The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea, the largest body of brackish water in the world. The fact that it does not come from the collision of plates, but is a glacially scoured river valley, accounts for its relative shallowness. Baltic Sea - Dimensions. The Baltic sea is about 1610 km (1000 mi) long, an average of 193 km (120 mi) wide, and an average of 55 m (180 ft, 30 fathoms) deep. The maximum depth is 459 m (1506 ft, 251 fathoms), on the Swedish side of the center. The surface area is about 377,000 s ...

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Baltic Sea, Baltic Sea - Name, Baltic Sea - Etymology, Baltic Sea - The name in other languages, Baltic Sea - Geophysical data, Baltic Sea - Dimensions, Baltic Sea - Icing in winter, Baltic Sea - Hydrography, Baltic Sea - Salinity, Baltic Sea - Regional emergence, Baltic Sea - Geographic data, Baltic Sea - Subdivisions, Baltic Sea - Land use, Baltic Sea - Demographics, Baltic Sea - Geologic history, Baltic Sea - Prehistory, Baltic Sea - History, Baltic Sea - Biology, Baltic Sea - Economy, Baltic Sea - Countries, Baltic Sea - Islands and Archipelagoes, Baltic Sea - Cities

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For current affairs see: Kalmar County There was an Öland County between 1819 and 1824, otherwise the island has belonged to Kalmar County since 1634. The island is connected to the mainland through the Öland bridge, which opened in 1972. ...

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Öland, Öland - County, Öland - History, Öland - Geography, Öland - City, Öland - Hundreds, Öland - Facts, Öland - Culture, Öland - Heraldry

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The synopsis is deceptively short: Alexander, an aging psychologist/writer (Erland Josephson) with a younger actress wife, a teenage daughter and a young son (who is mute throughout the film except for the last shots) experiences the end of the world, a nuclear holocaust. This reflected the mood of the day, as also captured, but much less subtly in the US film The Day After. In despair the protagonist promises to sacrifice all he loves if only the terrible feat can be undone and to this end sleeps with a local woman whom he believes t ...

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The Sacrifice, The Sacrifice - Plot, The Sacrifice - Production notes

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The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age. In 1645, the city of Kalmar, to the south, made a request to the Royal Government on holding commerce in the bay there, which was granted, giving it merchancy rights as a köping. There followed 200 years of merchancies in the town, during which it was governed and dependant on Kalmar; while the surrounding towns and municipalites made frequent requests to grant it a charter, consequently turned down each of the attempts made in the years: 1786, 1798, 1800, ...

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Oskarshamn Municipality, Oskarshamn Municipality - History, Oskarshamn Municipality - Coat of arms, Oskarshamn Municipality - Recent history, Oskarshamn Municipality - Industry, Oskarshamn Municipality - Notability

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Main article: Geology of Europe The Geology of Europe is hugely varied and complex, and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent, from the Scottish Highlands to the rolling plains of Hungary. ...

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Geography of Europe, Geography of Europe - Geology, Geography of Europe - Rivers, Geography of Europe - Lakes and inland seas, Geography of Europe - Major islands, Geography of Europe - Plains and lowlands, Geography of Europe - Mountain ranges, Geography of Europe - Geography by country

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The Older Futhark (named after the initial phoneme of the first six rune names) consist of twenty-four runes, often arranged in three groups or aett of eight each: ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ ᚷ ᚹ ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ ᛃ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛊ ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛜ ᛞ ᛟ The common transliteration if these is: f u þ a r k g w h n i j ï p z s < ...

