Åhus
Encyclopedia
Åhus is the second largest locality
in Kristianstad Municipality
, Skåne County
, Sweden
with 9,423 inhabitants in 2010, but it triples during the summer due to the predominantly German
tourists who come seeking the beaches and nature of the Helgeå
and Hanöbukten
area. Åhus is also famous for hosting one of the largest beach handball
tournaments in the world with approximately 20,000 participants. In 2011, nearby Åhus in the village of Rinkaby
the World Scout Meeting also known as the Jamboree
will be held.
An old town, Åhus gained its city privileges in 1149, but lost them in 1617 when Kristianstad
was built, following the burning of Vä
by Swedish king Gustav II Adolf during the Kalmar War
, 1611-13. Built during the 12th century, one of Åhus oldest buildings is Sankta Maria kyrka (church of St. Mary).
Nina Persson, the famous glamour model and international curator of the year 2010, lived in Åhus in her childhood.
The town is also center for the famous Swedish Eel
-parties ("ålagille"), where people come together during August and September to eat eel and drink considerable amounts of schnapps
, mostly the world famous locally produced Absolut Vodka
.
In 1950 an ice-cream factory was built in Åhus, Åhus Glass
. The factory was bought by another company and is now made and sold under the name Ingeman Glass. Today, the original owners of Åhus Glass have reopened under a new brand, Otto Glass, producing ice cream with the original Åhus Glass recipes -- the company is famous for its chocolate-dipped waffle cones. Another ice cream factory in Skåne is Engelholms Glass
.
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...
in Kristianstad Municipality
Kristianstad Municipality
Kristianstad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Kristianstad....
, Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
, 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 9,423 inhabitants in 2010, but it triples during the summer due to the predominantly German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tourists who come seeking the beaches and nature of the Helgeå
Helgeå
The river Helge or, in Swedish, Helgeån is a river which flows through Småland and Skåne in southern Sweden. The course of the river takes it through Kristianstad and out to the Hanöbukten in the Baltic Sea....
and Hanöbukten
Hanöbukten
Hanöbukten, the Bight of Hanö is a sandy bay, stretching from Listerlandet in the north to Stenshuvud in the south, on the east coast of Skåne, South Sweden....
area. Åhus is also famous for hosting one of the largest beach handball
Team handball
Handball 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...
tournaments in the world with approximately 20,000 participants. In 2011, nearby Åhus in the village of Rinkaby
Rinkaby
Rinkaby is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 745 inhabitants in 2010. It is close to Lake Hammarsjön and 12 kilometres from Kristianstad. The village has a pre-school and primary school which is housed in a building originating in the 19th century...
the World Scout Meeting also known as the Jamboree
Jamboree (Scouting)
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom...
will be held.
An old town, Åhus gained its city privileges in 1149, but lost them in 1617 when Kristianstad
Kristianstad
Kristianstad is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The city was founded in 1614 by King Christian IV of Denmark, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town of Vä...
was built, following the burning of Vä
Vä
Vä is a former town in Scania, now a village in the municipality of Kristianstad, ca 5 km south west of the town of Kristianstad. The name stems from the old danish word wæ, meaning cult place or holy ground....
by Swedish king Gustav II Adolf during the Kalmar War
Kalmar War
The Kalmar War was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark soon gained the upper hand, she was unable to defeat Sweden entirely...
, 1611-13. Built during the 12th century, one of Åhus oldest buildings is Sankta Maria kyrka (church of St. Mary).
Nina Persson, the famous glamour model and international curator of the year 2010, lived in Åhus in her childhood.
The town is also center for the famous Swedish Eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
-parties ("ålagille"), where people come together during August and September to eat eel and drink considerable amounts of schnapps
Schnapps
Schnapps is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage. The English word schnapps is derived from the German Schnaps , which can refer to any strong alcoholic drink but particularly those containing at least 32% ABV...
, mostly the world famous locally produced Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
.
In 1950 an ice-cream factory was built in Åhus, Åhus Glass
Åhus Glass
Åhus Glass was a Swedish ice cream producer, situated in the locality of Åhus in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County. The Swedish word for ice cream is "glass". It started its fabrication in 1950. In 2002 the company Ingman bought the factory and instead of using the name Åhus Glass, the ice...
. The factory was bought by another company and is now made and sold under the name Ingeman Glass. Today, the original owners of Åhus Glass have reopened under a new brand, Otto Glass, producing ice cream with the original Åhus Glass recipes -- the company is famous for its chocolate-dipped waffle cones. Another ice cream factory in Skåne is Engelholms Glass
Engelholms Glass
Engelholms Glass AB is a family business, an ice cream factory in Ängelholm, Sweden which is the same town were the high-performance sports car Koenigsegg is manufactured. It started its production in the dairy of Ängelholm in 1937. In 1982, the company moved to their own premises where they now...
.
External links
- Åhus - Tourist site