Ockelbo is a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

and the seat of

Ockelbo Municipality Ockelbo Municipality () is a municipality in Gävleborg County, in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in Ockelbo. The present municipality was formed in 1971 through the amalgamation of "old" ''Ockelbo'' with ''Skog''. Localities * Lingbo ...

Gävleborg County Gävleborg County () is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Uppsala County, Uppsala, Västmanland County, Västmanland, Dalarna County, Dalarna, Jämtland County, Jämtland and V� ...

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 2,724 inhabitants in 2010. The name Ockelbo, spelled ''De oklabo'' in 1314, contains an old marine name ''*Ukle'', referring to modern-day Lake Bysjön. The name derives from the old Swedish word ''ukla'', meaning 'swell, gain etc.', alluding to the rapid changes in the water level of the lake. The second part of the name, ''-bo'', means district or region. Approximately 150 ancient monuments are registered, including several Stone Age settlements. The majority are, however, grave mounds from the late Iron Age and are located in seven grave-fields. One such example is the grave-field at Wij, which consists of 43 graves. Abundant discoveries of low technology iron slag bear witness to the long tradition of iron production in the area. In the 13th century a Romanesque church was built in Ockelbo. A new church was built between 1791 and 1793 in accordance with sketches made by the county governor, F. A. U. Cronstedt. This church was completely destroyed in a fire in 1904. Between 1906 and 1908 a new church was built in line with sketches made by the architect Gustaf Améen. The church is characterised by its neo-baroque style. The interior was thoroughly remodeled during a renovation undertaken during 1956 and 1957. On the choir wall is an altar mosaic by Gun Setterdahl. The mosaic's strong colours give the whole room its character. In the western section of the church a chapel was built and was named after the patron saint of the church, Saint Martin of Tours. When the medieval church was demolished in 1795 a runestone later designated as runic inscription Gs 19 was found bricked up in the foundations. When the church burnt down in 1904 the stone was destroyed. A copy was made in 1932 based on reproductions made in the 1880s. The runestone shows motifs from the

Sigurd Sigurd ( ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon — known in Nordic tradition as Fafnir () — and who was later murdered. In the Nordic countries, he is referred t ...

Fafnesbane-tale and was one of the most image-rich rune stones on the Swedish mainland. The Wij Iron Forge and country estate were built in the 17th century and were owned for a while by

Sven Bröms Sven is a Scandinavian masculine first name. In Old Norse the meaning was "young man" or "servant" and the original Old Norse spelling was ''sveinn''. Variants such as '' Svend'' are found in Danish and Norwegian. Another variant, ''Svein'' i ...

and subsequently by his daughter

Catharina Bröms Catharina "Karin" Bröms (1665–1735), was a Swedish ironmaster. She was the owner of the Wij iron works at Ockelbo between 1686 (formally 1708) and 1735. She founded and acquired additional iron works and eventually owned the larger part of Ocke ...

. It was a part of the ''Ockeboverke'' as were also the iron forges at Åbron, Brattfors, and Jädraås. In 1793 the estate was owned by Mårten Bunge, the Master of the Chase. The works are very well preserved. Ockelbo is primarily known for its basketball team, the annual summer and winter market, and the rose gardens in

Wij Trädgårdar ''We'' () is a 2018 drama film written, directed and co-produced by Rene Eller. The movie was released on January 27, 2018, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Plot A group of eight youthful friends (four male and four female) decide t ...

. Ockelbo is also known for

Ockelbo-Lundgren Ockelbo-Lundgren was the nickname of Erik Lundgren (19 February 1919 – 16 September 1967), a Swedish racing driver that produced replica cars and boats under the name Ockelbo. He first became known during the 1940s as "Trollkarlen från Ocke ...

. Ockelbo is also where

Prince Daniel of Sweden A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

, the husband of

Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée; born 14 July 1977) is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expect ...

, grew up. Another Ockelbo native is

Svante Stockselius Stig Svante Stockselius (; born 31 December 1955) is a Swedish journalist and television executive. He was the executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest from to and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest from to . Early life and career ...

, the executive supervisor of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

References

{{authority control Populated places in Ockelbo Municipality Gästrikland Municipal seats of Gävleborg County Swedish municipal seats