Linköping facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linköping
Main street in Linköping city
Motto(s):  Linköping – where ideas come to life
Linköping Location in Östergötland Show map of Östergötland Linköping Location in Sweden Show map of Sweden
Country	Sweden
Province	Östergötland
County	Östergötland County
Municipality	Linköping Municipality
Founded	12th century
Area
• City	42.16 km2 (16.28 sq mi)
Elevation	45 m (148 ft)
Population  (31 December 2022)
• City	166,673
• Density	3,953.3/km2 (10,239.1/sq mi)
• Metro	158,841
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	58x xx
Area code(s)	(+46) 13

Linköping is a city in southern Sweden. About 167,000 people live there as of 2024. It is the main city of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County.

Linköping is also home to an important church leader, called a bishop, for the Diocese of Linköping. The city is famous for its beautiful cathedral. Linköping is a very old cultural area and celebrated its 700th birthday in 1987. The tall steeple of the cathedral can be seen from far away.

Today, Linköping is known for its university and its high-technology industries. The city wants to be very environmentally friendly. It plans to become a carbon-neutral community by 2025. Linköping is located on a flat area called the Östergötland Plain. It is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Norrköping, which is closer to the sea.

History of Linköping

The Linköping Cathedral seen from the east.

Linköping seen from the west in an old book.

Hunnebergsgatan: an old street with preserved older buildings.

The city's name might come from an old meeting place called the Lionga ting. This was a very important meeting in Östergötland during the Middle Ages. The word "-köping" in the name means there was a market there.

Linköping has a long history. It became an early diocese (an area managed by a bishop) around 1082. This was the second oldest diocese in Sweden. The first mention of the diocese was in 1104. A monastery called Vreta Kloster was built nearby in 1128. The oldest parts of the cathedral are also from the 12th century.

Important events happened in the cathedral. For example, King Valdemar Birgersson was crowned there in 1251. Later, during the time of King Gustavus Vasa, several important meetings of leaders were held in the town.

Because it was a religious center, Linköping also became a place for learning. A school connected to the cathedral started in 1266. In 1627, the current Linköping cathedral school was opened. This makes it the third oldest high school (called a gymnasium) in Sweden.

Linköping was also the site of a big disagreement between King Sigismund III Vasa and his uncle Duke Charles. Duke Charles won a battle near the main bridge in Linköping in 1598. This led to Charles becoming king.

Linköping was a small town for a long time. But in 1937, the Saab aircraft company started there. This made the city grow very quickly. Linköping University was created in the 1960s. Today, Linköping is a hub for high-technology and computer software companies.

Climate in Linköping

Linköping has a climate with four clear seasons. It has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. The weather is milder compared to other places at the same latitude because it's influenced by the sea.

In summer, the highest temperatures are usually around 20-25 degrees Celsius (68-77 degrees Fahrenheit). In winter, daytime temperatures are often just above freezing, dropping below freezing at night.

People of Linköping

In 2000, about 10.9% of the people in Linköping municipality had a background from another country. By 2019, this number grew to 23.1%. The five largest groups of people from other countries are:

• Iraq – 3,850 people
• Somalia – 2,345 people
• Eritrea – 1,129 people
• Iran – 988 people
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – 667 people

Culture and Fun in Linköping

The headquarters of a local energy company.

Linköping has many fun things to do for all ages. You can enjoy art, plays, history, concerts, markets, festivals, and sports events.

Some special places to visit are:

• The Berg locks on the Göta Canal, which is a famous waterway.
• Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping), which is like a living museum.
• The Flygvapen museum (the Air Force Museum).
• Linköping's domkyrka (the cathedral).
• The Castle and Cathedral Museum.
• The Östergötland County Museum.
• Konsthallen Passagen, an art gallery in the main square.

Tornby, north of the city center, is a big area with many shops.

The city also has lots of green spaces and nature. Two examples are Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society park) and the Tinnerö area with its oak trees. You can also explore lakes like Roxen and Rängen, and the Stångån River. You can walk, bike, or even take a boat in these areas.

Linköping is home to the Linköping Symphony Orchestra. It also hosts the Student Orchestra Festival every two years in May. A well-known choir is the Linköping University Male Voice Choir.

The city is also where the theatrical heavy metal band Ghost started.

The area around the main square was changed in the 1960s. Many old houses were moved to Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping). This area is now a popular living museum.

NärCon, the biggest anime and gaming convention in the Nordic countries, is held in Linköping.

A panorama view of Linköping, with Domkyrka church as the highest building of the whole city

Sports in Linköping

Linköping has strong teams in floorball, volleyball (Linköpings VC), and ice hockey (Linköpings HC). The hockey team also helped create Linköpings FC, a women's football (soccer) team that plays in the top league. They won the Swedish Cup in 2006 and 2014. The world's largest floorball club, Linköping Innebandy, is also here.

SAAB Arena (formerly Cloetta Center), the home stadium for the LHC hockey team.

Other sports clubs include:

• BK Derby
• Derby/Linköping BK
• BK Kenty
• LiU AIF FK
• Hjulsbro IK
• IK Östria Lambohov
• Karle IF
• Linköpings ASS
• Malmslätts AIK
• Linköpings SF
• Linköpings Budoklubb
• Ekängen IF

Orienteering

Linköping hosted the 1968 World Orienteering Championships. Orienteering is a sport where you use a map and compass to find your way.

Speedway

The city is also known for motorcycle speedway. A team called Filbyterna raced here from 1948 to 2010. The city's stadium, Sviestad Motorstadion, still hosts big events. It held the World Championship race, the Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden, several times.

Economy and Jobs

One of the biggest employers in Linköping is Saab. They make things like the SAAB Gripen fighter jet. The SAAB 340 airplane was also made here.

Linköping is also strong in information technology. Companies like IFS AB, Sectra AB, and Cambio Healthcare Systems AB have their main offices here. Other big tech companies like Motorola and Ericsson also have offices in Linköping.

Getting Around Linköping

The city is located south of Lake Roxen. This lake is part of important waterways like the Motala ström and the Göta Canal. The main highway in Sweden, the E4, crosses the Stångån River in Linköping.

Linköping is on the main railway line that connects Stockholm with Malmö and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Linköping/Saab Airport has daily flights to Amsterdam.

An autonomous bus experiment around Linköping University.

In 2019, Linköping started trying out two self-driving buses. These buses travel along a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) route near the university campus.

Education in Linköping

Linköping is home to Linköping University and its hospital, Linköping University Hospital. The Katedralskolan (Cathedral School) is the third oldest high school in Sweden.

Famous People from Linköping

City Areas

Here are some of the areas (districts) within Linköping:

See also

In Spanish: Linköping para niños