Sundsvall

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sundsvall

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image_caption = Main street
pushpin_

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Sweden
subdivision_type1 = Municipality
subdivision_name1 = Sundsvall Municipality
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Västernorrland County
subdivision_type3 = Province
subdivision_name3 = Medelpad
area_footnotes = cite web |title=Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km² 2000 och 2005 |publisher=Statistics Sweden |url=http://www.scb.se/statistik/MI/MI0810/2005A01B/T%E4torternami0810tab1.xls |format=xls |language=Swedish |accessdate=2008-05-15]
area_total_km2 = 27.39
population_as_of = 2005-12-31
population_footnotes =
population_total = 49,339
population_density_km2 = 1801
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd=62 |latm=24 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=17 |longm=19 |longs= |longEW=E
website =

Sundsvall is a city (pop. 49,400) in Medelpad, lower Norrland in central Sweden. It is the seat of Sundsvall Municipality (pop. 94,339) Västernorrland County.

History

Sundsvall was chartered in 1621, has a port by the Gulf of Bothnia, and is located 395 km north of Stockholm. The city has burned down and been rebuilt four times. The first time, in 1721, it was set on fire by the Russian army during the Great Northern War. The last fire, in 1888, was the largest in Sweden's history. It is presumed that the fire was caused by a spark from a steamship. After that fire, the city centre was rebuilt only with stone buildings. Sundsvall's centre is therefore nicknamed Stenstaden ("the stone city").

According to one historian, Swedish industrialism started in Sundsvall when the Tunadal sawmill bought a steam-engine driven saw in 1849. In the early 20th century Sundsvall was an even greater centre of forestry industry in Sweden than it is today.The first large Swedish strike was the "Sundsvall strike" in 1879. The industrial heritage makes social democrat and socialist sympathies more prevalent in the Sundsvall region than in Sweden as a whole.

Today Sundsvall is not only dominated by the pulp and paper industry, and the aluminium production, but also by banks, insurance companies, telecommunications administration and a number of large public data processing centres such as the national social insurance board. The main campus of the newly established Mid Sweden University is also located in the city.

Notable citizens

*Christian Beijer (1962-), artist [http://www.cbeijer.com Official site]
*Stan Hasselgård
*Bengt Lindström (1925-2008), artist
*Max Magnus Norman (1973-), artist
*Kjell Lönnå (1936-), musician
*Helen Sjöholm (1970-), singer, actress and musical theatre performer
*Elin Ek (1976-), TV and Radio personality (as Grynet), singer

ister communities and adopted cities

* Pori, Finland
* Porsgrunn, Norway
* Sønderborg, Denmark
* Volkhov, Russia
* Konin, Poland

References

External links

* [http://www.sundsvall.se Sundsvall] - Official site
*sv icon [http://runeberg.org/nfcg/0404.html article "Sundsvall"] from Nordisk Familjebok (1918)
*sv icon [http://www.sundsvallturism.com sundsvallturism.com] - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau.
* [http://www.sundsvalltown.se Sundsvalltown.se] - The alternative guide to Sundsvall, Sweden. flagicon|UK