Major Cities in Ångermanland/Medelpad

Härnösand

Photo: Lars Guvå The city, with about 30 000 inhabitants, has a long history of being the cultural and administrative centre of this part of Norrland. The oldest gymnasium was founded in 1650 and in 1664 the city became the residence of the bishop.

Härnösand has been a well-known marketplace since medieval times. In 1585 the Swedish king, Johan III, decided to build a city here and threatened to deport the tradesmen to Latvia if they did not settle here. In return he promised them the right to trade directly with Russia (and not via Stockholm). He did not keep this promise though. In 1723 the Russians destroyed the city but it was soon to rise again.

Parts of the city centre were pulled down during the 60's and replaced by modern shopping malls. Some part of the old city still remains next to the city centre in Östanbäcken.

Sundsvall

Photo: Lars G. Candell Sundsvall, with a population of about 100 000, became a town in 1616. The town privileges were given to the people living here. It was one way to control the market that was taking place here every year.
During Industrialisation Sundsvall became a centre for the sawmill industry.

A windy day in 1888 August O A Staff was burning tar in his back yard. A man came and asked him to sign a check. While signing the check the backyard took fire and soon the whole city were burning. The city was completely destroyed.

This resulted in a completely new town plan with stone houses in the centre. The result of this can be seen on Esplanaden, the main street of Sundsvall.

Today Sundsvall is a modern industrial town with a lot of cultural activities. The provincial theatre is situated here. Two mountains on each side of the city make up for a dramatic scenery. Each mountain has a sports centre.

Hotels in Sundsvall

Örnsköldsvik

Photo: Lars Guvå This is one of the most dynamic cities in northern Sweden. 60 000 inhabitants. The town is named after Per Anders Örnsköld, the governor between 1762-1769 for this part of Sweden. During the 19th century the city boomed, with the help of the expanding sawmill industry. The largest city in Ångermanland. The people here are known as entrepreneurs open for ideas and technical innovations. The city has more then 500 registered companies. The largest company is MoDo that produces paper and pulp. ABB also has a tool factory here.

Hotels in Örnsköldsvik

Other municipalities with homepages of their own:
Sollefteå (Hotels in Sollefteå )

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