Kungälv

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Kungälv
Sweden Västra Götaland location map.svg
Kungälv
Kungälv
Localization of Västra Götaland in Sweden
State : Sweden
Province  (län): Västra Götalands län
Historical Province (landskap): Bohuslan
Municipalities
: 		Kungälv
Gothenburg
Coordinates : 57 ° 52 ′  N , 11 ° 59 ′  E Coordinates: 57 ° 52 ′  N , 11 ° 59 ′  E
SCB code : 4452
Status: Crime scene
Residents : 24,101 (December 31, 2015)
Area : 14.62 km²
Population density : 1648 inhabitants / km²
List of perpetrators in Västra Götaland County

Kungälv is a city in southwest Sweden . It belongs to the province of Västra Götalands län and the historical province (landskap) Bohuslän and is the capital of the municipality of the same name .

geography

Kungälv is mainly located on the right bank of the right (northern) estuary of the Göta älv River , also known as Nordre älv , about 20 km north of central Gothenburg and about 15 km from the Swedish west coast on the Kattegat .

A small part of the crime scene (278 inhabitants on 44 hectares , 2015) is on the territory of the neighboring municipality of Gothenburg . This is Rödbo, which was previously an independent crime scene, located southeast of Kungälv, then on the other side of the Nordre älv on the island of Hisingen .

history

The border between Sweden and Norway in the 11th century
Ragnhildsholmen on Nordre älv, 2013
City of Kungsälv at the foot of Bohus Fortress in 1713

Iron Age traces can be found in the burial ground of Västra Porten-Smällen . Indications from name research show that the first settlement on the island of Björkö in the Nordre älv river . The name Björkøy falls into the family of names bjarkøy , which has different meanings. On the one hand, I can relate it to bjerk , birch, and call it a tree (birch) island . On the other hand, the word bjark refers to trade. Another meaning is based on the old Frisian word berek and means legal circle . The last two meanings occur in connection with the old trade and maritime law, the Bjarkøyrett . The name can just as well be derived from a place name, since many islands along the Norwegian coast are named Bjarkøy or Bjerkøy ; so islands in Hålogaland , Trøndelag , Hordaland , off Tønsberg as well as in the Skiensfjord and Oslofjord . The important Viking trading post Birka was also located on the island of Björkö. Many Scandinavian trading centers first emerged on islands, as these were easier to defend.

A historical predecessor of the city of Kungälv was Konghelle, also known under the Swedish names Kungahälla and Konnungahälla . The city belonged to Norway , and its origins are also unknown. The city is said to have been founded four kilometers west of Kungälv in 959, but written sources only mention it in the 12th century. In 1101 a meeting of the three kings took place here. At that time, King Erik I. Ejegod of Denmark , King Magnus III. of Norway and King Inge I of Sweden signed a peace treaty. A high "peace stone" erected in Kungälv in 1940 commemorates the memorable historical event over 900 years ago.

Konghelle, however, lost its importance as a medieval Scandinavian port and trading city on Laurentius Day (August 10th) of the year 1135, only five years after Sigurd's death. This important center was ravaged and sacked by the Pomeranian Duke Ratibor with a fleet of 250 ships in retaliation. The Pomeranians suffered significant losses in warriors and ships during the fighting, but ultimately remained the victors. The rest of the ducal fleet sailed back to Pomerania with valuable booty, including the famous and now lost “ Cordula Shrine ” and around 700 captured northerners. Snorri Sturluson as well as the Knytlingasaga and the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus report on the Slavic attack and the events in Göta älv on the Halland coast . The Cordula Shrine, also known as the Shrine of Cammin, was a precious Norse relic . The stolen original, according to another opinion a gift from Bishop Asker to Otto von Bamberg , belonged to the treasure of the cathedral in Cammin and has been lost since the end of the war in 1945.

In 1161 the military leader Gregorius Dagsson , a follower of King Inge, died at Konghelle.

Under Håkon Håkonsson , Konghelle became Norway's southernmost outpost in the mid-13th century. He built the fortress Ragnhildarholm on the opposite side of the river and the Franciscan monastery also dates from this period. Early 14th century built Håkon V. The Bohus fortress not far from Kong Bright.

In 1612 Konghelle was destroyed by a Swedish attack and never rebuilt. After the attack, the residents founded the town of Kungälv in the immediate vicinity of Bohus Fortress. This has belonged to Sweden since the Peace of Roskilde in 1658.

Culture and sights

Bohus Fortress: View of the Fars Hatt

The biggest attraction of Kungälv is the Bohus Fortress , a former Norwegian fortress to secure the Norwegian border against Sweden. Due to its proximity to the fortress, Kungälv was completely destroyed several times in wars and rebuilt in different places near the fortress.

Due to its charming location between rivers, lakes and hilly forests, Kungälv is a popular destination for Gothenburg people, especially on weekends.

Personalities

literature

  • Lutz Mohr : The Pomeranian Revenge. About the campaign of Duke Ratibor I against Kungälv in the heart of Scandinavia in 1135 according to an Icelandic source . In: Bull and Griffin. Sheets on the cultural and regional history in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , vol. 11, Schwerin 2001, pp. 94-102

Web links

Commons : Kungälv  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Kungälv  - travel guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Statistiska centralbyrån : Land area per Tatort, folkmängd and invånare per square kilometer. Vart femte år 1960 - 2015 (database query)
  2. ↑ Statistiska centralbyrån : perpetrators 2015 som delas av commungräns (Excel file)
  3. ^ Nils Petter Thuesen: De eldste norske byer - forhistorie, oppkomst og tidlig utvikling . Fabritius Forlag, Oslo 1976, ISBN 82-07-00027-9 , p. 9/10 .
  4. ↑ a b c Nils Petter Thuesen: De eldste norske byer - forhistorie, oppkomst og tidlig utvikling . Fabritius Forlag, Oslo 1976, ISBN 82-07-00027-9 , p. 42 .
  5. ↑ a b Knut Are Tvedt: Konghelle. In: store norske leksikon. February 14, 2009, accessed December 31, 2014 (Norwegian).