Torshälla
Encyclopedia
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...
situated in Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between the lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren...
, Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
, 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 7,614 inhabitants in 2005.
Torshälla is for historical reasons normally referred to as a stad (town) even though it does not have a population of 10,000 which is the limit defined by Statistics Sweden.
Before the local government reform of 1971 Torshälla was an independent municipality. A new proposal to detach Torshälla from Eskilstuna Municipality was turned down in a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in 2006.
Foundation and early history
Torshälla is one of the oldest towns in SwedenSweden
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....
and received city rights as early as 1317 from King Birger. The oldest part of the town church is from the 12th century but there is evidence that the town already existed in the year 700 as an old heathen gathering place where the god Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
was worshipped.
The name Torshälla stems from Þors harg, which means "place for sacrificing to Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
". The town is located at Eskilstunaån
Eskilstunaån
Eskilstunaån is a small river, length 32 km, running through Eskilstuna, Sweden. It drains Lake Hjälmaren into Lake Mälaren....
's very first rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s upstream of Lake Mälaren, creating a natural trading and reloading site. Several archeological digs have unconvered remains of two (possibly three) "strong houses", that is, small fortresses or castles, the one on Husberget next to the rapids dating from around 1300 AD. The fortification on Husberget was burned to the ground during the late 14th century.
In 1436, during the aftermath of the Engelbrekt Rebellion
Engelbrekt rebellion
The Engelbrekt rebellion was a rebellion in 1434-1436 led by Swedish nobleman Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson against Eric of Pomerania, the king of the Kalmar Union...
, Torshälla was burned by the forces of Lord High Constable of Sweden
Lord High Constable of Sweden
The Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War...
(later King) Karl Knutsson Bonde, due to siding with Erik Puke's uprising.
Torshälla was during the Middle Ages the dominant trading town in Rekarne
Rekarne
Rekarne is the historical name for the north-western part of the province Södermanland in Sweden. It constitutes the lands on both sides of river Eskilstunaån between Lake Mälaren and Lake Hjälmaren and approximately corresponds to the present day Eskilstuna Municipality.Historically, Rekarne was...
, the northwestern part of Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
, which roughly corresponds to present day Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between the lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren...
. After neighbouring Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
was granted town rights in 1659, Torshälla lost in relative importance due to the rapid growth of industry and trade in Eskilstuna, the building of a canal bypassing the rapids in Torshälla, and the great fire which devastated Torshälla in 1798.
Industrial era
The development of Torshälla during the 19th and 20th centuries was greatly influenced by the foundation of an ironworksIronworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
on the lands of Nyby manor house on the western outskirts of Torshälla. The Nyby Bruk
Nyby bruk
Nyby bruk is a steel mill and mill village in Torshälla, Eskilstuna Municipality, in Sweden.-History of Nyby bruk:Iron working on the lands of present day Nyby is first mentioned in written sources from the 15th century....
ironworks was founded in 1829 by the silversmith and industrialist Adolf Zethelius
Adolf Zethelius
Adolf Zethelius, born as Erik Adolf Zethelius on February 19, 1781 in Stockholm, died on March 7, 1864 in Stockholm, was a Swedish silversmith, industrialist and owner of the Swedish ironworks Surahammars bruk and Nyby bruk.-Silversmith:...
. The mill village
Mill Village
Mill Village may refer to:* Mill village, a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories* Mill Village, Nova Scotia, Canada* Mill Village, Pennsylvania, United States-See also:* Mooresville Mill Village* Pepper Mill Village...
of Nyby Bruk grew up around the ironworks, forming a symbiotic relationship with the neighbouring town.
Several small tool making and mechanical industries were established in Torshälla during the mid- to late 19th century, using the available water power around the river; Johan Termaenius' mechanical works (1846), F O Nyström's tin vessel factory (1854), Ali Andersson's Torshälla saw blade factory (1881) and Holmens' foundry & mechanical works (1888).
In 1895 the Northern Södermanland Railway was connected to Nyby Bruk, bypassing Torshälla town centre. Passenger traffic on the line was discontinued in 1933 after which the tracks were exclusively used for freight to Nyby.
During the years between 1900 and 1940, Torshälla experienced dwindling population numbers with recession hitting the local manufacturing industry hard.
1940 - present day
During the decades of economic growth leading up to the 1970s the Nyby Bruk steel mill attracted large numbers of workers from other parts of Sweden and from abroad. A significant part of the immigrant workforce was Finnish, which accounts for the high proportion of Sweden Finnish Torshälla inhabitants today.As part of the local government reform of 1971 Torshälla became part of neighbouring Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between the lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren...
with Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
as the municipal centre. Due to the close proximity of and loss of business to the larger neighbour Eskilstuna, Torshälla has in recent years gradually acquired the character of a picturesque commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, while still retaining a significant stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
industry.
