Kalix
Encyclopedia
Kalix is a locality
and the seat of the Kalix Municipality
in Norrbotten County
, Sweden
. The name Kalix is believed to have come from nomadic tribes, possibly of Sapmí origin, and is derived from the word "Kalasätno", meaning "The cold river". The municipality of Kalix has 17,300 inhabitants, and the town has 7,312 had inhabitants in 2005.
for the Kalixlöjrom. The Kalixlöjrom has been present at many Nobel dinners through the years, and among others, the 1990 Gastronomy Akademy gold medal winner Norbert Lang of Paul&Norbert in Stockholm likes his Kalixlöjrom.
outside the Kalix coast line has 792 islands.
It is famous for its beautiful islands and a lot of people in Kalix enjoy sailing especially during warm, bright, summer nights. The most famous islands in the Kalix archipelago are:
Bergön is known as having the best Sauna in the Kalix archipelago. Halsön has a large white sand beach with barbecue camps. The true gem however, is Malören. Malören is the final outpost of the archipelago and has as such had maritime pilots placed there from the 1830s all the way up to 1967. The island has a church, a small village with houses mostly used as summer cabins today, but also interesting remains of a time past, like one or two graves, a labyrinth and a wreck. The archipelago is important to the people of Kalix - if one does not have a cabin there then at least a good boat to get from island to island in. And one of the summer highlights for the local population is the sailing races organized by the Kalix sail- and race boat society (Kalix Segel och Motorbåtssällskap, KSMS).
The perhaps most interesting building in Kalix is the Kalix church. The building of the church started in the first half of the 15th century. The first time it is mentioned in writing is in an indulgence
letter written on June 29, 1472 by archbishop
Jakob Ulfsson Örnfot of Uppsala
.The letter of indulgence was written on the same day that the arch bishop inaugurated the polyptych
. The church also has a very interesting history, with a remarkably well preserved girl buried under the entrance dressed like a bride, and the fact that the church was used as a stable for the horses of the Russian army in 1808.
Already around year 1000 Kalix had goods from the forest and river which would cause people from the south to sail all the way up to Kalix. The tradition of trading seems to have continued across the centuries because when Carl von Linné and his apprentice Lars Montin visited the Kalix marketplace in 1732 and 1749 he complained about the haggling with the Kalix' traders which allowed the people of Kalix a good price on butter and tar but drove up the inflation in Stockholm.
Kalix as a socken (Nordic name for local geographic area with its own administration) was first mentioned in 1482. Before this point the area had been referred to with many different names: Caliss, Kaliss, Calixe, Calix and Neder Kalix. To confuse things further, a current municipality called Överkalix (Upper Kalix) was a part of the Kalix municipality until 1644, when it became its own municipality, with the result that people started referring to Kalix as "Nederkalix (Lower Kalix).
During the 18th century each village in the Kalix area had its own part of the river to fish Salmon and Common whitefish. The villages along the coast line caught Common bleak and Herring. Part of the catch was transported down south, along with Seal blubber and tar. Around 1660 a copper mine was opened south of Bodträsk by Moån village. At the end of the 18th century Björkfors village also opened a mine, and in Törefors village an iron mine opened in 1801.
On March 25, 1809, Kalix was the location of the capitulation of the Swedish Army
in the Finnish war
. In effect it surrendered Finland
to Russia
. Peace talks were initiated in the Finnish town Fredrikshamn (or Hamina in Finnish
), and a peace treaty was signed on August 30.
In the private sector the biggest employers are:
The income and employment for many people in Kalix still revolves around the forest industry (Billerud Karlsborg AB and Rolfs Såg och hyvleri, and partially Part AB). Billerud is a paper packaging industry. Karlsborg is today one of Europes biggest makers of white, porous paper for packaging of building materails, but they also have production of other strong packaging paper, and some white, long fiber sulphate mass. Part AB makes prefabricated bathrooms that they sell all over Europe. Rolfs Såg och hyvleri AB refined wood into building material like planks, but also saw dust pellets to heat houses. Borö pannan AB makes ackumulator tanks for water heating. Silja Line/Tallink AB are a phone service based office, taking advantage of the perception that the northern accent is pleasant to listen to over the phone, not to mention that the salaries up north are lower than in the south of Sweden.
