Oskarshamn
Oskarshamn | |
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UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Website | www |
Oskarshamn is a coastal
History
Etymology
Döderhultsvik was the original name before a town charter was granted in 1856. The name was then changed to Oscarshamn (meaning: Oscar's port) after the king Oscar I of Sweden.[2] The spelling has later changed to Oskarshamn.
Struggle for town charter
The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the
Recent history
Industrialisation began with the inauguration of the railway line to Nässjö. From then on, industries as well as the harbour began to expand. The biggest private employer for a long time was the Oskarshamn Shipyard, which at its height had almost 1500 employees. But in the 1970s, the Swedish shipbuilding industry suffered a large financial crisis and many shipyards closed down. In Oskarshamn, the shipyard went through a large downsizing which left many people unemployed.
However, at around the same time, two major industries were established in Oskarshamn. In 1966,
The oldest person in Sweden, Astrid Zachrison was born Åby in Fliseryd, just west of Oskarshamn. She died on her 113th birthday.
Economy
The shipyard founded in 1863 is still active, as well as commercial and passenger shipping. Three different ferry lines transport passengers to Gotland, Öland and Blå Jungfrun.
Between 1965-1985, a nuclear power facility was constructed outside Oskarshamn. Three BWR units were built, that today delivers about 10% of Sweden's electrical supply.[3] There is also a laboratory for research concerning long-time storage of spent nuclear fuel. The Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory is open to the public to visit.
The two top employers in Oskarshamn are Scania truck manufacturer and the OKG nuclear power plant. Other companies include
Sights
In the port of Oskarshamn there are tourist boats which take visitors to the island and national park Blå Jungfrun. There are also boats that cruise the coastal waters closer to Oskarshamn. Within the municipality there is the Oskarshamn archipelago which consists of over 5, 000 islands and small islets.
In the harbor area there are some restaurants, pubs and cafés. There are also viewpoints over the harbour. On the south side of the port there is a 72-metre (236 ft) wooden bench called Långa Soffan. It was built in 1867 and it is believed to be the longest of its kind in Europe. From the bench there is a panorama view over the harbor and the quite lively shipping activity going on there. There is a marina for private boats at the innermost of the harbor.[4]
Another panorama-view of Oskarshamn and the sea outside is obtained from the top of the town’s northern water-tower which is open to the public.
The older part of Oskarshamn is preserved fairly well. In one particular part of town there are older wooden houses originating from the 19th century. The area is called Besväret and Fnyket.
Oskarshamns Stadspark is a public park located immediately south of the towns central parts.
Fredriksbergs Herrgård is a
Climate
Oskarshamn has an oceanic climate (Cfb), mild for its latitude, with winter means slightly below freezing and summer days among the warmest in Sweden and Scandinavia. Precipitation is light to moderate, typical of Southeastern Sweden.
Climate data for Oskarshamn (2002–2021 averages, extremes since 1961) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
16.1 (61.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
30.1 (86.2) |
33.2 (91.8) |
34.3 (93.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
28.9 (84.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
34.3 (93.7) |
Mean maximum °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
20.7 (69.3) |
25.1 (77.2) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.2 (84.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
24.7 (76.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
8.7 (47.7) |
30.7 (87.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.2 (45.0) |
12.6 (54.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
22.6 (72.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
6.9 (44.4) |
3.4 (38.1) |
12.6 (54.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
2.6 (36.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
11.3 (52.3) |
15.2 (59.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.7 (56.7) |
8.1 (46.6) |
4.1 (39.4) |
0.8 (33.4) |
8.0 (46.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
12.5 (54.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
4.1 (39.4) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
3.6 (38.4) |
Mean minimum °C (°F) | −14.0 (6.8) |
−13.6 (7.5) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.4 (38.1) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | −25.4 (−13.7) |
−34.6 (−30.3) |
−24.9 (−12.8) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
3.1 (37.6) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−24.3 (−11.7) |
−26.0 (−14.8) |
−34.6 (−30.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.5 (1.75) |
34.5 (1.36) |
29.5 (1.16) |
23.5 (0.93) |
44.8 (1.76) |
60.6 (2.39) |
75.4 (2.97) |
58.1 (2.29) |
33.2 (1.31) |
62.6 (2.46) |
61.6 (2.43) |
49.0 (1.93) |
577.3 (22.74) |
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 20 (7.9) |
22 (8.7) |
15 (5.9) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
6 (2.4) |
10 (3.9) |
30 (12) |
Source 1: SMHI Open Data for Oskarshamn, precipitation[6] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: SMHI Open Data for Oskarshamn, temperature[7] |
Culture
Oskarshamn was the home of the famous woodcarver Axel Petersson Döderhultarn. His studio, as well as the Döderhultarn Museum, contains more than 200 of his carvings. There is also a maritime museum in Oskarshamn.
