Jönköping

Jönköping is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 people as of 2022. It is located on the shore of Vättern, Sweden's second largest lake, in the beautiful province of Småland. The city is important because it is the home of many key government offices.

Jönköping is the center of Jönköping Municipality, which has 144,699 people, and also of Jönköping County, which has 367,064 people. The city is where important courts are located, such as a district court and a court of appeal. It is also where two major national agencies have their offices: the Swedish National Courts Administration and the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

City government

The main building for Jönköping's local government is called the city hall, or rådhuset. This important building helps run the city and works with many different parts of the local government. While it depends on the local government, it also operates as its own group, so its leader is not the same as the leader of the whole municipality. The leader of Jönköping is called the kommunfullmäktige.

History

Jönköping is an old trading center located at a natural crossroads for routes following the rivers Nissan and Lagan, and the road connecting the provinces of Östergötland and Västergötland. This is because of the town's position at the southern end of lake Vättern, which divides the two provinces.

On 18 May 1284, Jönköping became the first City in Sweden to be granted its rights by king Magnus Ladulås, who ruled mostly from Vättern's largest island Visingsö. The city's name comes from a local creek called "Junebäcken" and the word "köping," which means a trading center or market place.

Because of its location, Jönköping was sometimes attacked from the south. The city was plundered and burned several times before it was fortified in later centuries.

Jönköping was also famous for its matchstick industry from 1845 to 1970. In 1831, the phosphorus match was invented, but it was dangerous because it could ignite too easily. In 1844, a Swedish professor created "Safety matches" that only lit when struck against a special surface on the matchbox. Two brothers, Johan Edvard and Carl Frans Lundström, improved this idea and made their safety matches in a factory in Jönköping. Today, the Match Museum is located in Jönköping's first match factory.

Present

The urban area of Jönköping now includes the town of Huskvarna, which has grown together with it.

Elmia, a big trade fair and exhibition center, is located in Jönköping. Elmia Wood is the world's largest forestry fair, and it holds some of the biggest fairs in Europe for subcontractors, trucks, caravans, and railways. Since 2001, Elmia has hosted DreamHack, the world's largest LAN party, with two events each year, Dreamhack Summer and Dreamhack Winter.

The city is an important center for logistics in the Nordic countries, with many companies' main warehouses (such as Elgiganten, IKEA, Electrolux, and Husqvarna) located there. Jönköping has one of the highest numbers of hotels and restaurants in Sweden.

In late 2019, Jönköping was considered the city with the best future prospects in Sweden by WSP.

Demography

Population

As of 2018, Jönköping had a total population of 139,222 people.

Population changes

Average age 2019

Notable people

Jönköping has been home to many famous people throughout history. Some well-known individuals from the city include Johan Björnsson Printz, who was a governor of the Swedish colony of New Sweden, and Carl Peter Thunberg, a botanist. Other notable figures are Viktor Rydberg, an author, and Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as the United Nations Secretary-General.

In music, Jönköping is known for being the home of Agnetha Fältskog, a member of the famous band ABBA, and Nina Persson, the lead singer of The Cardigans. The city has also produced other musicians and bands such as Amy Diamond and The Motorhomes.

The city has also seen many athletes achieve success, including Gunhild Larking, a high jumper, and Stefan Liv, an Olympic ice hockey player.

Education

Jönköping has several high schools, including Erik Dahlbergsgymnasiet, Per Brahegymnasiet, Sandagymnasiet, Thoren Business School, and LBS: High School of Creativity.

The city also offers tertiary education options such as the Jönköping University Foundation, Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola, and The Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education.

Climate

From 1961 to 1990, Jönköping had a climate with long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Recently, the climate has started to feel more like a very cold oceanic climate. The weather data might look a little different because the weather station is at a higher elevation than the city center, which could make temperatures seem a bit colder.

Sport

Jönköping has many sports teams. HV71 is a men's ice hockey team, and HV71 Dam is a women's ice hockey team. Jönköpings IK plays floorball, and Jönköpings Södra IF and Husqvarna FF both play football (soccer). IK Tord is another football (soccer) team, and Jönköping Bandy IF plays bandy. Jönköpings SS is a swimming club with champions in swimming and diving.

The city has also hosted big events, like the 1984 World Rowing Junior Championships, the 2019 European Universities Rowing Championships, and the 2011 League of Legends World Championship. Since 2016, Jönköping has held an ATP Challenger Tour event.

Churches

• Sofia Church
• Eastern Chapel
• Ekhagen Church
• Österängen Church
• Råslätt Church