Örebro Tourist Guide
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Eurotourism www.eurotourism.com Örebro Tourist Guide The four “Must See and Do’s” when visiting Örebro Wadköping Örebro Castle Gustavsviks Upplevelsebad Svampen Water Tower Municipality Facts 01 Population 130 000 Area 1 371 km² Regional Center Örebro County Örebro More Information 02 Internet www.orebro.se www.visitorebro.se www.barnensorebro.se Newspapers Nerikes Allehanda - International Variety www.na.se Photo: Björn Fransson Länsposten - The County Post www.lansposten.se Dagen - The Daily Welcome to Örebro www.dagen.se Örebro is a beautiful city. A well preserved Örebro municipality has around 130 000 Destination Örebro environment along the peaceful Svartån River. residents and is Sweden’s seventh largest Olof Palmes torg 3, Örebro New and exciting architecture. Shopping municipality while Örebro is the country’s +46 19-21 21 21 streets, pubs and cafés and the “finrummet” at sixth largest urban area. The city was founded www.visitorebro.se Storbron (Bridge), our crown jewel - the royal probably in the late 1200s. Just as old as Örebro Castle. Take the day shopping, then the city is the castle and St Nicolai Church, sit outside at one of the cafe´s or restaurants. Örebro’s head church. See the city from above atop the water tower, Notes 03 Svampen, or enjoy history at the Wadköping Örebro is centrally located. Within a 20 mile Open Air Museum. Within walking distance radius lives half of Sweden’s population and Police 114 14 from the city center, enjoy the beaches at within a four mile radius lives six million people. Country Code +46 Hjälmaren. Experience “the blue mountains” Sweden’s population Center is located outside Area Code 019 of Kilsbergen, just two miles west of Örebro. of Svennevad, about three miles southeast of Örebro. E.I.S. AB: Box 55172 504 04 Borås Sweden Tel +46 33-233220 Fax +46 33-233222 [email protected] Copyright © 2007 E.I.S. Protected by international law; any violation will be prosecuted. 1 An Independent Tourist Information Company Eurotourism www.eurotourism.com Tourist Guide Örebro See and Do Örebros History The Bridge over the Svartån “örar” Long before the city of Örebro was founded, there was most likely settlements at what is today the center. A village or a small city. In Skebäck, near the Svartån River’s outlet, in Hjälmaren, there was most likely a shopping place and a port. Around the area of what it today Örebro, there were several villages and settlements located from the period 500-1000 AD, some with the same names are still used today in the districts throughout Örebro. Some examples are; Nasta, Bist, Rosta, Älvtomta, Varberg, Mellringe, Hjärsta, Vivalla, Lundby, Hagaby, Rynninge, Almby, Tybble and Sörby. The city’s history dates back at least 700 years, maybe even longer. However, let us Photo: Björn Fransson begin during the Middle Ages. Even back then, several of the country’s main roads River Svartån which the stones carved out hub for trade with Bergslagsjärn, and crossed in what is today Örebro. The first the bottom. Overtime, a bridge was built therefore built many houses, and a church pilgrim route was to Nidaros (Trondheim), over the ford and rested on the banks of the at the square which is today’s St Nicolai and the ancient road between Östergötland ridge, “orarna” and was named “Örebron”. Church. An indication that this was the and Dalarna via Närke. The most important case is Örebro was built using a German of them all was “ Eriksgatan” which pattern, with a square in the middle of the stretched from Upland, via Västmanland The Medieval Örebro city, one church at the square, and a town and Närke, then down to Västergötland and At the new bridge, soon grew up a little hall. Around the same time, the Swedish to destinations on Vätterns’ eastern side. shopping city, which most likely helped monarchy built a fortress and a treasury in Örebro followed a ridge which was made merchants from Lübeck with building up the small town, which is believed to have by ice and gravel and the ridge crossed the the city. They wanted to have a permanent been charter during the 1260’s. Keep in mind what was then called a “city” is in no way comparable to today’s cities. The early Örebro consisted only of the quarter between Storbron, the western section of the square, and the district around the square. However, the city was described in the 1300’s as “quite large” and inhabited mainly by wealthy citizens, most of them merchants. Örebro became an important hub for trade with Bergslagsjärn, and remained for a long time. The largest of several major markets was the winter market “Hindersmässan” which brought together (and continues today) people from all over central Sweden. The city’s excellent opportunities was due to the strategic situation, good communications, and through the important roads which met in Örebro, partially via the waterway. The Medieval Örebro. Photo: Shutterstock E.I.S. AB: Box 55172 504 04 Borås Sweden Tel +46 33-233220 Fax +46 33-233222 [email protected] Copyright © 2007 E.I.S. Protected by international law; any violation will be prosecuted. 