Kungshamn (''King's Landing'') is a
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivi ...
and the seat of
Sotenäs Municipality
Sotenäs Municipality (''Sotenäs kommun'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kungshamn, with around 3,500 inhabitants.
The present municipality was created in 1974 through the ...
in
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) 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 ...
, Sweden with 3071 citizens (in 2011).
[''Sotenäs Kommun: Historia''](_blank)
During summers, population is doubled multiple times, as Kungshamn is a popular tourist visit.
The town consists of the former towns of "Gravarne", "Bäckevik" and "Fisketången". Kungshamn is situated on a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...
just north of
Lysekil
Lysekil () is a locality and the seat of Lysekil Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 7,600 inhabitants in 2018. Situated on the south tip of Stångenäs peninsula at the mouth of Gullmarn fjord, it has two nature reserves ...
and on the same latitude as
Uddevalla
Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781.
It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla ...
,
Skövde
Skövde () is a locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden.
Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between ...
and
Linköping
Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...
. Since 1970, the town is connected to the
Smögen
Smögen () is a locality in Sotenäs Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 1,329 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the liveliest "summer towns" of the Swedish west coast.
The community actually straddled several islands that lay so ...
island by a bridge.
Kungshamn is known for its fishing industry. The
Abba Seafood
Abba Seafood AB, formerly Abba AB, with head offices in Gothenburg, Sweden, is a company producing preserved fish products. The main factory is located in Kungshamn.
The company was established in Bergen 1838 and in the 1850s it moved to Sto ...
company is located next to Smögen Bridge. Since 1920, all products for the company have been manufactured in the town.
["Abba Seafood: Om företaget"](_blank)
/ref>
Name
The direct translation of Kungshamn is "King's harbour" but mostly known as and correctly translated to "King's Landing". The name implies a connection to a king, but its origin is unknown. The locality was named Kungshamn in the 1960s.["VästSverige: Sotenäs Turistbyrå"](_blank)
/ref> Before the renaming, it consisted of the smaller settlements Gravarne, Bäckevik and Fisketången. The names referred to the small communities located in the "Kungshamn area". Gravarne was the most commonly used in the late 20th century and fishermen used that name on their boats to identify their home port.["Bohusgillet.se: Kungshamn"](_blank)
/ref>
History
All of Bohuslän used to belong to Norway until it was seceded to Sweden in the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde
The Treaty of Roskilde (concluded on 26 February ( OS), or 8 March 1658) ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat, ...
.["Bohuslän museum"](_blank)
During the Middle Ages
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 ...
, foreigners were attracted by the rich herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocea ...
fishing and therefore came to the west coast of Sweden to fish herring and later export it. Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road, canal, or toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally th ...
s were established and one of the largest was in Kungshamn. Due to the herring fishing more and more people came to settle down in the Kungshamn locality. A more permanent village was established during the 19th century, due to a period of exceptional rich herring fishing.[" Sotenäs: Sotenäs Kommun"](_blank)
Nature
The north eastern part of Kungshamn is forested. The landscape is characteristic for Bohuslän, with predominantly bare granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...
cliffs intersected by deep valleys with shrub bog areas, rich with birdlife.["VästSverige: Sotenäs Kommun: Natur"](_blank)
/ref> In the forest there is a hiking trail.[Turistbyrå: Soteleden"](_blank)
/ref> The trail goes through Kungshamn and continues into other localities within the Sotenäs Municipality
Sotenäs Municipality (''Sotenäs kommun'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kungshamn, with around 3,500 inhabitants.
The present municipality was created in 1974 through the ...
.
Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Kungshamn:
* Kungshamns IF
References
External links
Unofficial Site of Kungshamn
{{authority control
Populated places in Västra Götaland County
Populated places in Sotenäs Municipality
Municipal seats of Västra Götaland County
Swedish municipal seats