Skövde
Encyclopedia
Skövde is a locality
and the seat of Skövde Municipality
, Västra Götaland County
, Sweden
with 34 446 inhabitants (2010-12-31).
Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg
, between Sweden's two largest lakes, Vänern
and Vättern
. It sits on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge Billingen
(299 m), which cuts through the plain between the lakes. The western main railway (Västra Stambanan
) was built through Skövde in the 1890s, which gave the town a dramatic industrial and population boost.
who allegedly was a pious woman from Skövde. She was born about 1101, and was canonized
in 1165 by Pope Alexander III
and Archbishop Stefan
of Sweden.
Of the medieval houses nothing remains, as a fire in 1759 burned down the entire city except for some houses called Helensgården. After the fire, the city was rebuilt according to a grid pattern. The city still only had a small population until the railroad between Stockholm
and Gothenburg
was laid through the city, leading to an industrial and population boost.
jointly operate one of the world’s largest automotive foundries in Skövde, with more than 5,000 workers. The plant is known world-wide for producing the most industrial diesel engines in the world for AB Volvo and also for producing compact inline 5 cylinder petrol engines for Volvo Cars
. The boxy cars take after the city's architecture which is also boxy.
(P4) and the logistics corps regiment Trängregementet
(TrängR) are both located in Skövde, as is the Army Combat schools.
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...
and the seat of Skövde Municipality
Skövde Municipality
Skövde Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Skövde....
, 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...
, 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 34 446 inhabitants (2010-12-31).
Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, between Sweden's two largest lakes, 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 :...
and 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....
. It sits on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge Billingen
Billingen
Billingen is the largest of the thirteen mesas in the Swedish county of Västra Götaland, with a maximum altitude of . The mesa extends in a north-southerly direct with a length of and a width of ....
(299 m), which cuts through the plain between the lakes. The western main railway (Västra Stambanan
Rail transport in Sweden
Rail transport in Sweden uses a network of 13,000 km of track, the 20th largest in the world. Construction of the first railway line in Sweden began in 1855. The major operator is the state-owned SJ AB....
) was built through Skövde in the 1890s, which gave the town a dramatic industrial and population boost.
History
Skövde traces its history back to the medieval age. In its city arms is the image of Saint HelenaHelena of Skövde
Saint Helena was a woman of high birth, who lived in the 12th century, and was considered to be the patron saint of Skövde, Sweden. Saint Helena decorates the Skövde city arm and is the patron saint of the church in Ränneslöv.She was born around 1101...
who allegedly was a pious woman from Skövde. She was born about 1101, and was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
in 1165 by Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
and Archbishop Stefan
Stefan (archbishop of Uppsala)
Stefan was created the first Archbishop of Uppsala in Sweden in the year 1164, a post he held until his death.Stefan was a Cistercian monk from Alvastra monastery...
of Sweden.
Of the medieval houses nothing remains, as a fire in 1759 burned down the entire city except for some houses called Helensgården. After the fire, the city was rebuilt according to a grid pattern. The city still only had a small population until the railroad between Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
was laid through the city, leading to an industrial and population boost.
Industry
AB Volvo and Volvo CarsVolvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
jointly operate one of the world’s largest automotive foundries in Skövde, with more than 5,000 workers. The plant is known world-wide for producing the most industrial diesel engines in the world for AB Volvo and also for producing compact inline 5 cylinder petrol engines for Volvo Cars
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
. The boxy cars take after the city's architecture which is also boxy.
Military
The armoured corps regiment Skaraborgs regementeSkaraborgs regemente
Skaraborgs regemente , designation I 9, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was converted to an armoured regiment in 1942...
(P4) and the logistics corps regiment Trängregementet
Trängregementet
Trängregementet , formerly Göta trängregemente , is the only logistic regiment in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its new organisation was laid down in 2000, when the regiment became the only logistic regiment in Sweden. The regiment is located to Skövde....
(TrängR) are both located in Skövde, as is the Army Combat schools.
Education
- The Skövde University CollegeSkövde University CollegeSkövde University College is a university college in Skövde, Sweden. It has approximately 11000 students. Lecturers and other educational staff number around 340, with approximately 100 persons in administration as of March 2007...
has over 8,000 students and six faculties. - SRTC, Swedish Rescue Training Centre http://www.srtc.se (earlier Räddningsverkets övningsfält), offers a broad variety of education and exercises within the risk and safety sector.
Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Skövde:- Skövde AIKSkövde AIKSkövde AIK is a Swedish football club from Skövde. It was founded on 21 June 1919. The club is currently in Division 1 Södra.-Background:Skövde AIK has played 14 seasons in second tier Swedish football, the last time being as recently as 1995 in the Division 1 Södra...
- footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club - IFK Skövde HK – handballTeam handballHandball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
club - IFK Skövde FKIFK Skövde FKIFK Skövde FK is a Swedish football club located in Skövde in Västra Götaland County.-Background:Since their foundation IFK Skövde FK has participated mainly in the middle and lower divisions of the Swedish football league system. The club currently plays in Division 3 Mellersta Götaland which is...
- footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club
Airport
Skövde Airport is located approximately 10 km from Skövde. Currently there are no scheduled flights, however there is an active flying club, gliding club and at least one corporate jet is based at Skövde.External links
- Skövde - Official site
- SkövdeNätet - Website and forum for people living and working in Skövde