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Piteå
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Piteå (or Pite in the local dialect) is a city in Norrbotten in northern Sweden. It has 22,500 inhabitants, and is the seat of Piteå Municipality, which has 40,800 people.
å is a large municipality with an appealing nature located at the mouth of the Pite River (Piteälven), at the shore of the Bay of Bothnia. The central part is located on an islet called Häggholmen, which due to land elevation almost has become a part of the mainland; the land in northern Sweden rises at a rate of up to per year.
Piteå has an attractive archipelago, which is one of the reasons it is a popular place for tourism both in summer and winter.
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Encyclopedia
Piteå (or Pite in the local dialect) is a city in Norrbotten in northern Sweden. It has 22,500 inhabitants, and is the seat of Piteå Municipality, which has 40,800 people.
Geography
Piteå is a large municipality with an appealing nature located at the mouth of the Pite River (Piteälven), at the shore of the Bay of Bothnia. The central part is located on an islet called Häggholmen, which due to land elevation almost has become a part of the mainland; the land in northern Sweden rises at a rate of up to per year.
Piteå has an attractive archipelago, which is one of the reasons it is a popular place for tourism both in summer and winter. It features a beach resort area that is often labelled "The Riviera of Norrbotten" (or Norrland), around which there is a spa, a long sandy beach, a restaurant and a golf course. The area is also suitable for fishing and outdoor activities. In the winter, snow activities such as skiing and winter bathing set the mark.
History
Piteå received its city privileges on May 12, 1621.
In July, 1666, the entire town burnt down. Afterwards it was rebuilt in the 17th century. The only building remaining from that time is the town church, as it was the only spared building when the town was demolished by plundering Russians in 1721.
The town square, where the town hall is located, has however kept its structure from the 17th century, and is today one of only two squares in Sweden with closed corners (the other one is in Uppsala).
The population has increased rapidly since the 19th century. In the years 1870-1920, Piteå had a population of only 2,500 people. Part of the early population increase is attributed to the 1911 opening of the Älvsbyn - Piteå railway branch, as well as industrial establishments and the harbour.
Piteå has traditionally strong forestry industry: papermills, sawmills, and also its harbour are of some importance.
Culture
Piteå is known for its pitepalt, a food dish consisting of potato dumplings with chopped pork filling. The area is also know for its dialect, called Pitemål.
The world's coldest McDonald's, according to The Travel Channels' "Most Unique McDonald's", is located in Pitea, Sweden. It is equipped with the world's only drive-thru designed for snow mobile use.
Sport
(left) and Emelie Öhrstig celebrates in Piteå following the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2005.]]
Piteå IF is currently playing in the fourth highest Swedish division, Division 2 for men and Piteå IF ladies team is currently (2009) playing in the highest league in football, Damallsvenskan, for the first time.Which is their highest ever position in the Swedish ladies' league system.
Icehocky is the big sport in town even if Piteå HC only plays in third heighst league in Sweden. The club has provided many good players to the NHL and national team example is Tomas Holmström, Mikael Renberg,Mattias Öhlund,Lars Lindgren,Stefan Persson,Henrik Tallinder,Jan Sandström,Mats Lavander.
In cross country skiing the town has one of the must successful club in Sweden Piteå Elit with skiers like Lina Andersson.
People from Piteå
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