Sigtuna 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 ...

situated in the eponymous

Sigtuna Municipality Sigtuna Municipality () is a municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Märsta, approximately north of the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The municipality is a part of Metropolitan Stockholm. The municipality c ...

, in Stockholm County,

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 9,689 inhabitants in 2020. It is the namesake even though the seat of the municipality is in another locality,

Märsta Märsta () is a suburb of List of metropolitan areas in Sweden, Metropolitan Stockholm, a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 27,034 inhabitants in 2015. The town is situated close to ...

. Sigtuna is for historical reasons still often referred to as a . Sigtuna is situated at the bay Skarven, stretching around

Upplands-Bro Upplands-Bro Municipality () is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kungsängen. The municipality was formed in 1952 through the amalgamation of five rural municipalities in Uppsala Count ...

and a part of

Lake Mälaren A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

. Present-day Sigtuna, a harbour town that was established around 980, developed about east of

Old Sigtuna Signhildsberg (historically Fornsigtuna, where ''forn'' means ''ancient'', Old Sigtuna, ''Sithun'', ''Signesberg'') is a manor that formerly was a royal estate (Uppsala öd), located in the parish of Håtuna approximately west of the modern tow ...

, which, according to

Old Norse religion Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into distinct branches. It was replaced by Christianity and forgotten ...

, was previously the home of the widely revered god

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

Etymology

The name of Sigtuna was moved from what is presently called

Signhildsberg Signhildsberg (historically Fornsigtuna, where ''forn'' means ''ancient'', Old Sigtuna, ''Sithun'', ''Signesberg'') is a manor that formerly was a royal estate (Uppsala öd), located in the parish of Håtuna approximately west of the modern tow ...

. The meaning of ''Sigtuna'' is contested. According to one theory, it is a compound name where the second element is -''

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

'' and the first one is either of two closely related dialectal words, viz. ''sig'' meaning "seeping water" or "swamp" or ''sik'' meaning "swamp". As a basis for this interpretation, a brook south of Signhildsberg has been mentioned, or the fact that the estate was surrounded by marshy terrain.Entry ''Sigtuna'' in Svenskt ortnamnslexikon. Ed. Mats Wahlberg. Institutet för språk och folkminnen, Uppsala 2003. Another theory considers the name to be an ancient prestigious " wander toponym", meaning "strong fortress", like the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

toponym ''

Segodunum Segodūnum is an old Celtic place name derived from Proto-Celtic *'' sego''-'' dūno''-, meaning "strong fortress".The Place-Names of Roman Britain, pp. 452-3. A.L.F. Rivet & Colin Smith (1979). Princeton University Press. It can refer to the fol ...

'', from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...

*''

siga Siga was a Berber and Roman port located near what is now Aïn Témouchent, Algeria. Under the Roman Empire, it was part of western Mauretania Caesariensis, bordering Mauretania Tingitana. History Siga was a major Mediterranean port in the anc ...

tūna'',

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''Sigtún'', cf. Proto-Germanic *'' segaz ~ *sigiz''- "victory": Gothic '' sigis'', Old Norse '' sigr'',

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

'' sigor'', Old Frisian ''sige, sīge'',

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

'' sigi, sigu''.Koch, John T. (2020)
CELTO-GERMANIC Later Prehistory and Post-Proto-Indo-European vocabulary in the North and West

History

Sigtuna was founded on what was then the shore of Lake Mälaren just over 1,000 years ago. It took its name from an ancient royal estate (see

Uppsala öd Uppsala öd (Old Norse: ''Uppsala auðr'' or ''Uppsala øðr'', meaning ''Uppsala domains'' or ''wealth of Uppsala'') was the name given to the collection of estates which was the property of the Swedish Crown in medieval Sweden.The article ''Uppsa ...

) several kilometers to the west (see

Fornsigtuna Signhildsberg (historically Fornsigtuna, where ''forn'' means ''ancient'', Old Sigtuna, ''Sithun'', ''Signesberg'') is a manor that formerly was a royal estate ( Uppsala öd), located in the parish of Håtuna approximately west of the modern to ...

). Various sources claim King

Eric the Victorious Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr inn sigrsæli'', Modern Swedish: ''Erik Segersäll''; c. 945 – c. 995) was a Swedish monarch as of around 970. Although there were earlier Swedish kings, he is the first Swedish king in a consecutive re ...

as founder while others claim King

Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung (; – 1022), sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede, was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of record ...

. It operated as a royal and commercial centre for some 250 years, and was one of the most important cities of Sweden. During a brief period at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th century, Sweden's first coins were minted here.

St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations. Notable uses of the term may refer to: Albania ...

, built in the 13th century by the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

as a monastery church, still remains largely intact. The Dominican monastery played an important role in the Swedish Middle Ages and produced many important church officials, among them many

Swedish archbishop The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until the early 20th century) has been the primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church. Historical ove ...

s. Many church and monastery ruins still stand, including St. Pers Church (''S:t Pers kyrkoruin'') dating the 1100s, St. Olof Church (''S:t Olofs kyrkoruin'') dated from around the middle of the 11th century, and St. Lars Church (''S:t Lars kyrkoruin'') dating from the middle of the 13th century. In 1187, Sigtuna was attacked and pillaged by raiders from across the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, possibly from

Curonia Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

, or

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...

from the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

(

Oeselians Oeselians or Osilians is a historical name for the people who prior to the Northern Crusades in the 13th century lived in the Estonian island of Saaremaa ( Ösel) – the Baltic Sea island was also referred as ''Oeselia'' or ''Osilia'' in writ ...

