Gränna
Encyclopedia
Gränna is a locality
situated in Jönköping Municipality
, Jönköping County
, Sweden
with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland
on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern
, about 35 km north of Jönköping
.
Gränna has a population of 2,578 (2005) and was founded in 1652 by Count Per Brahe
.
The town is situated at the foot of Gränna mountain and is characterized by its steep streets and old wooden houses.
Up until the local government reform of 1971 Gränna and its immediate surroundings constituted a city municipality of its own, since then it has become an integral part of Jönköping Municipality
.
Gränna is, despite its small population, for historical reasons often still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants a cities.
Gränna is known for its red and white polkagris
(literally "polka pig" in Swedish) stick candy
, also known as peppermint rock
. This was first made by the widow Amalia Eriksson in 1859. A statue of Amalia can now be seen in the park at the foot of Gränna mountain. The town is popular with tourists and is a connection point for the ferry service to the island Visingsö
.
The balloonist Salomon August Andrée
, who died in an attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon
, was born in Gränna. The Grenna Museumhttp://andree.grm.se/en/default.htm hosts an exhibition of the expedition together with a comprehensive collection of related objects and photos.
Urban areas in Sweden
Urban area is a common English translation of the Swedish term tätort. The official term in English, used by Statistics Sweden, is, however, locality. There are 1,940 localities in Sweden . They could be compared with census-designated places in the United States.A tätort in Sweden has a minimum of...
situated in Jönköping Municipality
Jönköping Municipality
Jönköping Municipality is a municipality in Jönköping County, southern Sweden. The city Jönköping is the municipal seat. The municipality is situated by the southern end of lake Vättern.-Historical background:...
, Jönköping County
Jönköping County
Jönköping County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The capital is Jönköping.- Provinces :...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
, about 35 km north of Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
.
Gränna has a population of 2,578 (2005) and was founded in 1652 by Count Per Brahe
Per Brahe
Per Brahe may refer to:*Count Per Brahe the Elder , Swedish statesman*Count Per Brahe the Younger , Swedish soldier and statesman* The Swedish steamer ferry Per Brahe, wrecked in 1918...
.
The town is situated at the foot of Gränna mountain and is characterized by its steep streets and old wooden houses.
Up until the local government reform of 1971 Gränna and its immediate surroundings constituted a city municipality of its own, since then it has become an integral part of Jönköping Municipality
Jönköping Municipality
Jönköping Municipality is a municipality in Jönköping County, southern Sweden. The city Jönköping is the municipal seat. The municipality is situated by the southern end of lake Vättern.-Historical background:...
.
Gränna is, despite its small population, for historical reasons often still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants a cities.
Gränna is known for its red and white polkagris
Polkagris
Polkagris is a Swedish candy stick or straight candy cane that was invented in 1859 in the town of Gränna, Sweden, and remains a popular candy tradition in the town...
(literally "polka pig" in Swedish) stick candy
Stick candy
Stick candy is a long, cylindrical variety of hard candy, usually four to seven inches in length and 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, but in some extraordinary cases up to 14 inches in length and two inches in diameter...
, also known as peppermint rock
Rock (confectionery)
Rock is a type of hard stick-shaped boiled sugar confectionery most usually flavoured with peppermint or spearmint. It is commonly sold at tourist resorts in the UK ; in Ireland in seaside towns such as Bray and Strandhill; in Gibraltar; in Denmark in towns such as Løkken and Ebeltoft; and in...
. This was first made by the widow Amalia Eriksson in 1859. A statue of Amalia can now be seen in the park at the foot of Gränna mountain. The town is popular with tourists and is a connection point for the ferry service to the island Visingsö
Visingsö
Visingsö is an island in the southern half of the lake Vättern in Sweden.Visingsö lies 30 km north of the city Jönköping and 6 km west of Gränna from which two car ferries connects the island...
.
The balloonist Salomon August Andrée
Salomon August Andrée
Salomon August Andrée , during his lifetime most often known as S. A. Andrée, was a Swedish engineer, physicist, aeronaut and polar explorer who died while leading an attempt to reach the Geographic North Pole by hydrogen balloon...
, who died in an attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon
S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897
S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was an ill-fated effort to reach the North Pole in which all three expedition members perished. S. A. Andrée , the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a voyage by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, which was to pass,...
, was born in Gränna. The Grenna Museumhttp://andree.grm.se/en/default.htm hosts an exhibition of the expedition together with a comprehensive collection of related objects and photos.
Gränna in popular culture
- When Niklas StrömstedtNiklas StrömstedtBo Anders Niklas Strömstedt, born on 25 July 1958 in Lund, Sweden, is a pop singer and songwriter.- Early years :Son of Bo Strömstedt, a former editor in chief at Expressen, and Margareta Strömstedt, author, journalist and translator.- Career :...
wrote lyrics in SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
for the musical Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
was replaced by "Gränna" as the place which the singer calls from in the lyrics of the song Super TrouperSuper Trouper (song)-A-Teens version:"Super Trouper" was A-Teens' second single from their 1st album The ABBA Generation, a cover of ABBA's song. When the single came out in the fall of 1999, it became a hit around the globe, just as its predecessor "Mamma Mia", also an ABBA cover...
.