Falsterbo
Encyclopedia
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in Vellinge Municipality
Vellinge Municipality
Vellinge Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Vellinge.The municipality is a result of the latest local government reform in Sweden...
in Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
. Falsterbo is situated in the southern part of the Falsterbo peninsula. It is part of Skanör med Falsterbo, one of Sweden's historical cities.
History
Falsterbo historically enjoyed trading privileges with the Hanseatic LeagueHanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. During the Middle Ages, it was a rich and prestigious town because it was located in a center of trade and herring fishery. On the beach between Falsterbo and neighboring town Skanör was the Scania Market
Scania Market
Scania Market was a major fish market for herring which took place annually in Scania during the Middle Ages. From around 1200, it became one of the most important events for trade around the Baltic Sea and made Scania into a major distribution center for West-European goods bound for eastern...
where merchants from various parts of Europe had fixed market places.
Scania Market was a major fish market which took place annually from around 1200. It became one of the more important events for trade within the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Scania Market continued to be an important trade center for 250 years and was a cornerstone of the Hanseatic League's wealth. The basis for the market's popularity was the rich herring fishing around the Falsterbo Peninsula. Scania Market declined in importance during the 1400s, as the herring harvest in the area decreased. The cities were politically merged into a single city, Skanör med Falsterbo.
Local attractions
Falsterbo is mostly known as a holiday destination where people go to spend their summer vacations. The beaches of Falsterbo are known for their white sand and family-friendly bathing opportunities. Falsterbo is also known for one of the better golf courses in Europe - Falsterbo Golf Club. Another attraction in Falsterbo is the annual International Horse Jumping Grand Prix (part of the Falsterbo Horse ShowFalsterbo Horse Show 2010
The 2010 Falsterbo Horse Show was the 2010 edition of the Falsterbo Horse Show, the Swedish official show jumping horse show. It was held as CSIO 5* and CDI 5*....
) every July.
Local landmarks include Falsterbo Lighthouse
Falsterbo Lighthouse
Falsterbo Lighthouse lies on the place of the oldest known beacon in Scandinavia. To the northeast of the lighthouse is the city of Skanör-Falsterbo, to the southeast of the lighthouse is some of the finest sandy beach in Sweden and surrounding the lighthouse is the golf course of the Falsterbo...
which lies on the site of the oldest known beacon in Scandinavia. Other sites of note include Falsterbo Bird Observatory, Falsterbo Museum and the historic Falsterbo Church.
Falsterbohus
Falsterbohus was the name of a number of historic castles dating from the mid-1200s. The building now known as Falsterbohus was built in 1908. There have been a number of archaeological sites where the original castles stood. The first was in the early 1900s by Georg Fredrik Johansson Karlin (1859-1939), founder of Kulturen, the Cultural Museum of Southern Sweden located in LundLund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
.
A second and more extensive excavation was conducted between 1934-35 by Ragnar Blomqvist. Most of the artifacts from the earlier investigation are located in the Cultural Museum in Lund and Falsterbo Cultural Museum. Most of the archaeological finds from the second excavations are in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...