Bengtsfors Municipality () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County () is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of S ...

in western

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Its seat is located in the town of Bengtsfors. The present municipality was formed in 1971 when the former market town (''

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 Munic ...

'') of Bengtsfors (instituted in 1926) was amalgamated with the municipalities of Bäckefors, Lelång and Steneby.

Geography

The municipality has much water areas, consisting of lakes and streams. It makes it a good place for

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and

bathing Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, usually in water, but often in another medium such as hot air. It is most commonly practised as part of personal cleansing, and less frequently for relaxation or as a leisure activity. ...

. Every year a canoeing

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

called ''Dalslands Kanot Marathon+'', or DKM+, is held. It is an enduring 55 km long (a marathon "plus"), stretching through the many municipal streams, and one of

's largest canoeing competitions. Bengtsfors is also crossed by the

Dalsland Canal Dalsland Canal () is a Sweden, Swedish canal that enables ships to sail between Vänern, Lake Vänern and central parts of the Dalsland and southwestern Värmland lake districts. The canal runs across the well-known navigable aqueduct, aqueduct a ...

Localities

Localities in the municipality and inhabitants: * Bengtsfors (seat), 3,600 inh. *

Billingsfors Billingsfors () is a locality situated in Bengtsfors Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,134 inhabitants in 2010. Billingsfors Church is in Billingsfors. Sports The following sports clubs are located in Billingsfors: * Bill ...

, 1,400 inh. * Bäckefors, 750 inh. * Dals Långed, 1,700 inh. * Gustavsfors, 700 inh. * Skåpafors, 400 inh.

Demographics

This is a demographic table based on Bengtsfors Municipality's electoral districts in the

2022 Swedish general election General elections were held in Sweden on 11 September 2022 to elect the 349 members of the Riksdag who in turn elected the Prime Minister of Sweden. Under the constitution, regional and municipal elections were also held on the same day. The pr ...

sourced from SVT's election platform, in turn taken from SCB official statistics. In total there were 9,389 residents, including 7,070 Swedish citizens of voting age. 46.3% voted for the left coalition and 52.9% for the right coalition. Indicators are in percentage points except population totals and income.

References

External links

Bengtsfors Municipality
- Official site
Dalsland Canal
- In Swedish, English and German {{Authority control Municipalities of Västra Götaland County