The financial situation for the municipality of Kalix looks dark. The economy of the municipality has deteriorated over the past few years. In 2005 the tax incomes from local inhabitants was 562.5 million SEK in 2005 compared to 616.2 million SEK in 2008, but even so, the debt has increased by 8,8% (from 459,278,410 SEK to 499,997,708 SEK, of which only 8,432,670 million SEK can be explained by migration). During the same time period, meaning 2005 to 2008, the tax subsidies from the state taxes has increased from 197.1 million SEK to 210.1 million SEK. The municipality population has been steadily decreasing since 1955, and 321 people have left the municipality just between 2005 to 2008. Kalix has, in other words, a smaller population with a higher tax pressure, but also a much bigger debt than ever before.
The town's bandy
club has played in the highest division.
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 the Kalix Municipality
Kalix Municipality
Kalix Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Kalix.In 1924 Töre Municipality was detached from Nederkalix Municipality, forming a municipality of its own...
in Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast. It also borders the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.The name...
, 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....
. The name Kalix is believed to have come from nomadic tribes, possibly of Sapmí origin, and is derived from the word "Kalasätno", meaning "The cold river". The municipality of Kalix has 17,300 inhabitants, and the town has 7,312 had inhabitants in 2005.
Unique for Kalix
There is a culinary speciality specific to Kalix, called Kalixlöjrom also refeered to as Caviar of Kalix. It is basically fish eggs (caviar) of the Common bleak but because of the large influx of fresh water from the huge rivers around and in Kalix, this has transformed the taste of the fish eggs rendering them unique in flavour to this area alone. It is the special mix of the elements bromine, strontium, iodine, selenium, molybdenum, barium and lithium, along with a unique ratio between strontium and barium, that makes the Kalixlöjrom unique, which is why the EU has granted the Protected Geographical StatusProtected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
for the Kalixlöjrom. The Kalixlöjrom has been present at many Nobel dinners through the years, and among others, the 1990 Gastronomy Akademy gold medal winner Norbert Lang of Paul&Norbert in Stockholm likes his Kalixlöjrom.
Sites of Interest
The archipelagoArchipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
outside the Kalix coast line has 792 islands.
- Bergön (Lat 65o 45 85 N Long 22o 45 60 E)
- Berghamn (Lat 65o 40 55 N Long 23o 00 00 E)
- Getskär/Renskär (Lat 65o 39 05 N Long 22o 58 70 E)
- Halsön (Lat 65o 43 10 N Long 23o 31 00 E)
- Huvön (Lat 65o 40 75 N Long 22o 54 00 E)
- Likskär (Lat 65o N Long 22o E),
- Malören (Lat 65o 31 60 N Long 23o 33 50 E),
- Rånön (Lat 65o 44 06 N Long 22 55 01 o E),
- Stora Trutskär (Lat 65° 45 60` Long 23° 22 90`)
Bergön is known as having the best Sauna in the Kalix archipelago. Halsön has a large white sand beach with barbecue camps. The true gem however, is Malören. Malören is the final outpost of the archipelago and has as such had maritime pilots placed there from the 1830s all the way up to 1967. The island has a church, a small village with houses mostly used as summer cabins today, but also interesting remains of a time past, like one or two graves, a labyrinth and a wreck. The archipelago is important to the people of Kalix - if one does not have a cabin there then at least a good boat to get from island to island in. And one of the summer highlights for the local population is the sailing races organized by the Kalix sail- and race boat society (Kalix Segel och Motorbåtssällskap, KSMS).
The perhaps most interesting building in Kalix is the Kalix church. The building of the church started in the first half of the 15th century. The first time it is mentioned in writing is in an indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
letter written on June 29, 1472 by archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Jakob Ulfsson Örnfot of Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
.The letter of indulgence was written on the same day that the arch bishop inaugurated the polyptych
Polyptych
A polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into sections, or panels. The terminology that follows is in relevance to the number of panels integrated into a particular piece of work: "diptych" describes a two-part work of art; "triptych" describes a three-part work; "tetraptych"...