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Elder Futhark, Elder Futhark - Origins, Elder Futhark - The alphabet, Elder Futhark - Names, Elder Futhark - Inscription corpus, Elder Futhark - Scandinavian inscriptions, Elder Futhark - Continental inscriptions, Elder Futhark - Distribution

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Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - 13th century. In 1237 the Teutonic Knights absorbed the Order of the Sword Knights (established 1202 in Livonia), increasing their lands by the territories of today's Latvia and Estonia. In 1243, the Papal legate William of Modena divided Prussia into four bishoprics, Chełmno Land, Pomesania, Warmia , and Sambia under the archbishopric of Riga under the mother city of Visby on Gotland. See also:

Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - History, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - 13th century, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - 14th century, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - 15th century, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights - 16th century

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Jotun - Origins. The first living being formed in the primeval chaos known as Ginnungagap was a giant of monumental size, called Ymir. When he slept a giant son and a giantess daughter grew from his armpits, his two feet copulated and gave birth to a monster with six heads. Supposedly, these three beings gave rise to the race of hrímþursar (rime giants or frost giants), who populated Niflheim, the world of mist, chill and ice. The gods instead claim their origin from a certain Búri. When t ...

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Jotun, Jotun - Norse giants, Jotun - Origins, Jotun - Character of the giants, Jotun - Ragnarök and the fire giants, Jotun - Giants in Scandinavian folklore, Jotun - List of giants and giantesses in Norse mythology

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The runes were introduced to, or invented by, the Germanic peoples in the 1st or 2nd century (The oldest known runic inscription dates to ca. the 160s and is found on a comb discovered in the bog of Vimose, Funen. The inscription reads harja). While at this time the Germanic language was certainly not at the Proto-Germanic stage any longer, it may still have been a continuum of dialects not yet clearly separated into the three branches of later centuries, viz. North Germanic, West Germanic and East Germanic. Most of the early runes fr ...

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Runic alphabet, Runic alphabet - Background, Runic alphabet - Origins, Runic alphabet - Magic and Divination, Runic alphabet - Common use, Runic alphabet - Gothic runes, Runic alphabet - Elder Fuþark, Runic alphabet - Names, Runic alphabet - Frisian and Anglo-Saxon Fuþorc, Runic alphabet - Intermediary Inscriptions, Runic alphabet - Younger Fuþark, Runic alphabet - Long-branch runes, Runic alphabet - Short-twig runes, Runic alphabet - Hälsinge Runes staveless runes, Runic alphabet - Dalecarlian Runic script, Runic alphabet - Modern use, Runic alphabet - Third Reich, Runic alphabet - Neopaganism, Runic alphabet - Popular culture, Runic alphabet - Unicode, Runic alphabet - Distribution, Runic alphabet - Runiform scripts, Runic alphabet - Special characters

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Västergötland and Östergötland, once rival kingdoms themselves, constitute Götaland proper. The Geatish kings, however, belong to the domain of Norse mythology. It was only late in the Middle Ages that Götaland was beginning to be perceived as a part of Sweden. In Old Norse and in Old English sources, Gautland/Geatland is still treated as a separate country from Sweden. In Sögubrot af Nokkrum[2] for instance, Kolmården between Svealand and Östergötland is described as the border between Sweden and Ostrogothia (...K ...

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Götaland, Götaland - Provinces, Götaland - Geography, Götaland - History

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Christian IV was now a broken man. His energy was temporarily paralysed by accumulated misfortunes. Not only his political hopes, but his domestic happiness had suffered shipwreck. In the course of 1628 he discovered a scandalous intrigue of his wife, Christina Munk, with one of his German officers; and when he put her away she endeavoured to cover up her own disgrace by conniving at an intrigue between Vibeke Kruse, one of her discharged maids, and the king. In January 1630 the rupture became final, and Christina retired to her estates in J ...

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Christian IV of Denmark, Christian IV of Denmark - The King as Reformer, Christian IV of Denmark - The Kalmar War, Christian IV of Denmark - The Thirty Years' War, Christian IV of Denmark - Court Intrigues and Foreign Adventures 1629-1643, Christian IV of Denmark - Renewed War with Sweden, Christian IV of Denmark - Last Years and Legacy

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Vadstena is situated by lake Vättern, Sweden's second largest lake. Fishing was an important source of food when the town was first founded around the year 1000 AD, and it continued to be depndant on fish and ship merchandice. There are two nature reserves in the municipality: The Ormbergsliden, 23 hectare large, a lime rich marsh. It has several notable plants, such as the uncommon orchid Tuber geophyte (Gymnadenia odoratissima), and the carnivorous Butterwort plant [1]. The Kastad kulle torräng is a drumlin ri ...

