Växjö

Växjö (Swedish IPA: [˘vɛkːɧøː]) (56°52′N 14°48′E) is a Swedish city in Småland in southern Sweden. It has close to 62,000 inhabitants. Today, Växjö is the seat of Växjö Municipality which is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County and of central Småland.

History

The city's name is believed to be constructed by the words "väg" (road) and "sjö" (lake), meaning the road over the frozen Växjö Lake that farmers took in the winter to get to the marketplace that later became the city.

Växjö received its city charter in 1342, but was an important market and commercial centre already at the pass of the first millennium. In the 12th century the construction of Växjö Cathedral was begun and hence Växjö grew to become an important religious centre in the Diocese of Växjö. The city arms displays Saint Sigfrid, a national saint, wearing the traditional Catholic outfit, and in his left hand holding a miniature of the Cathedral. Sigfrid allegedly lived and died in Växjö, and was buried in the cathedral at his death.

The religious significance led to the creation of other institutions such as Växjö Old Lyceum, one of Sweden's oldest educational institutions with Carolus Linnaeus, the father the biological classification , as one of its students.

Notable locations

Växjö University has 14.000 students (2004).

Industries include Alstom and Aerotech Telub. Växjö houses Sweden's National Glass Museum [1] and claims to be the capital of the "Kingdom of Crystal" [2] as well as of the "Kingdom of Furniture" [3].

The Swedish Emigrant Institute [4] was established in 1965 by the governor Gunnar Helén and resides since then in the House of Emigrants near the Växjö lake in the heart of the city. It contains archives, library, museum, and a research center relating to the emigration period between 1846 and 1930, when 1.3 million (or 20%) of the Swedish population emigrated, to USA mainly. Archives, dating to the 17th century, of birth and death records as well as household records are on microfiche.

Immediately north of Växjö is Kronoberg Castle, a ruined fortress constructed in the 15th century. This castle was used as base by rebel Nils Dacke during the Dacke War. The fortress has thick walls and an interesting array of artillery portals that face out onto the lake Helgasjön to the north.

The City Library is great.

Notable natives

• Karl-Birger Blomdahl, 20th century music composer
• Carolina Klüft, track and field athlete and Olympic gold medalist in Athens 2004
• Pär Lagerkvist, author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1951
• Otto Lindblad, 19th century music composer
• Christina Nilsson, 19th century soprano celebrity
• Mats Wilander, tennis player who won 7 Grand Slam titles from 1982-88
• Jonas Björkman, tennis player who won 9 doubles Grand Slam titles

External links

• - Official Site In Swedish, English, German and Japanese
• Template:Sv icon article Växjö in Nordisk familjebok