Ödeshög Municipality
Encyclopedia
Ödeshög Municipality is a municipality
in Östergötland County
, Sweden
. The seat is situated in the small town of Ödeshög
.
The coat of arms was created in 1972 at the time the modern municipalities of Sweden
were created. It mainly represents the medieval monastery of Alvastra
: An abacy
staff, a rising moon (historically representing Virgin Mary), and a six-edged star (representing a higher deity
).
. There is a small boat port.
Two nature reserve
s are within municipal borders: Isberga with a distinguished steppe
meadow flora http://www5.e.lst.se/reservat/lst/reservat.asp?id=100&sprak=eng, and Kråkeryd located on rocks above Vättern at 60 meters altitude. Kråkeryd has a geology rich on lime
, and the uncultivated rocky terrain is the location for several unusual flowers and plants http://www5.e.lst.se/reservat/lst/reservat.asp?id=101&sprak=se.
s (also called a Tätort or locality) in Ödeshög Municipality.
In the table the localities are listed according to the size of the population as of December 31, 2005. The municipal seat is in bold characters.
. One of the world's most famous runestones, the Rök Runestone
, is also situated within the municipal borders.
There are also other ancient remains: the two hillforts Borgberget and Hjässaborgen. Both are open for visits although not much remains, and both somewhat difficult to access. The municipality also contains gravefields, etc.
Besides the monastery of Alvastra, there are seven other notable churches, several of which have a medieval foundation. Noteworthy are: Rök Church from 1845 (outside which the Rök Runestone
is standing), Stora Åby Church, from the 1750s, with several older artifacts (baptismal font
, triptych
); and Ödeshögs Church with a medieval foundation.
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
in Östergötland County
Östergötland County
Östergötland County is a county or län in southeastern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Västra Götaland to the west, Örebro to the northwest, Södermanland to the northeast, and the Baltic Sea to the east.Östergötland County has a population of...
, 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....
. The seat is situated in the small town of Ödeshög
Ödeshög
Ödeshög is a locality and the seat of Ödeshög Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 2,651 inhabitants in 2005.Ödeshög is also the birthplace of former Swedish professional football player Klas Ingesson. Ingesson is today the Chairman of the local team, .- References :...
.
The coat of arms was created in 1972 at the time the modern municipalities of Sweden
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
were created. It mainly represents the medieval monastery of Alvastra
Alvastra
Alvastra is a small village in Ödeshög Municipality in eastern Sweden. It is known for being the seat of the Cistercian Alvastra Abbey in the Middle Ages. After the Swedish Lutheran reformation in the 1530s, the monastery was demolished, never to be rebuilt....
: An abacy
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
staff, a rising moon (historically representing Virgin Mary), and a six-edged star (representing a higher deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
).
Nature
A large part of the municipality borders to lake VätternVättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
. There is a small boat port.
Two nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s are within municipal borders: Isberga with a distinguished steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
meadow flora http://www5.e.lst.se/reservat/lst/reservat.asp?id=100&sprak=eng, and Kråkeryd located on rocks above Vättern at 60 meters altitude. Kråkeryd has a geology rich on lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
, and the uncultivated rocky terrain is the location for several unusual flowers and plants http://www5.e.lst.se/reservat/lst/reservat.asp?id=101&sprak=se.
Localities
There are 2 urban areaUrban areas in Sweden
Urban area is a common English translation of the Swedish term tätort. The official term in English, used by Statistics Sweden, is, however, locality. There are 1,940 localities in Sweden . They could be compared with census-designated places in the United States.A tätort in Sweden has a minimum of...
s (also called a Tätort or locality) in Ödeshög Municipality.
In the table the localities are listed according to the size of the population as of December 31, 2005. The municipal seat is in bold characters.
| # | Locality | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ödeshög Ödeshög Ödeshög is a locality and the seat of Ödeshög Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 2,651 inhabitants in 2005.Ödeshög is also the birthplace of former Swedish professional football player Klas Ingesson. Ingesson is today the Chairman of the local team, .- References :... |
2,651 |
| 2 | Hästholmen Hästholmen Hästholmen is a locality situated in Ödeshög Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 372 inhabitants in 2005.- References :... |
372 |
Sights
Within the borders of the municipalities lies the monastery of AlvastraAlvastra
Alvastra is a small village in Ödeshög Municipality in eastern Sweden. It is known for being the seat of the Cistercian Alvastra Abbey in the Middle Ages. After the Swedish Lutheran reformation in the 1530s, the monastery was demolished, never to be rebuilt....
. One of the world's most famous runestones, the Rök Runestone
Rök Runestone
The Rök Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök , Östergötland, Sweden...
, is also situated within the municipal borders.
There are also other ancient remains: the two hillforts Borgberget and Hjässaborgen. Both are open for visits although not much remains, and both somewhat difficult to access. The municipality also contains gravefields, etc.
Besides the monastery of Alvastra, there are seven other notable churches, several of which have a medieval foundation. Noteworthy are: Rök Church from 1845 (outside which the Rök Runestone
Rök Runestone
The Rök Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök , Östergötland, Sweden...
is standing), Stora Åby Church, from the 1750s, with several older artifacts (baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
); and Ödeshögs Church with a medieval foundation.
Famous citizens
- Klas IngessonKlas IngessonKlas Ingesson is a former Swedish footballer. As a member of the national team he played in 57 games, including 1990 FIFA World Cup and 1994 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 1992 European Championship....
, former Sheffield Wednesday and PSV Eindhoven footballer - Helen Svensson FletreHelen Svensson FletreHelen Svensson Fletre was a Swedish-born, American author and journalist.-Background:Helen Svensson was a native of Ödeshög, Sweden. She was educated in Sweden and London. She earned a teacher's degree in London in 1931. She served as a governess in England and later as a teacher in Norway...
(1909–1987), American author and journalist
External links
- Ödeshög Municipality - Official site
- Welcome to Ödeshög - Official tourism page, Swedish/English/German