Örebro is a city in the province of
Närke, in central Sweden. Örebro is the seat of
Örebro Municipality and the capital of Örebro County.
History
Örebro received its Royal Charter and city privileges not
later than 1404.
Örebro literally means a bridge over gravel banks,
which is how the geography looks, with the stream Svartån draining into
the lake Hjälmaren. The
location became a natural seat of commerce in the (Scandinavian)
medieval time, and is mentioned in print in the 13th century. Old
buildings from the early days include the foundations of the city
church, a building which has undergone several modifications. The
natural center of the city is otherwise the magnificent Örebro Castle, situated on an
islet in the Svartån, and dividing the town into a northern
and a southern part. This castle was constructed during the
stewardship of Birger Jarl during the early 13th century and then
modified and enlarged during the reign of King Gustav Vasa in the
1560s.
Notable events in Örebro's history include the national diet
meeting at Örebro in 1810, where Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was
elected crown prince of Sweden.
Although a trade town, Örebro remained small until the second
half of the 19th century, when it grew rapidly as a center of the
national shoe manufacturing
industry
Sites of interest
Örebro's old town Wadköping is
located on the banks of the Svartån. It contains many 18th
and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and
exhibitions.
The water tower of Örebro, named Svampen (The Mushroom),
is a popular destination as an outlook tower. In 1958, a replica of
the tower was built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Örebro University is one of
Sweden's most recent, being upgraded from högskola
(university college) in 1999. It currently has around 14,070
students and a staff of 1,100. Gustavsvik, the largest water
park in the Nordic countries, is located just a kilometer south of
central Örebro. With more than 700,000 visitors per year, it
is one of the most popular tourist and leisure establishments in
Sweden. In the summer the manor of Karlslund is a very popular place to
visit.