2 An Independent Tourist Information Company Eurotourism www.eurotourism.com Tourist Guide Örebro See and Do In the Middle Ages, Örebro was often in conflict. The castle, built during the 1300’s, was constantly under siege. Perhaps the best known is Engelbrekt Conquest of 1434. All the fighting took hard on the city and it changed from a flourishing shopping city to a poor small town - so poor that in 1464, Örebro was granted six years of tax- free allowance “for its great poverty”. At the same time, the city’s population decreased by up to one-third. The city flourished under Duke Karl During the late 1500s, the Royal Duke Karl (Karl IX) ruled the city. The city was granted exclusive rights to sell hardware in the region, and the industry got a big boost which continued up until the mid 1600s. The merchants of Örebro acted as a broker with Bergslagens export of iron and, in turn sold food to the coal minors. The population rose to about 500-600 people, and a number of Parliaments were held at the castle, which at the same time, Duke Karl rebuilt the castle into a modern Renaissance Castle. In addition to the castle and the church, Photo: Shutterstock the city still consisted only of low wooden houses, most of them located along the main street and with the land in narrow general, not much happened. It was not On the other hand, the fire was a way to bury rectangles - a land division, which in many better in the early 1800s either, rather the the old Örebro. The misery was followed cases, continued up until the mid-1800s! reverse. Iron and grain production declined, by better times and the young industry’s as well as, maritime transport. The only wheels picked up speed. Örebro was going real industry added was Lindhska Book into a boom and a new city plan was initiated Harder times during the 1600s Publishers. Craftsman grew more and by th city architecture, Fridolf Wijnbladh. Around 1640, new cities sprang up in the more, but few had any employees, but the According to earlier ideals, the old narrow region. Cities in the north were Nora, population still increased to about 4,200 in winding streets were replaced with straight Lindesberg and Filipstad and in the south 1840. wide streets, and the center was rebuilt with Askersund, and all competed with the modern, lavish stone. Örebro. Örebro lost the rights- just like However, the city was sufficiently important many other cities in Sweden - to act directly to host the election in 1810, when Jean The industry started with a large match in foreign ports, which was a major blow to Baptiste Bernadotte aka Karl (XIV) Johan factory, and was followed by a lively smaller the city which had grown to approximately was elected as heir to the throne. industry in all possible fields. Ekströms was 1500 people. one founded at this time. The construction which followed provided the the industry Industry comes to Örebro with good times. The Quiet 1700s The result of the trade’s declining importance Even in the 1700s the medieval city was spread poverty throughout the city, and to Örebro’s role as a place with good relatively unchanged. A few isolated stone make matters worse, a huge fire burned communications got a big boost when the houses had been added, but mainly Örebro up central Örebro in March 1854! The fire railway came to town, SJ’s locomotive looked the same. The population had started in Fenixhuset and devoured almost workshop gave even more jobs. Towards increased slightly and now was about 2200 everything in the built-up areas and to what the end of the century, the footwear industry people. Traders continued the same as before is today, Våghustorget. Totally, 92 farms began to emerge. When it flourished, with trading in Bergslagen and Stockholm. burnt down and one-third of the population there more than half of the country’s shoe Shipping increased in importance, but in became homeless. factories in Örebro County! Around the E.I.S. AB: Box 55172 504 04 Borås Sweden Tel +46 33-233220 Fax +46 33-233222 [email protected] Copyright © 2007 E.I.S. Protected by international law; any violation will be prosecuted. 3 An Independent Tourist Information Company Eurotourism www.eurotourism.com Tourist Guide Örebro See and Do Swimming Alnängarna (Bathing) The lake was excavated in 1999 along the road to the harbor(which is now made into a Water Park).