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Vadstena Municipality, Vadstena Municipality - Nature, Vadstena Municipality - Sights, Vadstena Municipality - Gallery

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Archaeological surveys have shown that stave churches, as they are best represented today by the Borgund stave church, descend from palisade constructions and later churches with earth-bound posts. The palisade constructions are known from buildings from the Viking era. Logs were split in two halves, rammed into the ground and given a roof. A simple construction yet very strong. If set in gravel the wall could last for decades, even centuries. Remains of buildings of this type are found over much of Europe. An archaeological survey in Lund uncov ...

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Stave church, Stave church - Construction, Stave church - Single nave church Type A, Stave church - Church with a raised roof Type B, Stave church - History, Stave church - Architecture and decoration, Stave church - Dating of churches, Stave church - The old stave churches, Stave church - Later stave churches and replicas, Stave church - Archaeological sites and dismantled churches, Stave church - Footnote

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When Queen Margaret and Albrecht of Mecklenburg were battling for Scandinavian supremacy and Margaret's forces had besieged Stockholm, privateers named Victual Brothers acceded sea-war-activities and the shipping of goods to keep the city supplied with food. The name Victual Brothers is derivated from the Latin word "victualia" — meaning provisions — and refers to their first mission, which was to bring supplies to the besieged town of Stockholm. Victual Brothers were organised as a brotherhood or guild and attracted people ...

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Victual Brothers, Victual Brothers - Guild of the Victual Brothers, Victual Brothers - Likedeelers the successors of the Victual Brothers

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The earliest history of Visby is uncertain, but it is known to have been a centre of merchandice around 900 AD. In the 12th century the Visby Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mary, was constructed. It was reshaped in the 13th century to its current appearance. Several other churches were also constructed in the ensuing centures. The city flourished thanks to the German Hanseatic League. The ringwall was likely begun in the 13th century. Around 1280 it was rebuilt to reach its current height, and getting the characteristic towers, although some towers were not constructed until the 15th century. The ...

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Visby, Visby - History, Visby - Sights, Visby - Gallery, Visby - Miscellaneous, Visby - Notable natives

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The culture has been named after the ornamentation of its pottery, which is usually round pits and horizontal lines. The vessels are uniform and have usually pointed bottoms in order to facilitate positioning in the soil or on the hearth. Their height varies from only a few cm to 40. The settlements on the Swedish east coast have produced large quantities of pottery. At Fagervik on Bråviken in Östergötland archaeologists have found 170 000 shards, but few flint objects. The bow was very important and the arrows were provided with flakes o ...

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Pitted Ware culture, Pitted Ware culture - Objects, Pitted Ware culture - Economy and ethnicity, Pitted Ware culture - Graves, Pitted Ware culture - Language, Pitted Ware culture - Bibliography

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Snorri Sturluson relates of a meeting between the peasants of Trøndelag and king Haakon I of Norway, a meeting which ended in a religious feud centered around the blót. Haakon was raised at the Christian English court and had returned to claim the throne of his father Harald Fairhair (the unifier of Norway) and intended to Christianize the country. In spite of the fact that the peasants had elected Haakon king at the Ting they opposed his religious ideas. It was an old custom, that when there was to be sacrifice all the bon ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala, Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre, Denmark, Blót - Mære, Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

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Stave churches were once common in Northern Europe. In Norway alone a total of about 1000 churches are believed to have been built, although more recent research has adjusted this number upwards and it is now assumed to have been closer to 2000 [1]. The number of stave churches constructed in Sweden and the United Kingdom is unknown. Some believe they were the first type of church to be constructed in Scandinavia, however there existed an even older type called post churches, although the difference between the two is very small. A st ...

