Oskarshamn is a coastal

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and the seat of

Oskarshamn Municipality Oskarshamn Municipality (''Oskarshamns kommun'') is a municipality in Kalmar County in south-eastern Sweden, where the city Oskarshamn is seat. The amalgamations in the present municipality took place in 1967 when three rural municipalities joine ...

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.

History

Etymology

Döderhultsvik was the original name before a town charter was granted in 1856. The name was then changed to Oscarshamn (meaning: Oscar's port) after the king

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of King Charles XIV John, Osca ...

. The spelling has later changed to Oskarshamn.

Struggle for town charter

The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

age. In 1645, the city of Kalmar, to the south, made a request to the Royal Government on holding commerce in the bay there, which was granted, giving it merchancy rights as a ''

köping ''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Municip ...

''. There followed 200 years of merchancies in the town, during which it was governed and dependent on Kalmar; while the surrounding towns and municipalities made frequent requests to grant it a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

, consequently turned down each of the attempts made in the years: 1786, 1798, 1800, 1815, 1818, 1823, 1825, 1830 and 1838. In 1843 it got some independence, with a local council, but the council itself was occupied by citizens of Kalmar. In 1854, King

promised to grant it a charter as soon as it had fulfilled certain demands, including building a prison and a council hall, among other things. When they had accomplished the feats, the charter was granted, and the city became one of the

Cities of Sweden This is a list of cities in modern Sweden that once enjoyed city privileges, thus were entitled to call themselves town ( sv, stad, plural ''städer''). The year indicates the year they were established or when they were granted a royal ch ...

starting 1856, on May 1. This status has today no legal significance, but Oskarshamn is now the seat of the much larger Oskarshamn Municipality, without being a political entity of its own.

Recent history

Industrialisation began with the inauguration of the railway line to Nässjö. From then on, industries as well as the harbour began to expand. The biggest private employer for a long time was the

Oskarshamn Shipyard Oskarshamn Shipyard is a shipbuilding and repair facility located in Oskarshamn, Sweden. General information The shipyard company was established in 1863, when a dry dock was built in Oskarshamn. About 540 vessels have been built and launched at t ...

, which at its height had almost 1500 employees. But in the 1970s, the Swedish shipbuilding industry suffered a large financial crisis and many shipyards closed down. In Oskarshamn, the shipyard went through a large downsizing which left many people unemployed. However, at around the same time, two major industries were established in Oskarshamn. In 1966,

Scania AB Scania AB is a major Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for heavy vehicles as well as marine and general ind ...

bought the

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

cab factory, which had been building truck cabs since 1948, and started expanding. The Scania factory is today one of the biggest employers in Kalmar county with almost 2000 employees.

Liljeholmens Stearinfabriks AB Liljeholmens Stearinfabriks AB is a Swedish candle manufacturer. The factory is located in Oskarshamn, Sweden. History The company was founded in 1839 by Lars Johan Hierta, the same person who founded the Swedish daily newspaper ''Aftonbladet'' ...

, established in Oskarshamn in 1970, is the world’s largest candle manufacturer, specialized in stearin candles. The oldest person in Sweden, Astrid Zachrison was born Åby in Fliseryd, just west of Oskarshamn. She died on her 113th birthday.

Economy

The shipyard founded in 1863 is still active, as well as commercial and passenger shipping. Three different ferry lines transport passengers to

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to ...

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...

and

Blå Jungfrun Blå Jungfrun, also known as "Blåkulla", in English sometimes rendered literally as The Blue Maiden is a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. It is situated in the Kalmar Strait, between the mainland province of Småland and the island province ...

. Between 1965-1985, a nuclear power facility was constructed outside Oskarshamn. Three BWR units were built, that today delivers about 10% of Sweden's electrical supply. There is also a laboratory for research concerning long-time storage of spent nuclear fuel. The

Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (''Äspölaboratoriet'') is a research site located outside Oskarshamn in Kalmar County, Sweden. The laboratory is located in the Misterhult archipelago, near the Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant (''Oskarshamns Kärnkra ...

is open to the public to visit. The two top employers in Oskarshamn are Scania truck manufacturer and the OKG nuclear power plant. Other companies include Liljeholmens candle factory, battery manufacturer SAFT, Elajo, and Bygg Hemma.

Sights

In the

port of Oskarshamn Port of Oskarshamn is a seaport in Oskarshamn, Kalmar County, in southeastern Sweden. Cargo handling The port handles most types of goods; containers, dry bulk cargo and wet bulk cargo. The facilities are: Total quay-length of 2.7 km, maximu ...

there are tourist boats which take visitors to the island and national park

. There are also boats that cruise the coastal waters closer to Oskarshamn. Within the municipality there is the

Oskarshamn archipelago Oskarshamn archipelago is a cluster of island and islets in the Baltic Sea, located in the south-east of Sweden in Oskarshamn Municipality. General description The archipelago extends roughly 55 kilometers in a north–south direction, with a cha ...

which consists of over 5, 000 islands and small islets.

