Vilhelmina Municipality
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vilhelmina kommun | |
|---|---|
| Image:Vilhelmina City Arms.jpg | |
| County | Västerbotten County |
| Province | Lapland |
| Seat | Vilhelmina |
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| Area • Total area • Land area |
7th of 290 8,120 km² |
| Population • Total |
249th of 290 7,422 inhabitants |
| Density • Total |
0.9 inhabitants/km² |
| Website | |
| Population as of 2005 | |
Vilhelmina Municipality (Vilhelmina kommun) is a municipality in Västerbotten County, northern Sweden. The seat is in the town Vilhelmina.
In 1947 the locality Vilhelmina was detached from the rural municipality with the same name, forming the market town (köping) of Vilhelmina. The two entities were reunited in 1965.
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[edit] Localities
This vast municipality has only one populated place with more than 200 inhabitants, and that is the seat Vilhelmina
[edit] History
In 1804 the parish of Volgsjö was renamed Vilhelmina, in honour of Queen Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Sweden.
[edit] Geography
Like the northern parts of Sweden (colloquial Norrland), it is scarsely populated due to its inhospitable conditions and cold climate, but is superb for those who like wildlife and untouched nature.
The village of Malgovik, about 20 kilometers north of Vilhelmina City, holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Sweden. It was set on 13 December 1941 when temperature dropped down to -53° C.
[edit] Culture
Every July the town holds a festival called Hembygdsdagarna Vilhelmina. In addition to popular and folk music performances, tradition holds that a local engaged couple is selected each year to get married during the festival. The bride and groom, lead a parade of fiddlers and other traditionally dressed Swedes through town to the church where the marriage is performed in front of all who wish to attend. They are not always able to find a couple willing to get married, however, so some years they hold the parade without an engaged couple, and hold a public church service instead of a wedding.
[edit] Resources and external links
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- article Vilhelmina from Nordisk Familjebok, 1921, in Swedish only.
- Vilhelmina – Official site
- Vilhelmina – An Adventure Tourism PDF file; 24 pages, many images. In English.
- Live webcam in Vilhelmina
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