Kolmården
Encyclopedia
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
that separates the Swedish
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....
provinces
Provinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
of Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
and Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
, two of the country's main agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
areas, from each other.
History
In early medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
times it was seen as a major obstacle in land travel between the regions, and so 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...
was largely used instead. Together with the extensive forests of Tiveden
Tiveden
Tiveden is a Swedish forest, throughout history notorious for its wilderness and dangers; historically a hiding place for outlaws.Within it, the Tiveden National Park has a designated area of 13.5 km², a comparatively small and arguably the most inaccessible part of the forest...
and Tylöskog
Tylöskog
Tylöskog is a deep and extensive forest between the agricultural plains of the counties of Närke and Östergötland in southeast Sweden. Together with Tiveden to its west and Kolmården to its east, it famously constituted the wartorn frontier between the Swedes in Svealand and the Geats in Götaland...
to its west, Kolmården formed the crucial and wartorn frontier between Svealand
Svealand
Svealand , Swealand or Sweden proper is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, Tylöskog, Kolmården, separated Svealand from Götaland...
to the north and Götaland
Götaland
Götaland , Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gautland or Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises provinces...
to the south during the formation of the Swedish nation in the 13th century.
In the Icelandic text Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum
Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum
Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum is a fragmentary Icelandic text dealing with some legendary Swedish and Danish kings...
, Kolmården between Svealand and Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
is described as the border between Sweden and Östergötland (..Kolmerkr, er skilr Svíþjóð ok Eystra-Gautland). It also appears as Mirkwood
Myrkviðr
In Germanic mythology, Myrkviðr or, in anglicized form, Mirkwood, is the name of several forests....
in some editions of Sögubrot, in the legend of Helgi Hundingsbane
Helgi Hundingsbane
Helgi Hundingsbane is a hero in Norse sagas. Helgi appears in Volsunga saga and in two lays in the Poetic Edda named Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Helgakviða Hundingsbana II. The Poetic Edda relates that Helgi and his mistress Sigrún were Helgi Hjörvarðsson and Sváva of the Helgakviða...
and probably also in Völundarkviða
Völundarkviða
Völundarkviða is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda...
.
Today the forest is traversed by the Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
–Nyköping
Nyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
railway, the Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
–Katrineholm
Katrineholm
Katrineholm is a locality and the seat of Katrineholm Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 21,386 inhabitants in 2005.-Early history:The name Katrineholm comes from a ducal residence with this name, after Catherina Gyllenhorn who lived there...
railway, and the E4
European route E4
European route E 4 passes from north to south through Sweden from the border with Finland, total length . The Finnish part lies entirely within Tornio in northern Finland, and is actually only long...
highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
, all connecting southern Sweden with 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...
and the Mälaren
Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
region. Along the former there is also a Kolmården railway station, at the village of Krokek
Krokek
Krokek is a locality situated in Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 4,154 inhabitants in 2005....
by Bråviken
Bråviken
Bråviken is a bay of the Baltic sea that is located near Norrköping in Östergötland, Sweden....
.
Kolmården Wildlife Park
The Kolmården Wildlife Park, opened in 1965, overlooks BråvikenBråviken
Bråviken is a bay of the Baltic sea that is located near Norrköping in Östergötland, Sweden....
bay. This zoo includes the only dolphinarium in Sweden.
External links
- www.Kolmarden.nu partially in English - Where to eat & live when visiting Kolmarden - Independent free private site