Kristianstad
Encyclopedia
Kristianstad is a city
and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality
, Skåne County
, Sweden
with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.
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
and moving the city rights of the neighbouring town of Sölvesborg
to the new town. The purpose of the town was to guard the eastern half of the Danish province of Scania against any future raids from Sweden, but also as a symbol of the power of Christian himself. One of these raids had sacked the nearby town of Vä in 1612. Vä then lost its charter and the people were moved to the new, better fortified city. The king also founded the town of Christianopel in eastern Blekinge
to serve a similar purpose.
Construction of the towns was a great prestige project for the king, and Kristianstad's church is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful buildings constructed by King Christian IV, or even northern Europe's most beautiful Renaissance
church. Also in Christianstad the townplanning of the Renaissance could be laid down for the first time at the foundation of the town. This makes the Kristianstad towncentre of today exceptionally well-kept and easy to get around in.
Pylyp Orlyk
was after 1709 chosen as a Hetman
in exile by the cossack
s and the Swedish king Charles XII
. While in Bender
Orlyk wrote one of the first state constitutions in Europe. This Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was confirmed by Charles XII
and it also names him as the protector of Ukraine. After 1714 Orlyk now together with several other cossacks followed the Swedish king Charles XII
to Sweden
. Orlyk with his family and about 40 other Cossacks arrived in Ystad
, Sweden
in late November 1715. After some months in Ystad they lived in the city of Kristianstad
for some years. Orlyk wrote numerous proclamations and essays about Ukraine
including the 1710 Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk.
The city's coat of arms depicts two lions holding the King Christian IV's crowned insignia, the monogram C4. The coat of arms was only slightly modified after the Swedish takeover following the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde
in which the eastern third of Denmark was ceded to Sweden. The coat of arms is very similar to the coat of arms of the former town of Christianopel in eastern Blekinge
, a town also founded by Christian IV. Since 1971, the coat of arms is used by Kristianstad Municipality
. Kristianstad's coat of arms is one of the few coat of arms in the world depicting a foreign king's or queen's coat of arms.
The city served as capital of Kristianstad County
between 1719 and 1997. It now houses the administration of the Skåne Regional Council
. For a long time Kristianstad also was a very important garrison town
. One of Sweden's courts of appeal was located in Kristianstad before being moved to Malmö
in 1917.
In 2000, an armed group of Italian soldiers, on a NATO exercise, landed at Kristianstad's small rural airport
having mistaken the town for Kristiansand
in Norway.
and adjacent county, with a populace
of 80,000, in essence use no oil, natural gas or coal to warm homes and businesses, even throughout the extensive chilly winters. It is an absolute turnaround from 20 years ago, when all of its heating came from fossil fuel
s.
, owned by V&S Group
, is produced by the town of Åhus
located within the municipality. Kristianstad was the main military seat in Scania
for a long time, boosting military camps and trainings. After the reforms and military cutbacks of the 1990s all of these have been closed.
was held near Rinkaby
, in Kristianstad municipality.
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 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 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.
History
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town 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....
and moving the city rights of the neighbouring town of Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg is a locality and the seat of Sölvesborg Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 7,883 inhabitants in 2005.Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city...
to the new town. The purpose of the town was to guard the eastern half of the Danish province of Scania against any future raids from Sweden, but also as a symbol of the power of Christian himself. One of these raids had sacked the nearby town of Vä in 1612. Vä then lost its charter and the people were moved to the new, better fortified city. The king also founded the town of Christianopel in eastern Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
to serve a similar purpose.
Construction of the towns was a great prestige project for the king, and Kristianstad's church is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful buildings constructed by King Christian IV, or even northern Europe's most beautiful Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
church. Also in Christianstad the townplanning of the Renaissance could be laid down for the first time at the foundation of the town. This makes the Kristianstad towncentre of today exceptionally well-kept and easy to get around in.
Pylyp Orlyk
Pylyp Orlyk
Pylyp Stepanovych Orlyk Pylyp Stepanovych Orlyk Pylyp Stepanovych Orlyk (born on October 11, 1672 in Kosuta, Ashmyany county, Grand Duchy of Lithuania (today in Vileyka Raion, Belarus), died on May 26, 1742 in Jassy, Principality of Moldavia (today Iaşi, Romania) was a Zaporozhian Cossack...
was after 1709 chosen as a Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
in exile by the cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s and the Swedish king Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
. While in Bender
Tighina
Bender or Bendery, also known as Tighina is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under de facto control of the unrecognized Transnistria Republic since 1992...
Orlyk wrote one of the first state constitutions in Europe. This Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was confirmed by Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
and it also names him as the protector of Ukraine. After 1714 Orlyk now together with several other cossacks followed the Swedish king Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
to 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....
. Orlyk with his family and about 40 other Cossacks arrived in Ystad
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
, 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....
in late November 1715. After some months in Ystad they lived in the city of 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...
for some years. Orlyk wrote numerous proclamations and essays about Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
including the 1710 Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk.
The city's coat of arms depicts two lions holding the King Christian IV's crowned insignia, the monogram C4. The coat of arms was only slightly modified after the Swedish takeover following the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde
Treaty of Roskilde
The Treaty of Roskilde was concluded on 26 February or 8 March 1658 during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Charles X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde...
in which the eastern third of Denmark was ceded to Sweden. The coat of arms is very similar to the coat of arms of the former town of Christianopel in eastern Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
, a town also founded by Christian IV. Since 1971, the coat of arms is used by Kristianstad Municipality
Kristianstad Municipality
Kristianstad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Kristianstad....
