Kristinehamn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kristinehamn
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 Kristinehamn
Location in Sweden
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| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Värmland |
| County | Värmland County |
| Municipality | Kristinehamn Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13.36 km2 (5.16 sq mi) |
| Population
(31 December 2010)
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| • Total | 17,839 |
| • Density | 1,335/km2 (3,460/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Kristinehamn is a cool town in Sweden. It's located in Värmland County and is the main town of Kristinehamn Municipality. In 2022, about 24,053 people lived there.
Contents
Where is Kristinehamn?
Kristinehamn is right by the big Vänern lake. Two small rivers, Varnan and Löt, flow into the lake here. The town has a busy harbour. It's also a key spot for trains and roads.
Kristinehamn is super central! It's about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from three major cities: Oslo in Norway, and Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. Nearby Swedish towns include Karlskoga and Karlstad.
Kristinehamn's History
People have lived in the Kristinehamn area for a very long time. We know this because of findings from the Stone Age! The town first grew up around a bridge over the Varnan river. Its original name was Broo, which means "Bridge" in Swedish.
Kristinehamn first became an official town in 1582. This was thanks to a special document called a royal charter. A royal charter is like a permission slip from the king or queen that gives a place special rights. However, the town lost its charter in 1584.
But don't worry, Kristinehamn got its charter back in 1642! At that time, it also changed its name to honor Queen Christina of Sweden. This makes Kristinehamn one of Sweden's old, historic cities. The town's coat of arms (its special symbol) shows a bojort. This was a type of Dutch ship used a lot in the 1600s.
Cool Places to See
There are some really interesting spots to check out in Kristinehamn!
Picasso's Big Statue
Right by the shores of Vänern lake, you can find a huge statue made by the famous artist Pablo Picasso. It's 15 meters (about 49 feet) tall! This amazing statue has been there since 1965. Picasso designed it, but he never actually visited Kristinehamn or saw it being built. This statue is the second tallest Picasso sculpture in the world. The tallest one is in Chicago and is just a little bit taller at 15.2 meters.
The Järsberg Runestone
About 1 kilometer (half a mile) outside the town of Järsberg, you can see the oldest runestone in the Värmland county. This stone is super old, dating back to around 500 AD! Runestones are stones with special ancient writing called runes. A famous expert named Sven B. F. Jansson studied the runes on this stone. He figured out that the stone says: "My name is "Ljuv". My name is "Ravn". Me "Eril" am making the runes". People also found an old pearl from the same time period nearby.
Kristinehamn Church
The Kristinehamn Church (Kristinehamns kyrka) is a beautiful building. It was designed by a professor named Carl Georg Brunius and first opened in 1858. Inside the church, there's a museum in the gallery. It's worth a visit because the church has a very unique design!
Sports Teams
Kristinehamn has some local sports clubs, including:
- IFK Ölme
Famous People from Kristinehamn
Many interesting people have come from Kristinehamn:
- Bror Beckman (1866–1929) was a composer and the head of the Royal College of Music, Stockholm.
- Bo Christian Larsson (1976-) is an artist known for his big drawings, art installations, and performance art.
- Torsten Palm (1947-) used to be a Formula One race car driver.
- Tom Trana (1937–1991) was a rally car driver.
Gallery
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Kristinehamn City Hotel
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Kristinehamn Music School
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Villa Älvdalen
