Götene Municipality is a municipality

Municipalities of Sweden

The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...

 in Västra Götaland County

Västra Götaland County

Västra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...

 in western 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....

. Its seat is located in the town of Götene

Götene

Götene is a locality and the seat of Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 4,727 inhabitants in 2005.- References :*...

.

When the first Swedish local government acts went into force in 1863, 20 rural municipal entities (each corresponding to a parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 of the Church of Sweden

Church of Sweden

The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...

) were created in the area. The municipal reform of 1952 grouped them into three new, larger, units. These were amalgamated in 1967 to form the present municipality.

The two most notable sights in the municipality are the mountain/ridge Kinnekulle

Kinnekulle

- External links :* *...

 (with 306 meters the highest point in the county) and the village Husaby

Husaby

Husaby, near Kinnekulle, is a village belonging to Götene municipality in the province of Västergötland, Sweden. It is most known for the old stone church Husaby Church...

, with an old church and church well, where the first Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 king of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung, is believed to have been baptized

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

.

Localities

Population figures from Statistics Sweden.

• Götene
  Götene
  Götene is a locality and the seat of Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 4,727 inhabitants in 2005.- References :*...
  
   (seat), 4,600
• Källby
  Källby
  Källby is a locality situated in Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,551 inhabitants in 2005.A major industry and employer is Gunnar Dafgård AB, founded in 1937, which manufactures various cold dishes such as pan pizza, pies and ready meals.Driving distances to:* Lidköping...
  
  , 1,500
• Lundsbrunn
  Lundsbrunn
  Lundsbrunn is a locality situated in Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 862 inhabitants in 2005....
  
  , 900
• Hällekis
  Hällekis
  Hällekis is a locality situated in Götene Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 718 inhabitants in 2005.-Location:The village is situated on the coast of Lake Väner and in the Kinnekulle peninsula with a ridge and large nature reserve...
  
  , 700

Sister cities

Götene has a sister city in Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

. It is called Pasvalys

Pasvalys

Pasvalys is a city in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River. Its sister city is Götene in Sweden. In 1557, the Treaty of Pozvol was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War.-References:...

 and has about 37,000 inhabitants, whereof 9,700 live in the urban area

Urban area

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...

 Pasvalys.

Tourism

Götene is part of the Läckö-Kinnekulle tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 area. To boast its geographical uniqueness, it uses a symbol of the Kinnekulle mountain mirroring in Lake Vänern

Vänern

Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the EU and the third largest lake in Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmland in the southwest of the country.- History :...

.

External links

• Götene Municipality - Official site
• Läckö Kinnekulle Tourism - In Swedish, English and German