Upplands-Bro Municipality
Encyclopedia
Upplands-Bro Municipality (Upplands-Bro kommun) is a municipality
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...

 in Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...

 in east central Sweden
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....

. Its seat is located in the town of Kungsängen
Kungsängen
Kungsängen is a locality and the seat of Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 7,367 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...

.

The municipality was formed in 1952 through the amalgamation of five rural municipalities in Uppsala County
Uppsala County
Uppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...

. In 1971 it was transferred to Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...

.

Geography

Situated by Lake 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...

 it is distinguished by its nature. The overwhelming majority of the population are located to one of the three towns Kungsängen
Kungsängen
Kungsängen is a locality and the seat of Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 7,367 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...

 (pop. 7,500), Bro
Bro, Sweden
Bro is a locality situated in Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 6,359 inhabitants in 2005.It is situated 10 km north-west of the municipal seat Kungsängen. Since 2000 Bro has a station on the Stockholm commuter rail network....

 (6,200) and Brunna
Brunna
Brunna is a locality and a suburb of Metropolitan Stockholm situated in Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 3,861 inhabitants in 2005....

 (4,000), and most of the remaining area is taken up by countryside, a substantial part of it being agricultural.

Public transportation

The municipality is served by the Stockholm public transport system
Public transport in Stockholm
Public transport in Stockholm consists of bus, metro, regional/suburban rail, light rail, tram and archipelago boat operation in Stockholm County, Sweden. The bus and rail is organized by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik , SL, which is owned by the Stockholm County Council...

 operated by SL
SL
- Geography :* Saint Lucia, a Caribbean island* Sri Lanka, in South Asia* Sierra Leone, in West Africa- Computing :* SL , a class of computational complexity* .sl, the country code top-level domain for Sierra Leone...

. The municipal seat Kungsängen
Kungsängen
Kungsängen is a locality and the seat of Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 7,367 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...

 used to be the north-western terminus of the Stockholm commuter rail
Stockholm commuter rail
Stockholm Commuter Rail is the commuter rail system in Stockholm County, Sweden. The system is an important part of the public transport in Stockholm, and is controlled by Stockholm Transport; the trains are operated under contract by Stockholmståg...

 network, but in 2000 this line was extended to Bålsta
Bålsta
Bålsta is a locality and the seat of Håbo Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 13,430 inhabitants in 2005.Although not in Stockholm County it has the north-western terminus of the Stockholm suburban rail system. Many inhabitants commute to Stockholm. The travel time is 40 minutes by suburban...

 in Uppsala County
Uppsala County
Uppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...

 and a new station was built in Bro
Bro, Sweden
Bro is a locality situated in Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 6,359 inhabitants in 2005.It is situated 10 km north-west of the municipal seat Kungsängen. Since 2000 Bro has a station on the Stockholm commuter rail network....

. A new depot for commuter trains has recently been built in the municipality. There is also a bus network.

History

As apparent from its coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

, Upplands-Bro takes pride in its pre-historic history, and boasts some of the oldest ancient remains in Sweden. From the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

, about 4,000 burial places have been found, and the remains from the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...

 include 20 runestones.

Every one of the six parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

es also hosts a medieval
Middle 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...

 church, built between 1100-1400.

In the 15th century, the fortress Almarestäket
Almarestäket
Almarestäket, or Stäket, is a strait at the inlet of Lake Mälaren in mid-east Sweden. A fortress existed there between about 1370 and 1517, also named Almarestäket....

 was built in the municipality, just east to the present location of Kungsängen. It was the seat of the Swedish archbishop
Archbishop of Uppsala
The Archbishop of Uppsala has been the primate in Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church.- Historical overview :...

 until the Archbishop Gustav Trolle
Gustav Trolle
Gustav Eriksson Trolle was Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in two sessions, during the turbulent Reformation events.After returning from studies abroad, in Cologne and Rome, he was in 1513 elected vicar in Linköping. One year later he became Archbishop of Uppsala...

 besieged himself there in 1517, leading to the demolition of the fortress in 1519. The ruins can still be visited.

Since 1970, the main base of the combined cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

/infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment Livgardet is located in Upplands-Bro. The regiment trains conscript
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

 companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

 of mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....

, Royal Guards
Royal Guards (Sweden)
The Royal Guards , the Main Guard at the Stockholm Palace is carried out by units of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is the King of Sweden's guard of honour and is responsible for the protection of the Royal Family. The Royal Guard is normally divided in two parts, the main guard stationed at the...

 and military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...

. It is also the home of the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint).

External links

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