Småland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Småland is a historical province (landskap) in southern Sweden.
Småland borders Blekinge, Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. Unlike most other Swedish provinces, Småland has never been united as one Swedish county. The name Småland literally means Small lands. Today, the province basically is divided into three counties.
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[edit] Counties
Provinces serve no administrative function in Sweden today; instead this is done by Counties of Sweden. The province is divided into the three counties Jönköping County, Kalmar County and Kronoberg County, which roughly cover the entire Småland province. Smaller areas of Småland also are situated in the counties of Halland County and Östergötland County. The province, distinguished by its geography and culture, is still commonly referred to as "Småland" by the common people.
[edit] Population
The population of Småland was 708,896, as of 2004, distributed over five counties as follows:
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Jönköping County, largely | 311,962 |
| Kalmar County, largely | 210,258 |
| Kronoberg County, entirely | 177,448 |
| Halland County, peripherally | 7,081 |
| Östergötland County, peripherally | 2,261 |
[edit] Geography
The geography is dominated by a forested high plain where the soil is mixed with sand and small boulders, making it barren in all except the coastal areas, and unsuited for agriculture except in certain locations, notably the Kalmar Plains. The province is rich in lakes and bogs. The coast consists of an archipelago of islands and bays in the north and cultivated flatlands in the south. In total, cultivated land covers 14%, meadows 7% and forest 50%. [1]
Largest towns are Jönköping in the north-west, Växjö in the south, and Kalmar on the east coast near Öland Island.
[edit] History
The area was likely populated in the Stone Age from the south, by people moving along the coast up to Kalmar. Most of Småland was part of the land of the Götar (Norse: Gautar. Old English: Geatas). Smaland was populated by Stone Age peoples by at least 6000 BC, since the Alby People are known to have crossed the ice bridge across the Kalmar Strait at that time.
The city of Kalmar is one of the oldest cities of Sweden, and was in the medieval age the third largest city in Sweden, when it was a center for export of iron, which, in many cases, was handled by German merchants.
Småland was the center of several peasant rebellions, the most successful of which was Dackefejden led by Nils Dacke in 1542-1543. When officials of king Gustav Vasa were assaulted and murdered, the king sent small expeditions to pacify the area, but all failed. Dacke was in reality the ruler of large parts of Småland during the winter, though heavily troubled by a blockade of supplies, before finally being defeated by larger forces attacking from both Västergötland and Östergötland. Dacke held a famous battle defence at the (now ruined) Kronoberg Castle, and was shot while trying to escape to then-Danish Blekinge.
In the 19th century, Småland was characterized by poverty, and had a substantial emigration to North America, which additionally hampered its development. The majority of emigrants ended up in Minnesota, with a geography resembling Sweden, combining arable land with forest and lakes.
[edit] Historical cities
Town with city status were: Eksjö (chartered around 1400), Gränna (1652), Huskvarna (1911), Jönköping (1284), Kalmar (approximately 1100), Ljungby (1936), Nybro (1932), Nässjö (1914), Oskarshamn (1856), Sävsjö (1947), Tranås (1919), Vetlanda (1920), Vimmerby (approximately 1400), Värnamo (1920), Västervik (approximately 1200), Växjö (1342)
[edit] Heraldry
For details, see: Heraldry of Småland
The current coat of arms was granted in 1569 and pictures a rampant red lion on a golden shield carrying a crossbow. The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Or a lion rampant Gules langued and armed Azure holding in front paws a Crossbow of the second bowed and stringed Sable with a bolt Argent."
[edit] Dukes
Swedish Princes have been given the nominal title Duke of Province since 1772. Dukes of Småland have been:
- Prince Carl Gustaf (1782-1783)
- Prince Lennart (from his birth in 1909 until his loss of succession rights in 1932)
[edit] National Parks
Ecclesiastically, most of the province encompasses the diocese of Växjö. Parts of northern Småland are in the diocese of Linköping.
[edit] Culture
The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, sw. Carl von Linné, (1707-1778), often called the father of taxonomy or "The flower-king", was born in Älmhult in Småland. He gave the Twinflower its Latin name based on his own (Latin: Linnea borealis, because of his particular fondness of it. The flower has become Småland's provincial flower.
Another notable person from Älmhult is Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the global concern IKEA. The name "Småland" is used as the name of the childrens play areas at some IKEA stores.
[edit] Literature
The Swedish emigration to North America in the 19th century is best depicted in the suite of novels by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg, which is also the basis for the musical "Kristina from Duvemåla" by ex-ABBA musicians/composers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
Children's book author Astrid Lindgren often portrayed scenes from her own childhood growing up on a farm in Småland, in her writing.
[edit] Smalandians
In the 20th century, Småland has been known for its high level of entrepreneurship and low unemployment, especially in the Gnosjöregion. Some suggest the harsh conditions has throughout history forced the inhabitants of the region to be cunning, inventive and cooperative.
This is how the Swedish encyclopedia Nordisk familjebok described the people:
- the Smalandian is by nature awake and smart, diligent and hard-working, yet compliant, cunning and crafty, which gives him the advantage of being able to move through life with little means. [2]
A running joke, or stereotype, in Sweden, is that of the Smalandian being very economical, or even cheap.
[edit] Tongue
The local tongue is a Swedish language dialect known as Småländska (Smalandian). This may in turn be separated in two main branches, with the northern related to the Götaland dialects and the southern to the Scanian dialects.
[edit] Sub-divisions
For details, see: Districts of Småland
[edit] Small lands
After the unification of Sweden, around 800-1200 AD, Småland was for consistency divided into chartered cities and into hundreds.
[edit] Hundreds
The historical sub-divisions of all Sweden's provinces were through hundreds. These were Småland's hundreds:
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ This figure is from Nordisk familjebok (see details and link below). A guess would be that meadows have decreased since.
- ^ Smålänningen är till sin natur vaken och intelligent, flitig och sträfsam, rask och hurtig, men likväl foglig till lynnet, händig och slug, hvilket allt medför åt honom den förmånen, att han äfven med små medel kan taga sig fram i lifvet. . p.62; source as above.
[edit] Reference
- article Småland from Nordisk Familjebok (1917). In Swedish.
[edit] External links
- Visit Småland - Official tourist site (Kronoberg and Jönköping counties)
- Eastern Småland and Öland - Official tourist site (Kalmar County)
- VisitSweden - Sweden´s official website for tourism and travel information (English)
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