Motala Municipality facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Motala Municipality Motala kommun
Municipality
Motala Courthouse
Coat of arms
Country	Sweden
County	Östergötland County
Seat	Motala
Area
• Total	1,273.52 km2 (491.71 sq mi)
• Land	988.25 km2 (381.57 sq mi)
• Water	285.27 km2 (110.14 sq mi)
	Area as of January 1, 2010.
Population  (June 30, 2012)
• Total	41,956
• Density	32.9449/km2 (85.3269/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	SE
Province	Östergötland
Municipal code	0583
Website	www.motala.se
Density is calculated using land area only.

Motala Municipality (which in Swedish is Motala kommun) is a special area in Östergötland County in southeast Sweden. It's like a local government area. The main town, or "seat," of this municipality is Motala.

The municipality was first created in 1971. This happened when the old City of Motala joined with some nearby rural areas. A few years later, in 1974, even more places were added, including the former City of Vadstena. However, in 1980, a new Vadstena Municipality was formed and separated from Motala.

Motala is located in a very important spot. It's where Lake Vättern, one of Sweden's largest lakes, flows into the Motala ström river system. This river was super important for Sweden's huge industrial growth in the 1800s.

Cool Places to See and Museums

Motala Municipality has many interesting places to visit! Here are some of them:

• Charlottenborg Castle: A historic castle with a long past.
• Godegård manorhouse: A large, old country house that also has the Swedish Porcelain Museum. You can see beautiful porcelain here!
• Göta Canal: A famous canal with many locks that raise and lower boats. It's a great place to watch boats go by.
• Medevi: This is Sweden's oldest spa, built in the 1600s. People used to come here for health and relaxation.
• Motala Church: A beautiful church with interesting architecture.
• Motala Motor Museum: If you love cars and engines, this museum is for you! It shows the history of vehicles.
• The Museum of Motala Industrial History: Learn about how Motala became an important industrial center.
• Nubbekullen: This is the birthplace of a famous Swedish artist named August Malmström.
• The Swedish Broadcasting Museum: Discover the history of radio and broadcasting in Sweden. It has two tall radio towers!
• Ulvåsa: An old manor house. You can also see the medieval ruins of St Bridget's home nearby.
• Varamon beach: A popular sandy beach, perfect for swimming and relaxing by the water.
• Västra Stenby Church and rune stone: A historic church with an ancient rune stone, which is a stone with old carvings.
• Övralid: The home of the famous Swedish author Verner von Heidenstam.

Towns and Villages

Here are some of the main towns and villages in Motala Municipality, with their populations from the year 2000:

• Motala: 30,136 people (This is the main town and the seat of the municipality).
• Borensberg: 2,667 people.
• Tjällmo: 562 people.
• Fornåsa: 446 people.
• Nykyrka: 434 people.
• Fågelsta: 334 people.
• Österstad: 329 people.
• Klockrike: 275 people.
• Godegård: 200 people.

Between 1995 and 2000, the population in most of these places went down a little bit, by about 2%.

Jobs and Industries

The biggest employer in Motala Municipality is the municipality itself, which employs about 3,400 people. The local county council is the next largest, with about 1,775 employees.

Many private companies also provide jobs. Some of the larger ones include Electrolux and Dometic, which together employ about 1,400 people. Other companies like Autoliv, Hycop, Saab-Bofors Dynamics, and Motala Verkstad also employ many people in the area.

International Friends

Motala Municipality has "twin towns" or "sister cities" in other countries. This means they have a special friendship and often exchange visits and ideas.

• Daugavpils, Latvia
• Hyvinkää, Finland

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Motala para niños