Torsby Municipality Facts for Kids

Torsby Municipality (which is called Torsby kommun in Swedish) is a special area in Värmland County, located in west-central Sweden. It shares a border with Norway. The main town and administrative center of this municipality is Torsby.

The name Torsby has an interesting meaning: it comes from the name of the Norse god Thor, so it means "Thor's village."

This municipality wasn't always one big area. Back in 1863, it was made up of eight smaller local areas. These included places like Dalby, Fryksände, Lekvattnet, and Östmark. Over time, these smaller areas joined together. In 1952, they formed four larger groups, and by 1974, they all became one united municipality, which is what we see today.

You'll find a lot of Finnish history and culture in Torsby Municipality because many people with Finnish roots live there.

Towns and Villages in Torsby
How to Travel in Torsby
Sports and Fun in Torsby
People and Population
Images for kids
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Towns and Villages in Torsby

Torsby, the main town in the municipality.

Here are some of the main towns and villages you can find in Torsby Municipality:

Ambjörby
Oleby
Östmark
Stöllet
Sysslebäck
Torsby (This is the main town and where the local government is located.)

How to Travel in Torsby

Getting around Torsby is quite easy! The town of Torsby is the last stop on a train line that starts in Karlstad and passes through Kil.

If you want to fly, there's a small airport in Torsby with flights to Stockholm. For bigger international flights, the closest airport is Gardermoen in Norway.

A very long road called E45 also goes through the municipality. It's about 1,690 kilometers (about 1,050 miles) long!

Sports and Fun in Torsby

Torsby Municipality is a great place for sports, especially winter sports!

Some famous sports figures have connections to Torsby, like football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson and football player Marcus Berg.

The municipality has several places where you can go skiing:

For downhill skiing (called alpine skiing), you can visit Hovfjället and Branäs.
For cross-country skiing, Mattila and Långberget are popular spots.

A very special place for cross-country skiing is the ski tunnel. It's the longest ski tunnel in the world and opened on June 16, 2006. This means you can go cross-country skiing indoors, even when there's no snow outside!

There's also a special high school called Stjerneskolan. It's known for its excellent programs in cross-country skiing and biathlon (a sport that combines skiing and shooting). A very famous former student is Gunde Svan, a legendary cross-country skier. Another well-known biathlete, Carl Johan Bergman, also studied there for a year.

People and Population

Torsby Municipality is home to over 11,000 people. The population is made up of many different backgrounds, and as mentioned earlier, there's a strong Finnish heritage in the area.