In the harbor area there are some restaurants, pubs and cafés. There are also viewpoints over the harbour. On the south side of the port there is a 72-metre (236 ft) wooden bench called '' Långa Soffan''. It was built in 1867 and it is believed to be the longest of its kind in Europe. From the bench there is a panorama view over the harbor and the quite lively shipping activity going on there. There is a marina for private boats at the innermost of the harbor. Another panorama-view of Oskarshamn and the sea outside is obtained from the top of the town’s northern water-tower which is open to the public. The older part of Oskarshamn is preserved fairly well. In one particular part of town there are older wooden houses originating from the 19th century. The area is called Besväret and Fnyket. Oskarshamns Stadspark is a public park located immediately south of the towns central parts. Fredriksbergs Herrgård is a manor-house built in 1784 situated just outside the city center of Oskarshamn. It is open for the public to visit and houses a restaurant, café and a small museum. Besvärsgränd, Oskarshamn

Climate

Oskarshamn has an oceanic climate ( Cfb), mild for its latitude, with winter means slightly below freezing and summer days among the warmest in Sweden and Scandinavia. Precipitation is light to moderate, typical of Southeastern Sweden.

Culture

Oskarshamn was the home of the famous woodcarver Axel Petersson Döderhultarn. His studio, as well as the Döderhultarn Museum, contains more than 200 of his carvings. There is also a maritime museum in Oskarshamn. At the release of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' film, Swedish newspaper

Sydsvenska Dagbladet ''Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten'', generally known simply as ''Sydsvenskan'' (, ''The South Swedish''), is a daily newspaper published in Scania in Sweden. History and profile ''Sydsvenskan'' was founded in 1870. In 1871 the paper merged w ...

concluded that Oskarshamn is the Swedish equivalent to Springfield, the Simpsons' hometown. Each summer there is a music festival located to the harbor area. The festival, named ''Latitud 57'' and connected to the other international

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north ...

music festivals, is taking place simultaneously as the annual ''Oskarshamn Offshore Race'' which is a popular competition for powerboats. The world championship in Offshore was held here in 2011.

Education

There are four main elementary schools in Oskarshamn, ''Norra skolan'', ''Vallhallaskolan'', ''Rödsleskolan'' and ''Kristinebergskolan''. There are also two high schools, ''Oscarsgymnasiet'' (the main high school) and ''Elajogymnsiet'' (specializing in electricity).

Transport

The rail traffic is today limited to a few passenger trains a day to and from

Nässjö Nässjö () is a locality and the seat of Nässjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 16,678 inhabitants in 2010. History For many years, Nässjö was a rural village with agriculture as the dominant occupation. The turning point was t ...

and freight trains to and from the harbour. There is also a ferry line between the town and Visby on the Swedish island of

. Oskarshamn also has its own

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

, situated some to the north of the city centre. The connection with Stockholm-Arlanda was closed down on 17 April 2014. In May 2014 there was a decision by the municipality to close down the airport totally. The nearest other airport is Kalmar Airport, from Oskarshamn. The airport is still used for some

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

Sports

IK Oskarshamn is the name of the local

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team. The team has played in the highest hockey-league in Sweden, the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

, since 2019. Craftstaden IBK is the name of the

floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

team which is playing in the division 1-league. IFK Oskarshamn and Oskarshamns AIK are two of the towns'

soccer team Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to ...

s. The latter plays in the division 1-league. During 5th to 10 July 2011, Oskarshamn hosted the world championship in

offshore powerboat racing Offshore powerboat racing is a type of racing by ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing. In most of the world, offshore powerboat racing is led by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) regulated Class 1 and Powerboat P ...

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Oskarshamn is twinned with:

Gallery

Oskarshamn Lilla torget.jpg, ''Building from 1901 at square Lilla torget.'' Oskarshamn Badholmen.jpg, ''Islet named Badholmen. Ferry M/S Visby in the background.'' Oskarshamn Lilla torget 6.jpg, ''Bank building at square Lilla torget.'' Flygfoto Oskarshamn.jpg, '' Oskarshamn harbour in 1930.'' Besvaret och Fnyket.jpg, ''Older parts of Oskarshamn; Besväret och Fnyket.'' Churchtower Oskarshamn Sweden.jpg, ''Churchtower.'' Stadsparken Oskarshamn.jpg, '' City park.'' Barber shop, Oskarshamn, Sweden.jpg, ''Barbershop at Trädgårdsgatan.'' Oskarshamn Sweden.jpg, ''Oskarshamn.''

References

External links

Oskarshamn.com
- Webpage with information about Oskarshamn {{Authority control Populated places in Kalmar County Populated places in Oskarshamn Municipality Coastal cities and towns in Sweden Municipal seats of Kalmar County Swedish municipal seats Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Cities in Kalmar County