Borgholm

Borgholm is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 3,071 inhabitants in 2010.[1] It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea.

Borgholm
Borgholm Castle in August 2006
Borgholm
Borgholm
Coordinates: 56°52′45″N 16°39′21″E
CountrySweden
ProvinceÖland
CountyKalmar County
MunicipalityBorgholm Municipality
Founded1816
Area
 • Total2.56 km2 (0.99 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2010)[1]
 • Total3,071
 • Density1,201/km2 (3,110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
387 xx
Area code(s)(+46) 485
WebsiteOfficial website

Borgholm is one of Sweden's historical towns with a former city status (stad). The city is best known for its once-magnificent fortress which is now ruined. Borgholm is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.

Geography
Towns on Öland

The city is situated some 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the Öland bridge which connects the island with the city of Kalmar on the mainland.

History
The coat of arms of Borgholm

Borgholm is the main city of Öland, but remains one of the smallest cities in Sweden. The city received its charter in 1816 and emerged as a spa-town in the shadow of the ruins of the once mighty Borgholm Castle, which burned down in 1806. So important and magnificent was this castle, that it has become the city arms, and the ruins are the best known attraction in the municipality, perhaps on the entire island of Öland. Slightly further south is Halltorps Estate, a historic royal estate linked to Borgholm Castle.

The city serves as centre of northern Öland and is one of the most popular summer resorts in Sweden.

Borgholm Castle has its modern counterpart outside Borgholm. The Swedish Royal Family has its official summer residence at Solliden Palace a couple of kilometres outside the city centre. The Crown Princess Victoria's birthday is annually celebrated on July 14 at the Borgholm Sports Field.

Environs

There are small reaches of the Stora Alvaret geological formation in the environs of Borgholm, which level exposures of limestone host a variety of rare species of butterflies and wildflowers, some of which are endemic to Öland.

See also

References
  1. "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
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