Värmdö Municipality
Encyclopedia
Värmdö Municipality is a municipality
in Stockholm County
in east central Sweden
. Its seat is located in the town of Gustavsberg, with a population of 9,682 (2005), situated on the main island at an elevation of 37 m.
The municipality is named after the main island Värmdön
, 180 km2 in size.
The municipality in its present form was created in 1974, when "old" Värmdö was amalgamated with Gustavsberg (which had been detached from it in 1902) and Djurö.
. The largest of the islands are Värmdön, Ingarö
, Svartsö
, Möja
, Runmarö
, Sandhamn
and Nämdö. Gustavsberg is the main town, and there are also several villages and suburbs spread out such as Djurhamn, Stavsnäs
, Mörtnäs, Hemmesta, Brunn, Strömma and Sandhamn.
wherefrom remains are found. The people lived on fishing and the hunting of seal
s and sea birds. As the coast climate was not suitable for traditional cereal crops, the agricultural efforts were often directed towards the cultivation of potatoes.
After the introduction of steam boat lines around 1850, wealthy people in Stockholm
started to build vacation houses around the stations. When today's main roads were built in the 1930s, only the steam boats serving islands remained, and the expansion continued. With the municipal reform in the 1970s, Värmdö was created through a merger between six small municipalities and adopted the coat of arms of Gustavsberg, with two porcelain ovens.
Today, Värmdö is a rapidly expanding suburban area to Stockholm and also one of the most exclusive areas for vacation houses
in Sweden. During the summer month, the population triples.
factory in Gustavsberg, established in the 1820s. Around the year 1900, 1,000 people were employed there, making it one of the largest working places in Sweden.
During the summer the population of the municipality triples due to the large number of tourists and vacation houses.
, one of the major connection points in the Stockholm archipelago.
The municipality has no rail connection, but is served by a number of bus routes operated by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik
, SL. Most buses terminate in Stockholm at Slussen
.
Some of the major bus lines to Värmdö include 422 from Nacka
, 425, 433, 434, and 474 from Stockholm. Bus connections have improved significantly since the addition of several routes in 2005.
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
in Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
in east central 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 Gustavsberg, with a population of 9,682 (2005), situated on the main island at an elevation of 37 m.
The municipality is named after the main island Värmdön
Värmdön
Värmdö is an island in the innermost region of the Stockholm archipelago and covers an area of 180 km², making it the largest island in the archipelago. Värmdö is after Gotland and Öland the third largest island on the eastern coast of Sweden....
, 180 km2 in size.
The municipality in its present form was created in 1974, when "old" Värmdö was amalgamated with Gustavsberg (which had been detached from it in 1902) and Djurö.
Geography
The municipality consists of 10,000 islands, all part of Stockholm archipelagoStockholm archipelago
The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...
. The largest of the islands are Värmdön, Ingarö
Ingarö
Ingarö is an island in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County. The chief settlement is called Brunn. With an area of 63 km2, it is the 16th biggest island in Sweden. Petroglyphs indicate that the island has been inhabited since the Nordic Bronze Age. For most of the 20th century the resident...
, Svartsö
Svartsö
Svartsö is an island located in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden. The island is a popular destination for visitors mainly during the summer season. About 80 people live permanently on the island....
, Möja
Möja
Möja is an island in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden. Möja is one of the most popular islands in the archipelago for travellers and boaters, and is also significant in size....
, Runmarö
Runmarö
Runmarö is an island located in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden....
, Sandhamn
Sandhamn
Sandhamn is a small settlement in the central-peripheral part of the Stockholm Archipelago in central-eastern Sweden, approximately 50 km east of Stockholm...
and Nämdö. Gustavsberg is the main town, and there are also several villages and suburbs spread out such as Djurhamn, Stavsnäs
Stavsnäs
Stavsnäs is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 727 inhabitants in 2005. As there are numerous vacation houses in the area, the population is significantly larger during summer...
, Mörtnäs, Hemmesta, Brunn, Strömma and Sandhamn.
History
The name Värmdö can be traced to 1314, but it is not clear what it means. (It is likely that it comes from the word värmd, a small hot spring in the ocean which causes holes in the ice in winter, and which there are several of in the area.) The area has however been inhabited longer than that, probably from the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
wherefrom remains are found. The people lived on fishing and the hunting of seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
s and sea birds. As the coast climate was not suitable for traditional cereal crops, the agricultural efforts were often directed towards the cultivation of potatoes.
After the introduction of steam boat lines around 1850, wealthy people in 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...
started to build vacation houses around the stations. When today's main roads were built in the 1930s, only the steam boats serving islands remained, and the expansion continued. With the municipal reform in the 1970s, Värmdö was created through a merger between six small municipalities and adopted the coat of arms of Gustavsberg, with two porcelain ovens.
Today, Värmdö is a rapidly expanding suburban area to Stockholm and also one of the most exclusive areas for vacation houses
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
in Sweden. During the summer month, the population triples.
Industry
The industry of the municipality was dominated by the porcelainPorcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
factory in Gustavsberg, established in the 1820s. Around the year 1900, 1,000 people were employed there, making it one of the largest working places in Sweden.
During the summer the population of the municipality triples due to the large number of tourists and vacation houses.
Transport
Värmdö is more easily accessible by water than by land. The boat service, Waxholmsbolaget, offers numerous routes to various islands in the Värmdö archipelago. By land, the major road is the county road 222 - a motorway from Stockholm. It ends in the ferry harbour of StavsnäsStavsnäs
Stavsnäs is a locality situated in Värmdö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 727 inhabitants in 2005. As there are numerous vacation houses in the area, the population is significantly larger during summer...
, one of the major connection points in the Stockholm archipelago.
The municipality has no rail connection, but is served by a number of bus routes operated by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik AB, , commonly referred to as SL, is the organisation running all of the land based public transport systems in Stockholm County....
, SL. Most buses terminate in Stockholm at Slussen
Slussen
Slussen is an area of central Stockholm, connecting Södermalm and Gamla stan. The area is named after the locks between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The locks themselves allow passage between these two bodies of water...
.
Some of the major bus lines to Värmdö include 422 from Nacka
Nacka
Nacka is the municipal seat of Nacka Municipality and part of Stockholm urban area in Sweden. The municipality's name harks back to an 16th century industrial operation established by the Crown at Nacka farmstead where conditions for water mills are good...
, 425, 433, 434, and 474 from Stockholm. Bus connections have improved significantly since the addition of several routes in 2005.
Notable people
- Peter Jöback
- Mats Arnhög
- Marko Lehtosalo
- Henrik von Rehbinder
External links
- Värmdö Municipality - Official site