Laholm () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and the seat of
Laholm Municipality
Laholm Municipality () is a Municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Halland County in southwest Sweden. The seat is located in Laholm.
The Amalgamation (politics), amalgamation process during the local government reform in the 1970s took place ...
,
Halland County
Halland County (, ) is a county ('' län'') on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad. Prince Julian, the son of Prince Carl Philip, is Duke of Halland.
...
,
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 ...
, with 6,527 inhabitants in 2015.
Laholm is, despite its small population, for historical reasons often still referred to as a
''city''. In the 13th century, Laholm was the first in
Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...
to receive city rights.
The town is located at the estuary of the river
Lagan in the Bay of Laholm.
History
Laholm is one of Sweden's oldest cities and the oldest in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...
. The first charter was granted in the 13th century, in what was then a part of
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and ''Høx Herred''.
[ ile:Administrative division of denmark in medieval times.jpg/ref> The church was founded in 1225. During the wars between Sweden and Denmark in the 16th and 17th century, Laholm was burnt down several times. In 1645, as Halland became a part of Sweden, the town had 330 inhabitants, growing to about 866 about hundred years later. In the middle of the 19th century the population reached the 1,000 mark, doubled in the early 20th century and reaching 3,000 around 1950. The ]local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
reform of 1971 made the town the seat of Laholm Municipality
Laholm Municipality () is a Municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Halland County in southwest Sweden. The seat is located in Laholm.
The Amalgamation (politics), amalgamation process during the local government reform in the 1970s took place ...
which has over 25,000 inhabitants.
The town's and commune's coat of arms dates back to the Middle Ages, but was granted by royal warrant only in the 1940s. It shows three silver salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
with red fins on a blue background, owing to the importance of salmon fishing in the area. The arms is very nearly identical to that of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a London boroughs, borough in southwest London. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Chessington, Malden Rushett, New Malden, Surbiton and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the four List ...
in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, whose arms also go back a long way.
Gallery
Image:Laholms kyrka med snö.jpg, Church
Image:Flicka med fåglar i håret Ernst Eberlein.jpg, Fountain
Image:Laholmskyltstadshotell.jpg, Back of the hotel and the restaurant Gröna Hästen.
Image:Gamleby Laholm.jpg, Gamleby (old town part)
Image:Laholms stadshus och bibliotek.jpg, Town hall and public library
Image:Biograf Maxim.JPG, Biograf Maxim (movie theater)
Image:Laholms teater och stadshotell.jpg, Theatre and hotel
References
External links
Hostel of Laholm
(English)
Tourist agency of Laholm
(English)
{{authority control
Populated places in Laholm Municipality
Municipal seats of Halland County
Swedish municipal seats