Enn Tarvel Enn Tarvel (until 1939 Enn Treiberg; July 31, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an Estonian historian. Early life and education Enn Tarvel was born in the village of Metsiku, where he also grew up, the son of Valdek Tarvel (né Treiberg; 1882� ...

(2007)
''Sigtuna hukkumine''.
Haridus, 2007 (7-8), p 38–41 or

Karelians Karelians (; ; ; ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group who are indigenous to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russia. Karelians living in Russian Karelia are considered a distinct ethnic group closely ...

and Novgorodians, Archaeological excavations have not verified the traditions of destruction of the town. Normal life in Sigtuna continued until the town started to slowly lose its importance during the 13th century due to navigability problems caused by

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

. The current

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

can be traced to the town's first known

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

, dating from 1311. According to a legend (possibly inspired by the town arms), Sigtuna was once the Royal seat, but this cannot be confirmed. The crown may also symbolize the large royal

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

which was located in the town. Since 1971 the coat of arms has been valid for the much larger

. In the late 19th century Sigtuna still hosted only about 600 people, and was the smallest town in Sweden. The town remained insignificant until the second half of the 20th century. Much of the population growth can be related to

Stockholm Arlanda Airport Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the main international airport serving Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is located in Sigtuna Municipality, north of Stockholm and nearly southeast of Uppsala. The airport is located within Stockholm County. ...

(IATA: ARN), situated some 10 km from Sigtuna.

Tourist attractions

Sigtuna has a medieval-style town centre with restaurants, cafes and small shops. The old church ruins, Viking

runestones A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

and the old main street (''Stora gatan'') are popular attractions for tourists, especially in the summertime. The small streets with low-built wooden houses lead up to several handicrafts shops and the old tiny town hall (''Sigtuna Rådhus''). There are restaurants and ''Sigtuna Stadshotell'', a hotel in the town centre.

Gallery

File:Suecia 1-067 ; Sigtuna.png, Sigtuna as it looked around 1700. Engraving from ''

Suecia antiqua et hodierna ''Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna'' ("Ancient and Modern Sweden") is a collection of engravings collected by Erik Dahlbergh during the middle of the 17th century. ''Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna'' can be described as a grand vision of Sweden during its p ...

'' File:Mariakyrkan September 2013 01.jpg,

(''Mariakyrkan'') is a fine example of

Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

architecture in Sweden Image:Sigtuna (gemeente) (66004171).jpg, Sigtuna old town hall in early winter Image:Sankt Olofs kyrkoruin september 2013 14.jpg, St Olof's Church ruin (''S:t Olofs kyrkoruin'') File:St Pers ruin och Sigtuna Prästgård.jpg, Sigtuna vicarage and St Per's Church ruin (''S:t Pers kyrkoruin'') File:Sankt Lars kyrkoruin September 2013 01.jpg, St Lars Church ruin (''S:t Lars kyrkoruin'') File:Stadshotellet i Sigtuna.jpg, ''Sigtuna Stadshotell'', the traditional town hotel overlooking lake

Mälaren Mälaren ( , , or ), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is and its greatest depth is 64 m (210 ft). Mälaren spans from east to west. The l ...

File:Sigtuna museum01.jpg, Sigtuna Museum File:Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket.jpg,

Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket (SSHL) is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day students between the ninth and twelfth grades. It is located in Sigtuna, Sweden. The school is attended by Swedish boarders, local children an ...

(boarding school) File:Sigtunastiftelsen ext04.jpg, The Sigtuna foundation (''Sigtunastiftelsen''), a private cultural foundation established in 1917

Sports

* Sigtuna IF, sports club

Notable people

Christer Fant Christer Michael Fant (born 10 March 1953 in Sigtuna, Sweden) is a Swedish actor. He is a son of actor George Fant. He played the valet Melker in the 2011 " Sveriges Radios julkalender" '' Allt du önskar''. In the 1980s he hosted the TV program ...

, actor * Gustav Levin, actor * Jennifer Palm Lundberg, pageant contestant,

Miss World Sweden Miss World Sweden is a national Beauty pageant that has selected Sweden's representative to the Miss World pageant. History Firstly, Miss Sweden which ran from 1949 to 2003, by the lifestyle and women's magazine '' VeckoRevyn'' and producti ...

2008 *

Sam Weihagen Sam Ivar Erland Weihagen (born August 1950) is the former interim Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Cook Group. He is a Swedish national. Early life He was born in Sävsjö. He graduated from the University of Gothenburg's School of Economics ( ...

, travel group executive

Notes

References

*
"Sigtuna"
from

Nordisk familjebok (, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...

External links

Sigtuna Municipality official websiteSigtuna museum website
{{Authority control Populated places in Sigtuna Municipality Viking Age populated places 980 establishments 10th-century establishments in Sweden