Jönköping facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jönköping
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Collage of Jönköping
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 Jönköping
Location in Jönköping
Jönköping
Location in Sweden
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| Country |  Sweden |
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| Province | Småland | |
| County | Jönköping County | |
| Municipality | Jönköping Municipality | |
| City status | 1284 | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 44.82 km2 (17.31 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 104 m (341 ft) | |
| Population
(31 May 2022)
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| • City | 112,766 | |
| • Density | 2,515.98/km2 (6,516.3/sq mi) | |
| • Metro | 144,699 | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | |
| Postal code |
555 xx
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| Area code(s) | (+46) 36 | |
| Vehicle registration | 1544 | |
| Climate | Dfb | |
Jönköping is a lively city in southern Sweden. It has over 112,000 people living there as of 2022. The city sits right on the southern shore of Vättern, which is Sweden's second-largest lake. Jönköping is part of the Småland province.
This city is very important for the area. It is the main city for both Jönköping Municipality (with over 144,000 people) and Jönköping County (with over 367,000 people). Jönköping is also home to important courts and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. In 2019, experts thought Jönköping had the best future chances in Sweden!
Contents
History of Jönköping
Jönköping has always been an important place for trading. It is located where several old routes meet. These routes followed rivers like Nissan and Lagan. There was also a main road connecting the provinces of Östergötland and Västergötland. This was because Jönköping is at the southern end of Lake Vättern, which separates these two provinces.
On May 18, 1284, Jönköping became the first city in Sweden to get its official city rights. This was granted by King Magnus Ladulås. He often ruled from Visingsö, the largest island in Lake Vättern. The first part of the city's name, "Jön", comes from a small stream called "Junebäcken". The second part, "köping", means a trading center or market place.
Because of its location, the city was often in danger. Attacks came mainly from the Danes through the river routes. At that time, parts of southern Sweden like Scania, Halland, and Blekinge belonged to Denmark. Jönköping was attacked and burned many times. So, in the 16th and 17th centuries, strong defenses were built around the city.
The Matchstick Industry
Jönköping was famous for its matchstick factories from 1845 to 1970. In 1831, the phosphorus match was invented. These matches were popular because you could strike them anywhere to light them. But they were dangerous because they caught fire too easily and were also poisonous.
In 1844, a Swedish professor named Gustaf Erik Pasch invented a new kind of match. He called them "Safety matches – Strike against the box only". To make them safer, he put the chemicals for the match head in two separate places. Some were on the match head itself, and the phosphorus was on a special surface on the outside of the box. This made them much safer.
Brothers Johan Edvard and Carl Frans Lundström took Pasch's idea and made it even better. They started making these new Safety matches in their factory in Jönköping. Today, you can visit the Match Museum in Jönköping. It is located in the very first match factory.
Jönköping Today
Today, the city of Jönköping has grown together with the nearby industrial town of Huskvarna.
Jönköping is home to Elmia, a very large center for trade fairs and exhibitions. Elmia Wood is the biggest forestry fair in the world! There are also huge fairs for things like trucks, caravans, and railways.
Since 2001, Elmia has also hosted DreamHack. This is the world's largest LAN party, where many people bring their computers to play games together. DreamHack happens twice a year, in summer and winter.
The city is also a major hub for logistics in the Nordic region. This means many big companies, like Elkjøp, IKEA, Electrolux, and Husqvarna, have their main warehouses here.
Population of Jönköping
The population of Jönköping has been growing steadily. In 2018, the total population was 139,222 people.
Famous People from Jönköping
Many interesting people have come from Jönköping!
- Johan Björnsson Printz (1592–1663) was a governor of the Swedish colony called New Sweden.
- Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828) was a famous botanist, someone who studies plants.
- Viktor Rydberg (1828–1895) was a well-known author.
- John Bauer (1882–1918) was a talented illustrator and painter.
- Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961) was a very important person. He used to be the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- David F. Sandberg (born 1981) is a film director.
Music Stars
Jönköping has also produced some great musicians!
- Agnetha Fältskog (born 1950) is a singer and songwriter. She was a member of the super-famous band ABBA.
- Nina Persson (born 1974) is the singer for the band The Cardigans.
- Amy Diamond (born 1992) is a popular singer.
Sports Heroes
Many athletes have roots in Jönköping.
- Göran Kropp (1966–2002) was a mountaineer, famous for climbing mountains.
- Anders Gustafsson (born 1979) and Sofia Paldanius (born 1979) are both Olympic kayakers.
- Stefan Liv (1980–2011) was a professional ice hockey goalie.
Education in Jönköping
Jönköping has many good schools for students of all ages.
High Schools
- Bäckadalsgymnasiet
- Erik Dahlbergsgymnasiet
- Per Brahegymnasiet
- Sandagymnasiet
- Thoren Business School
- LBS: High School of Creativity
Universities and Colleges
- Jönköping University Foundation
- Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola
- The Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education
Climate in Jönköping
Jönköping has a climate that is called "humid continental". This means it has long, cold winters and short, warm summers. The weather station is at the airport, which is higher up than the city center. This means the city itself might be a bit warmer than the official readings.
Sports in Jönköping
Jönköping is a city that loves sports! It has many teams and hosts exciting events.
- HV71 is a men's ice hockey team that plays in the top Swedish league, the SHL.
- HV71 Dam is the women's ice hockey team, playing in the SDHL.
- Jönköpings IK (JIK) is a floorball team that has played in the men's Swedish Super League.
- Jönköpings Södra IF is a football (soccer) team that plays in Superettan, Sweden's second-tier league.
- Jönköpings SS is a swimming club with champions in swimming and diving. They also have lifeguarding and synchronized swimming.
- Jönköping hosted the 1984 World Rowing Junior Championships.
- The city also hosted the 2011 World Championship for the popular video game, League of Legends.
Images for kids
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Panorama of central Jönköping
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Viktor Rydberg, 1877
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Agnetha Fältskog, 2013
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See also
In Spanish: Jönköping para niños
