Östra Göinge Municipality Facts for Kids

Östra Göinge Municipality (pronounced "Oh-stra Yer-ing-eh") is a cool place in southern Sweden. It's a type of local government area called a municipality. The main town, or "seat," where the local government offices are, is Broby.

This municipality was created in 1974. It was formed by joining together four smaller areas: Broby, Glimåkra, Hjärsås, and Knislinge.

About 80% of the people in Östra Göinge live in 8 smaller towns or "urban areas." The rest of the population lives in the countryside.

Exploring Östra Göinge's Landscape
- Towns and Villages in Östra Göinge
A Look Back at Östra Göinge's Past
Understanding Östra Göinge's Population
Local Industries and Famous Stone
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Exploring Östra Göinge's Landscape

Östra Göinge Municipality is part of a larger area called Göinge. This region is in northern Scania, close to the provinces of Småland and Blekinge.

The area is very green, with lots of forests. You'll find both leafy trees (deciduous) and pine trees (coniferous) here. There are also open fields used for farming. The Helgeån river flows right through the municipality, adding to its natural beauty.

Towns and Villages in Östra Göinge

There are 8 main towns, also known as "urban areas" or Tätort, in Östra Göinge Municipality. These are listed below by how many people lived there in 2005. The main town, Broby, is shown in bold.

#	Locality	Population
1	Knislinge	3,016
2	Broby	2,931
3	Glimåkra	1,483
4	Sibbhult	1,383
5	Hanaskog	1,316
6	Immeln	291
7	Hjärsås	233
8	Östanå	221

A Look Back at Östra Göinge's Past

Östra Göinge has a fascinating history! In the 1600s, a group of brave resistance fighters called the Snapphane lived here. They hid in the thick forests of Östra Göinge.

The Swedish army saw them as rebels or bandits. But the local people protected the Snapphanar. Their courage is still remembered and honored in the municipality today. This area faced many challenges after the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. That's when Scania changed from being Danish to Swedish territory.

The way people spoke in Göingebygden was special. Their dialect was different from other parts of Scania and Småland. This might be because the people were proud of their history of being independent and strong.

The coat of arms for Östra Göinge tells a story too. It shows two palm branches crossing each other. This is a classic symbol of peace and togetherness. It was given to the area after it became part of Sweden. The bottom part of the coat of arms has hammers. These were added in 1976 when Östra Göinge joined with another municipality.

Understanding Östra Göinge's Population

Östra Göinge Municipality is home to about 14,920 people. This includes around 10,574 Swedish citizens who are old enough to vote.

In the 2022 Swedish general election, about 35.1% of voters supported the left-leaning political parties. Around 63.8% voted for the right-leaning parties. These numbers help us understand the political views of the people living here.

Local Industries and Famous Stone

Östra Göinge is known for a very special type of black stone called diabase. This stone is mined right here in the municipality. It's incredibly fine-grained and high-quality.

Because of its amazing quality, diabase from Östra Göinge is wanted all over the world. Artists, like Takashi Naraha from Japan, love to use it. This stone is mostly used for things like gravestones, monuments, and sculptures. It's also used to decorate buildings. For example, parts of the famous Empire State Building in New York are covered with diabase from this area. The foundation of the US Marine Corps War Memorial also uses diabase from Göingebygden.

Big companies like Scania AB (known for trucks and buses) and Tarkett (which makes flooring) also have operations in Östra Göinge.