At the release of
Each summer there is a music festival located to the harbor area. The festival, named Latitud 57 and connected to the other international Latitude music festivals, is taking place simultaneously as the annual Oskarshamn Offshore Race which is a popular competition for powerboats. The world championship in Offshore was held here in 2011.
Education
There are four main elementary schools in Oskarshamn, Norra skolan, Vallhallaskolan, Rödsleskolan and Kristinebergskolan. There are also two high schools, Oscarsgymnasiet (the main high school) and Elajogymnsiet (specializing in electricity).
Transport
The rail traffic is today limited to a few passenger trains a day to and from Nässjö and freight trains to and from the harbour. There is also a ferry line between the town and Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland. Oskarshamn also has its own airport, situated some 11 kilometres (7 miles) to the north of the city centre. The connection with Stockholm-Arlanda was closed down on 17 April 2014. In May 2014 there was a decision by the municipality to close down the airport totally. The nearest other airport is Kalmar Airport, 75 kilometres (47 mi) from Oskarshamn. The airport is still used for some general aviation.
Sports
IK Oskarshamn is the name of the local ice hockey team. The team has played in the highest hockey-league in Sweden, the Swedish Hockey League, since 2019.[9]
During 5th to 10 July 2011, Oskarshamn hosted the world championship in offshore powerboat racing.[10]
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Oskarshamn is
- Pärnu, Estonia[11]
- Port Shepstone, South Africa[11]
- Korsholm, Finland[11]
- Mandal, Norway[11]
- Middelfart, Denmark[11]
Gallery
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Building from 1901 at square Lilla torget.
-
Islet named Badholmen. Ferry M/S Visby in the background.
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Bank building at square Lilla torget.
-
Oskarshamn harbour in 1930.
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Older parts of Oskarshamn; Besväret och Fnyket.
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Churchtower.
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Barbershop at Trädgårdsgatan.
-
Oskarshamn.
See also
- Oskarshamn Maritime Museum
- Oskarshamns Stadspark
- Oskarshamn archipelago
- Döderhultarn Museum
- Blå Jungfrun
- IK Oskarshamn hockey team
References
- ^ a b c "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Hofrén, Manne. Oskarshamn 1856-1956: historik. (Oskarshamn, 1956), (Swedish)
- ^ OKG company information
- ^ "Oskarshamns Marina". Promarina (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
- ^ "Fredriksberg Manor House". Visit Småland. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
- ^ "Open Data for Oskarshamn" (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Open Data for Oskarshamn" (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Simpsons bor i Oskarshamn - Sverige - Sydsvenskan - Nyheter dygnet runt". Archived from the original on 2007-08-10.
- ^ "Historien om Ishockeyklubben Oskarshamn". IK Oskarshamn (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
- ^ "Oskarshamns Motorb tklubb". Archived from the original on 2007-07-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Lindquist, Ted. "Internationella frågor och vänorter". Oskarshamn Municipality (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
External links
- Oskarshamn.com - Webpage with information about Oskarshamn