In a referendum concurrent with the elections of 2006, the inhabitants of Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality
Eskilstuna Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between the lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren...
turned down a proposed split of the municipality into two parts, which would have made Torshälla an independent municipality. The result was a 67.5 % majority for the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
. However, Torshälla remains an own administrative division within the municipality, with certain local government duties delegated to the town administration.
Economy
The main industry and private employer in Torshälla is Outokumpu, producing cold rolled stainless steelStainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
products at Nyby Bruk.
Sights
- Bergströmska gården (Bergström House) is a well preserved 18th century merchant loghouse which houses the local history museum. The surrounding blocks form the oldest surviving parts of the historic small town.
- Ebelingmuseet (Ebeling Museum) is an art museum with a permanent collection of the works of Swedish-American artist and sculptor Allan Ebeling. Many of his works are exhibited in prominent public places in Torshälla, including Tors bockar in Torshällaån and Vattenbärerskan in Östra Torget.
- The 19th century mill villageMill VillageMill Village may refer to:* Mill village, a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories* Mill Village, Nova Scotia, Canada* Mill Village, Pennsylvania, United States-See also:* Mooresville Mill Village* Pepper Mill Village...
of Nyby brukNyby brukNyby bruk is a steel mill and mill village in Torshälla, Eskilstuna Municipality, in Sweden.-History of Nyby bruk:Iron working on the lands of present day Nyby is first mentioned in written sources from the 15th century....
with Nyby Manor House and workers' houses. - Torshälla ChurchTorshälla ChurchTorshälla Church is a Lutheran church building in Torshälla, Sweden, in the Church of Sweden Diocese of Strängnäs. It serves as the town parish church of Torshälla parish and is located at the Rådhustorget market square....
has a well preserved 15th century painted ceiling made by the painter Albertus PictorAlbertus PictorAlbertus Pictor , also called Albert Pictor, Albert Målare and Albrekt Pärlstickare , is the most famous late medieval Swedish painter, known for his wallpaintings surviving in numerous churches in southern and central Sweden.-Career:Albertus was originally called Albertus Immenhusen,...
, featuring the earliest known depiction of eyeglasses in Sweden. - Torshälla Town Hall at Rådhustorget, built in 1833. The tower clock was originally made for Strängnäs CathedralSträngnäs CathedralSträngnäs Cathedral is a cathedral church in Strängnäs, Sweden, since the Protestant Reformation the seat of the Lutheran Diocese of Strängnäs.It is built mainly of bricks in the characteristic Scandinavian Brick Gothic style...
and dates from the 16th century.
Notable residents
Notable present and former residents of Torshälla include:- Kjell BergqvistKjell BergqvistKjell Bergqvist , born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County; Swedish actor.Bergqvist finished Dramatens elevskola in 1973 and made his debut in En enkel melodi and Jack. He has since cooperated for many years with scriptwriter and director Ulf Malmros...
, actor - Allan Ebeling (1897–1975), artist and sculptor
- Walter Kurtsson, stage name for Peter Torsén, local comedian
- Anni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, formerly of ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
. - Markus MustonenMarkus MustonenMarkus Mustonen is a Sweden-Finnish musician who plays drums, keyboards, piano and sings backing vocals in the Swedish alternative rock band Kent.- References :...
, member of Swedish rock band KentKent (band)Kent is a Swedish alternative rock band founded in Eskilstuna in 1990, with the name Coca-Cola Kids, later Jones & Giftet , and Havsänglar...
. - Anna NordqvistAnna NordqvistAnna Maria Nordqvist is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...
, professional golfer playing for Torshälla GK - Yvonne RydingYvonne RydingYvonne Agneta Ryding is a beauty queen from Sweden who was crowned Miss Universe 1984 on July 9, 1984...
, Miss UniverseMiss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant winner - Sami SirviöSami SirviöSami Sirviö is the lead guitarist of the Swedish rock band Kent.-Biography:Sirviö formed Kent in 1990 along with vocalist Joakim Berg, bassist Martin Sköld, drummer Markus Mustonen and keyboardist Thomas Bergqvist. The band originally called themselfes Jones & Giftet before changing their name...
, member of Swedish rock band KentKent (band)Kent is a Swedish alternative rock band founded in Eskilstuna in 1990, with the name Coca-Cola Kids, later Jones & Giftet , and Havsänglar...
.
External links
article Torshälla from Nordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok
Nordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...