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Stave church, Stave church - Construction, Stave church - Single nave church Type A, Stave church - Church with a raised roof Type B, Stave church - History, Stave church - Architecture and decoration, Stave church - Dating of churches, Stave church - The old stave churches, Stave church - Later stave churches and replicas, Stave church - Archaeological sites and dismantled churches, Stave church - Footnote

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Main articles: Old Uppsala and Temple at Uppsala. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen has described how it was done at the Temple at Uppsala at Old Uppsala in Sweden, ca 1070: Thor was the most powerful god and ruled over thunder and lightning, wind and rain, sunshine and crops. He sat in the centre with a sceptre (Mjolnir) in his hand, and on each side were Odin, the god of war, in full armour and Frey, the god of peace and love, attributed with an enormous erected phallus. All the pagan gods have their priests w ...

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Blót, Blót - Rites and beliefs, Blót - Dates for the blóts, Blót - Locations, Blót - Uppsala, Sweden, Blót - Gotland, Blót - Lejre, Denmark, Blót - Mære, Norway, Blót - Elven blót, Blót - The Völse blót, Blót - Later times, Blót - Sources

Read more here: » Blót: Encyclopedia II - Blót - Uppsala, Sweden

The largest city, by population, is the capital Stockholm, to the east, the dominating city for culture and media, with a population of 765,000. The second largest city is Gothenburg, with 500,000, to the west. Third is Malmö in the south, with 250,000. The north is less populated than the southern and central parts, mostly because of its colder climate. The largest city is its only university city Umeå with 90,000 inhabitants. ...

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Geography of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Location, Geography of Sweden - Lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Historical lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Counties, Geography of Sweden - Cities, Geography of Sweden - Municipalities, Geography of Sweden - Area, Geography of Sweden - Land boundaries, Geography of Sweden - Maritime claims, Geography of Sweden - Elevation extremes, Geography of Sweden - Railways, Geography of Sweden - Natural resources, Geography of Sweden - Land use, Geography of Sweden - Natural hazards, Geography of Sweden - Environment

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Sweden had a municipality reform in the 1970's, whereby all cities were turned into municipalities. Currently there are 290 municipalities. The northern municipalities are often large by size, but low populated – the largest municipality is Kiruna with an area as large as the three southern districts in Sweden (Scania, Blekinge and Hallandia) combined, but it only has a population of 25,000, and its density is about 1 / km². ...

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Geography of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Location, Geography of Sweden - Lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Historical lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Counties, Geography of Sweden - Cities, Geography of Sweden - Municipalities, Geography of Sweden - Area, Geography of Sweden - Land boundaries, Geography of Sweden - Maritime claims, Geography of Sweden - Elevation extremes, Geography of Sweden - Railways, Geography of Sweden - Natural resources, Geography of Sweden - Land use, Geography of Sweden - Natural hazards, Geography of Sweden - Environment

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Main article: Counties of Sweden Sweden is divided into 21 counties or län. In each county there is a County Administrative Board or länsstyrelse which is appointed by the Government. In each county there is also a separate County Council or landsting, which is the municipal representation appointed by the county electorate. Each county further divides into a number of municipalities or kommuner, making a total of 290 municipalities, in 2004. There are also older historical divisions of the Swedish ...

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Geography of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Location, Geography of Sweden - Lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Historical lands of Sweden, Geography of Sweden - Counties, Geography of Sweden - Cities, Geography of Sweden - Municipalities, Geography of Sweden - Area, Geography of Sweden - Land boundaries, Geography of Sweden - Maritime claims, Geography of Sweden - Elevation extremes, Geography of Sweden - Railways, Geography of Sweden - Natural resources, Geography of Sweden - Land use, Geography of Sweden - Natural hazards, Geography of Sweden - Environment

Read more here: » Geography of Sweden: Encyclopedia II - Geography of Sweden - Counties