Upplands Väsby Municipality
Encyclopedia
Upplands Väsby Municipality (Upplands Väsby kommun) is a municipality
in Stockholm County
in east central Sweden
, with a population of 38,963 (2010). Its seat is located in the town of Upplands Väsby
.
The municipality was created in connection with the municipal reform of 1952, when the rural municipalities Ed, Fresta and Hammarby were amalgamated. It got its name from a settlement which had evolved around the railway station.
The name Väsby can be attested (as Vesby) from the 13th century. The prefix
"Upplands" came to be used by the post station in 1919 as a means of separating it from other Väsbys in the country. The municipality was then named "Upplands-Väsby" for a time, but the dash has now been removed.
Upplands Väsby is located in between Stockholm
and the large airport
Arlanda, and the main line railroad goes through the municipality. It is now an important link to the new "Upptåget", enabling change between "Upptåget", a new train service going north to Arlanda, Uppsala
, and all the way to Gävle
, and Stockholm commuter rail
.
. The western part border to a creek of the lake Mälaren
(not visible on the map) , which also marks the border to the municipality Upplands-Bro
. There are also other water areas, such as streams and small lakes, in the municipality. One of them is the small river Väsbyån, flowing through Väsby, in which the uncommon fish asp
swims.
the municipality holds remains from the Stone Age
. Runestones and axes from the Bronze Age
have also been found. The number of rune inscriptions in the municipality amounts to 76.
When Väsby Centrum, a shopping centre that currently houses some 60 stores, was built in Väsby in 1972 the population grew markedly. The mall is currently undergoing a large increase; 20 new stores will have opened by spring 2007, bringing the mall's total up to 80 stores.
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....
, with a population of 38,963 (2010). Its seat is located in the town of Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby
Upplands Väsby is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Upplands Väsby Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 35,977 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:...
.
The municipality was created in connection with the municipal reform of 1952, when the rural municipalities Ed, Fresta and Hammarby were amalgamated. It got its name from a settlement which had evolved around the railway station.
The name Väsby can be attested (as Vesby) from the 13th century. The prefix
Prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the root of a word. Particularly in the study of languages,a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the words to which it is affixed.Examples of prefixes:...
"Upplands" came to be used by the post station in 1919 as a means of separating it from other Väsbys in the country. The municipality was then named "Upplands-Väsby" for a time, but the dash has now been removed.
Upplands Väsby is located in between 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 large airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
Arlanda, and the main line railroad goes through the municipality. It is now an important link to the new "Upptåget", enabling change between "Upptåget", a new train service going north to Arlanda, Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, and all the way to Gävle
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
, and 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...
.
Geography
The land is covered with good soil, forests, and moraineMoraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
. The western part border to a creek of the 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...
(not visible on the map) , which also marks the border to the municipality Upplands-Bro
Upplands-Bro Municipality
Upplands-Bro Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kungsängen....
. There are also other water areas, such as streams and small lakes, in the municipality. One of them is the small river Väsbyån, flowing through Väsby, in which the uncommon fish asp
Asp (fish)
The Asp is a European freshwater fish of the Cyprinid family. It is protected by the Bern Convention of endangered species and habitats . Asps are also on the IUCN Red List of endangered species....
swims.
History
Located in the province of UpplandUppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
the municipality holds remains from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. Runestones and axes from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
have also been found. The number of rune inscriptions in the municipality amounts to 76.
When Väsby Centrum, a shopping centre that currently houses some 60 stores, was built in Väsby in 1972 the population grew markedly. The mall is currently undergoing a large increase; 20 new stores will have opened by spring 2007, bringing the mall's total up to 80 stores.
External links
- Upplands Väsby Municipality - Official site
- Väsby Centrum (in SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
)