. The church also has a very interesting history, with a remarkably well preserved girl buried under the entrance dressed like a bride, and the fact that the church was used as a stable for the horses of the Russian army in 1808.
History
About 4500 years ago the climate in the north of the Nordic countries started to warm up after the last ice age. The warmth together with the Isostacy made it possible to inhabit the area around Kalix.Already around year 1000 Kalix had goods from the forest and river which would cause people from the south to sail all the way up to Kalix. The tradition of trading seems to have continued across the centuries because when Carl von Linné and his apprentice Lars Montin visited the Kalix marketplace in 1732 and 1749 he complained about the haggling with the Kalix' traders which allowed the people of Kalix a good price on butter and tar but drove up the inflation in Stockholm.
Kalix as a socken (Nordic name for local geographic area with its own administration) was first mentioned in 1482. Before this point the area had been referred to with many different names: Caliss, Kaliss, Calixe, Calix and Neder Kalix. To confuse things further, a current municipality called Överkalix (Upper Kalix) was a part of the Kalix municipality until 1644, when it became its own municipality, with the result that people started referring to Kalix as "Nederkalix (Lower Kalix).
During the 18th century each village in the Kalix area had its own part of the river to fish Salmon and Common whitefish. The villages along the coast line caught Common bleak and Herring. Part of the catch was transported down south, along with Seal blubber and tar. Around 1660 a copper mine was opened south of Bodträsk by Moån village. At the end of the 18th century Björkfors village also opened a mine, and in Törefors village an iron mine opened in 1801.
On March 25, 1809, Kalix was the location of the capitulation of the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
in the Finnish war
Finnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
. In effect it surrendered Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Peace talks were initiated in the Finnish town Fredrikshamn (or Hamina in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
), and a peace treaty was signed on August 30.
Economy
The biggest employer in Kalix is the municipality, with 1600 employees. The hospital in Kalix comes second with 503 employees.In the private sector the biggest employers are:
- Billerud Karlsborg AB 420 employees
- Part AB 164 employees
- Borö pannan AB 110 employees
- Samhall AB 110 employees
- Silja Line/Tallink AB 83 employees
- Rolfs såg och hyvleri 76 employees
The income and employment for many people in Kalix still revolves around the forest industry (Billerud Karlsborg AB and Rolfs Såg och hyvleri, and partially Part AB). Billerud is a paper packaging industry. Karlsborg is today one of Europes biggest makers of white, porous paper for packaging of building materails, but they also have production of other strong packaging paper, and some white, long fiber sulphate mass. Part AB makes prefabricated bathrooms that they sell all over Europe. Rolfs Såg och hyvleri AB refined wood into building material like planks, but also saw dust pellets to heat houses. Borö pannan AB makes ackumulator tanks for water heating. Silja Line/Tallink AB are a phone service based office, taking advantage of the perception that the northern accent is pleasant to listen to over the phone, not to mention that the salaries up north are lower than in the south of Sweden.
The financial situation for the municipality of Kalix looks dark. The economy of the municipality has deteriorated over the past few years. In 2005 the tax incomes from local inhabitants was 562.5 million SEK in 2005 compared to 616.2 million SEK in 2008, but even so, the debt has increased by 8,8% (from 459,278,410 SEK to 499,997,708 SEK, of which only 8,432,670 million SEK can be explained by migration). During the same time period, meaning 2005 to 2008, the tax subsidies from the state taxes has increased from 197.1 million SEK to 210.1 million SEK. The municipality population has been steadily decreasing since 1955, and 321 people have left the municipality just between 2005 to 2008. Kalix has, in other words, a smaller population with a higher tax pressure, but also a much bigger debt than ever before.
Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Kalix:- IFK KalixIFK KalixIFK Kalix is a Swedish football club located in Kalix in Norrbotten County.-Background:IFK Kalix currently plays in Division 3 Norra Norrland which is the sixth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at the Furuvallen in Kalix....
The town's bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
club has played in the highest division.