre in the Diocese of Växjö. The city arms displays Saint Sigfrid, a national saint, wearing the traditional Catholic bishop outfit, and in his left hand holding a miniature of the Cathedral. Sigfrid allegedly lived and died in Växjö, and was buried in the cathedral at his death.
The religious significance led to the creation of other institutions such as Växjö Old Lyceum, one of Sweden's oldest educational institutions with Carolus Linnaeus, the father the biological classification, as one of its students.
[edit] Notable locations
Växjö University has 15,000 students (2008).
Industries include Alstom and Aerotech Telub. Växjö houses Sweden's National Glass Museum [1] and claims to be the capital of the "Kingdom of Crystal" [2] as well as of the "Kingdom of Furniture" [3].
The Swedish Emigrant Institute [4] was established in 1965 and resides in the House of Emigrants near the Växjö lake in the heart of the city. It contains archives, library, museum, and a research center relating to the emigration period between 1846 and 1930, when 1.3 million (or 20%) of the Swedish population emigrated, mainly to the USA. Archives, dating to the 17th century, of birth and death records as well as household records are available on microfiche.
Immediately north of Växjö is Kronoberg Castle, a ruined fortress constructed in the 15th century. This castle was used as base by rebel Nils Dacke during the Dacke War. The fortress has thick walls and an interesting array of artillery portals that face out onto the lake Helgasjön to the north. The city also holds another castle, Teleborg Castle built in 1900 and situated near the University.
[edit] Notable natives
- Joachim Björklund, footballer
- Jonas Björkman, tennis player with 50 doubles titles including Grand Slams
- Karl-Birger Blomdahl, 20th century music composer
- Martin Kellerman, a comic strip creator
- Carolina Klüft, track and field athlete and Olympic gold medalist at Athens 2004
- Pär Lagerkvist, author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1951
- Otto Lindblad, 19th century music composer
- Carolus Linnaeus, botanist, physician and zoologist
- Christina Nilsson, 19th century soprano celebrity
- Thomas Ravelli, football goalkeeper
- Peder Sjögren, 20th century author and playwright
- Håkan Syrén, a military General and Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
- Mats Wilander, tennis player with seven Grand Slam victories 1982–1988
- The Ark, rock band
- Danger, glam-rock band
- Watertouch, hip-hop group
- Samson Biceps, actor
[edit] Sister cities
Växjö has two sister cities.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005 (xls) (Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
- Växjö Municipality – Official site
- (Swedish)Växjö article in Nordisk familjebok
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Växjö is one of 134 towns with the historical City status in Sweden. |
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