. Kristianstad's coat of arms is one of the few coat of arms in the world depicting a foreign king's or queen's coat of arms.
Kristianstad County
Kristianstad County was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 1 January 1997 when it was merged with Malmöhus County to form Skåne County.The seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad.- List of Governors :...
between 1719 and 1997. It now houses the administration of the Skåne Regional Council
Skåne Regional Council
The Skåne Regional Council is the County Council of Skåne County in Sweden.Region Skåne was created on January 1, 1999, by the amalgamation of the County councils of Malmöhus County and Kristianstad County and some of the tasks handled by Malmö Municipality.Its county assembly is the highest...
. For a long time Kristianstad also was a very important garrison town
Garrison town
Garrison town may refer to* Garrison* Garrison community, poor, inner-city communities controlled by either of Jamaica's two main political parties...
. One of Sweden's courts of appeal was located in Kristianstad before being moved to Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in 1917.
In 2000, an armed group of Italian soldiers, on a NATO exercise, landed at Kristianstad's small rural airport
Kristianstad Airport
Kristianstad Airport is situated outside Kristianstad in Scania, Sweden.-External links:* Kristianstad Airport Guide...
having mistaken the town for Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
in Norway.
Geography
Sweden's lowest point, at 2.41 meters below mean sea level, is located in Kristianstad. Because of this, parts of the city have to be protected from flooding by a system of levees and water pumps. To expand the city, large areas of low-lying wetlands have had to be walled in. To prevent future flooding of the city center, the existing levees are in the process of being reinforced and new levees against both Helge å and Hammarsjön are under construction. An extensive system of ponds and dams is also under construction. The threat of flooding became substantial during late winter 2002, when the greater part of Tivoliparken was under water. However, the wetlands around the city are starting to be regarded more as an asset, not least thanks to the creation of the so called "Water kingdom" (Vattenriket).Environmental
Kristianstad has by now crossed a vital threshold, the cityCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and adjacent county, with a populace
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 80,000, in essence use no oil, natural gas or coal to warm homes and businesses, even throughout the extensive chilly winters. It is an absolute turnaround from 20 years ago, when all of its heating came from fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
s.
Industry
Absolut VodkaAbsolut 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....
, owned by V&S Group
V&S Group
V&S Group , founded in 1917, is an international producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages. The group is currently owned by Pernod Ricard...
, is produced by the town of Åhus
Åhus
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...
located within the municipality. Kristianstad was the main military seat in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
for a long time, boosting military camps and trainings. After the reforms and military cutbacks of the 1990s all of these have been closed.
Culture
The Swedish Film industry (Svensk Filmindustri) commenced its activities in Kristianstad in the 1910s, before moving to Stockholm in 1920.Events
The 2011 World Scout Jamboree22nd World Scout Jamboree
The 22nd World Scout Jamboree took place in Rinkaby, Kristianstad, Scania in southern Sweden from 27 July to 7 August 2011. The theme was Simply Scouting. 40,061 Scouts, leaders and adult volunteers participated from 143 different countries.-Jamboree site:...
was held near 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...
, in Kristianstad municipality.
Notable natives
- Johan Christopher TollJohan Christopher TollCount Johan Christopher Toll , Swedish statesman and soldier, was born at Mölleröd in Scania Count Johan Christopher Toll (1 February 1743 – 21 May 1817), Swedish statesman and soldier, was born at Mölleröd in Scania Count Johan Christopher Toll (1 February 1743 – 21 May 1817), Swedish...
, soldier - Ingeman ArbnorIngeman ArbnorIngeman Arbnor is a Swedish economist, Professor at the Lund University, Lund, known for his international bestseller "Methodology for Creating Business Knowledge" written with Björn Bjerke.- Biography :...
, economist - Bo LundgrenBo LundgrenBo Axel Magnus Lundgren is a Swedish politician. He is the former leader of the Moderate Party. Lundgren was born in Kristianstad in Skåne. Between 1991 and 1994, he served as Deputy Minister of Finance with special responsibility for taxation...
, politician - Ann-Louise HansonAnn-Louise HansonAnn-Louise Hanson is a Swedish singer and has been involved in the music industry for over 40 years.Many of her solo recordings from the 1960s feature Bruno Glenmarks Orkester and, following their marriage, Ann-Louise and Bruno Glenmark formed the group Glenmarks with Bruno's niece Karin and...
, singer - Fredrik BöökFredrik BöökMartin Fredrik Böök was a Swedish professor of literary history at Lund University 1920-24, a literary critic and writer. He wrote biographies and books on Swedish literature. In 1907, Fredrik married Tora Olsson...
, author - Åke OhlmarksÅke OhlmarksÅke Joel Ohlmarks was a Swedish author, translator and scholar of religion.He worked as a Lecturer at the University of Greifswald from 1941 to 1945...
, writer - Sixten Sparre, soldier
- Georg af Klercker, soldier
- Bror Erik Friberg, Judge of Assessment Court, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, 1877 - Shawn Ayre, founder of Zelfanet
See also
- University College of KristianstadUniversity College of KristianstadThe Kristianstad University is a university college in Kristianstad, Sweden.Established in 1977, Kristianstad University is one of the newest Swedish institutions of higher education. However, higher education in the region is much older. Teacher education can be traced back to 1835. A training...
- Kristianstad CountyKristianstad CountyKristianstad County was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 1 January 1997 when it was merged with Malmöhus County to form Skåne County.The seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad.- List of Governors :...
(abolished 1998) - KristiansandKristiansand-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...