Värmland

Infobox Landskap
fullname=Värmland
name=Värmland
land=Svealand, though historically part of Götaland
county=Värmland County
dialects=
area=18,164
flower=Chickweed wintergreen
flower_swe=Skogstjärna
flower_lat=Trientalis europaea
animal=Wolf
bird=red-throated diver
fish=smelt

Audio|sv-Värmland.ogg|Värmland is a historical province or "landskap" in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Its Latin name is "Wermelandia"; its English derivative is "Wermland" or similar variation. The origin of the name is uncertain. It may refer to a lake by that name, or to a river.

Administration

Provinces serve no administrative function in Sweden today. Instead, that function is served by Counties of Sweden; however, in many instances a county has virtually the same border as the province, which is the case with Värmland and its corresponding county Värmland County. The main exception is a smaller part to the south east which belongs to Örebro County.

Heraldry

Arms were granted in 1560, when it depicted a wolverine. This was however too similar to that of Medelpad. In 1567 it was revised into an eagle. In the late 17th century the eagle was black. In 1936 it got its current blazon, when the eagle became blue. Blazon: "Argent, an Eagle displayed Azure beaked, langued and membered Gules."

Geography

The largest lake is Vänern. Most streams of importance lead to Vänern. However, the province is rich in small lakes, ponds and streams. The scenic nature with mountains and lakes is usually regarded among the most picturesque in Sweden, and has inspired painters and writers since the 19th century.

Western Värmland

There are several mountain plateaus in the western part of Värmland, which is in the Scandinavian mountain range. The highest elevations are found in the northern parts, with plateaus of 500-700 meters. Here also the highest mountain top is found, the "Granberget at Höljes", 701 meters.

Eastern Värmland

The eastern part of Värmland is counted into the Bergslagen, the "Central Swedish Mining District". Its terrain is rather hilly, but a few high-altitude hills are present: "Hvitklinten" (414 m.), "Dalkarlsberget" (450 m.) and "Vålbergsrös" (476 m.). This part of Värmland is rich in minerals, most notably iron ore which exists in large quantities. Some notable sites in this area are around Långban and Nordmark Hundred. In the southeast, the ridge of Kilsbergen marks the border to Närke.

Population

The population of Värmland is 312,966 as of 2004. It is distributed over three counties as follows:

History

The province was scarcely populated in the pre-historic age compared to Sweden's southern half. Its 5,500 registered ancient remains are few, compared to other areas. The province was considered to be of minor importance in the Swedish Realm. There are however interesting histories told by Snorri Sturlasson about Värmland in the 13th century. It extends back to Ingjald Illråde a legendary king in the 7th century.

The early history was not only strongly influenced by the proximity to Västergötland, but also with its western neighbour Norway. When Sweden was at war with Norway, it had a strong effect on Värmland too. In 1225, Haakon IV of Norway ("Haakon the Old") invaded Sweden and burnt down all villages if they did not pay a ransom. This feud was eventually settled in 1249.

Värmland was originally considered a part of Götaland, and had a strong connection to its southern neighbour Västergötland. In 1815 it was incorporated into Svealand. Eastern Värmland traditionally belongs to the Bergslagen area, Sweden's central mining district.

In 1582, Värmland was granted its first city, Kristinehamn, but had its privilege revoked. Värmland was granted its second city, Karlstad, in 1584, on the northern shore of lake Vänern. The third city was Filipstad in 1611; however, its privilege was revoked in 1694 after a devastating fire.

The most significant coup d'état of modern Swedish history took its beginning in Karlstad. The man behind the revolution, a liberal nobleman and a prominent man of the oppositon, the former officer Georg Adlersparre, who was backed up by the radical captain Henrik Anckarsword, used the part of the western army that was stationed in Värmland to occupy Karlstad on the night of the 7th March 1809. From there he officially proclaimed revolution, a proclamation which held the view that the wars and the oppression had ruined the country and that the government therefore had to be overthrown. On the 9th of March, Adlersparre and his enthusiastic soldiers finally began their successful march towards the capital. The early 17th century marked the beginning of a substantial immigration from Finland. The areas where they centred were known as "Finnmark". They kept their Finn customs and language until the late 19th century.

Dukes

Since 1772, Sweden's Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces in Sweden. This is solely a nominal title.
* Prince Carl Adolf (1798)
* Crown Prince Gustaf (from his birth in 1858 until he became King in 1907)
* Prince Carl Philip (1979-)

Natives

Some notable natives:
*Gunnar Andersson, Football player in France
*Kenny Bräck, 1999 Indy 500 Winner
*Nils Ericson, inventor and mechanical engineer
*John Ericsson, inventor and mechanical engineer
*Lars Magnus Ericsson, inventor, founder of Ericsson
*Sven-Göran Eriksson, football (soccer) coach
*Tage Erlander, prime minister
*Nils Ferlin, poet
*Gustaf Fröding, poet
*Erik Gustaf Geijer, writer, composer, historian
*Göran Hägglund, Minister for Health and Social Affairs
*Selma Lagerlöf, author
*Zarah Leander, singer, actress
*Adolf Noreen, linguist
*Victor Sjöström, film director and actor
*Andrew L. Skoog, Hymn Composer
*Arvid Stjernblom, character in Hjalmar Söderberg's novel, The Serious Game (Den allvarsamma leken)
*Sten Tolgfors, Minister for Defence
*Monica Zetterlund, singer actress

ub-divisions

Sweden's provinces were sub-divided into hundreds or districts. Värmland was historically divided into chartered cities and districts. One district formed part of Bergslagen and was a mountain district, and all the other districts were hundreds.

*Edsberg Hundred *Fryksdal Hundred *Färnebo Hundred *Gillberg Hundred *Grums Hundred *Jösse Hundred *Karlstad Hundred *Karlskoga Mountain District

*Kil Hundred *Nordmark Hundred *Nyed Hundred *Näs Hundred *Visnum Hundred *Väse Hundred *Älvdal Hundred *Ölme Hundred

External links

*sv icon [http://www.varmland.se/ Värmland] - Tourist site