Småland

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Småland
Småland vapen.svg Location of Småland in Sweden
Basic data
Part of the country (landsdel) : Götaland
Province (län) : Jönköpings län , Kalmar län and Kronobergs län
Surface: 32,076 km²
Residents: 718,529
(December 31, 2008)
Population density: 22 inhabitants per km²
Highest elevation: Tomtabacken 377  m ö.h.
Largest lake: Bolmen

Audio file / audio sample Småland ? / i is ahistorical province(Swedish landskap) insouthern Sweden.

The province corresponds to today's districts ( län ) Jönköping , Kalmar and Kronoberg , as well as parts of Östergötland and Hallands län . Småland is surrounded by Östergötland and Västergötland in the north, Halland in the west, Schonen and Blekinge in the south and is bordered by the Baltic Sea coast in the east. Off the Småland mainland coast is the island and own province of Öland , which administratively belongs to Kalmar County.

Important cities are Jönköping , Kalmar , Nässjö , Oskarshamn , Värnamo , Västervik , Växjö and Vimmerby .

The province is typically Scandinavian , with large coniferous forests, many lakes and extensive moors. The largest lakes are Bolmen and Åsnen ; the province also borders the Vättern in the north-west .

history

The "small countries" of Småland. The dots refer to rune stones , with red dots standing for rune stones on which longer journeys are reported.

Småland was formed from a number of so-called "small countries" (Swedish: små land ). These included Tveta , Vista , Vedbo , Sevede , Aspeland , Handbörd , Njudung , Värend , Möre , Tjust , Finnveden and Kinda . However, there was no precise definition of the status of these areas. It was characteristic of all that they had their own assembly ( thing ) and their own legal system. Due to the diffuse borders of history and the different affiliations to church monasteries and provinces, a region has emerged that is more characterized by its differences from other areas than by similarities between the individual "countries".

Often the independence of these "countries" went so far that they could declare themselves neutral in wars between Denmark and Sweden together with their neighbors on the Danish side ( peasant peace ). Depending on how the respective king put pressure on the council, he was granted or rejected taxes. The efforts to centralize the kingdom, especially under Gustav Wasa, led to a series of peasant uprisings, which culminated in the Dacke uprising in 1542.

From around 1680, the current division of Småland into the provinces of Jönköpings län , Kalmar län and Kronobergs län emerged. But there were also periods when all of Småland was united under one governor ( landshövding ) .

On the night of January 8th to 9th, 2005, Småland was hit extremely hard by hurricane “ Gudrun ”.

coat of arms

Description: In gold, a blue-tongued and armored red lion holding a black crossbow with a red shaft and an inlaid silver -tipped arrow .

Sports

Småland has hosted the international 5-day orienteering O-rings four times (1966, 1972, 1983, 2005). Västervik is the venue for important speedway races, and the team from Vetlanda, also in Småland, is the reigning Swedish speedway champion. The ice hockey club VÄXJÖ LAKERS was founded in Växjö in 1997 and became Swedish champions in the highest Swedish league, SHL, in 2015 and 2018. In the 2017/2018 season the team was in the final of the European Champions League CHL.

Others

Småland is known from Astrid Lindgren 's children's books . She let many actions take place where she grew up. Among other things, the village Lönneberga , where Michel lives, is located here .

Astrid Lindgren's hometown Vimmerby dedicated an amusement and theme park to Astrid Lindgren, which is also the starting point for a route along the action and film locations, Astrid Lindgren's World .

In Småland, a center for glass art developed in the 18th century, known as the Kingdom of Glass .

The people of Småland are traditionally considered to be particularly stingy and hardworking in Sweden. They can be referred to as the Swabians or the Scots of Sweden.

The term Småland is in Germany u. a. known as the name for childcare at the Ikea furniture store .

Landscape symbols

See also

Web links

Commons : Småland  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ Folkmängd i landskapen ( Memento from August 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive )