Uddevalla Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Uddevalla
Overlooking the centre of Uddevalla
Uddevalla Location in Västra Götaland Show map of Västra Götaland Uddevalla Location in Sweden Show map of Sweden
Country	Sweden
Province	Bohuslän
County	Västra Götaland County
Municipality	Uddevalla Municipality
Area
• Total	16.92 km² (6.53 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2015)
• Total	34 781
• Density	1,845/km² (4,780/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Uddevalla is a lively town located in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It is the main town of Uddevalla Municipality. In 2015, about 34,781 people lived there.

This town is special because it sits on a bay in the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are famous for being full of seashells. In fact, Uddevalla has one of the biggest shell-banks in the whole world!

Uddevalla also has an important port. It used to have a very large shipyard called Uddevallavarvet. This shipyard was the biggest employer in the region of Bohuslän during the 1960s. However, a tough economic time in the 1970s led to the shipyard closing in 1985.

Uddevalla's Rich History
- Uddevalla Today: The 21st Century
Learning in Uddevalla
Sports and Fun in Uddevalla
- Sports Arenas
- Local Sports Teams
Uddevalla's Sister Cities
Famous People from Uddevalla
See also

Uddevalla's Rich History

Uddevalla around 1700, from the book Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna

Uddevalla officially became a town with special town privileges in 1498. But people believe it was a busy place for trade long before that. In the past, Uddevalla was part of Norway. Its name today comes from the original Norwegian name Oddevald, which later changed to Oddevold.

Because of its location close to Sweden and Denmark, Uddevalla was often attacked. In 1612, Swedish troops burned it down. It was burned down again in 1644 by another Swedish commander. In 1658, Uddevalla became part of Sweden after a peace agreement called the treaty of Roskilde.

However, the Norwegians took the town back a year later. Then, in 1660, it was given back to Sweden in the peace treaty of Copenhagen. Norway tried to take Uddevalla and a nearby fortress many times after that, with the last attempt in 1788.

During the 1700s and 1800s, Uddevalla's main way to make money was by herring fishing. The town also had many big fires that caused a lot of damage. The worst fire was in 1806, when almost the entire town burned down. Only four houses were left, and 4,000 people lost their homes.

In the 1800s, Uddevalla faced tough times. The town struggled to recover after the big fire and because herring fishing decreased. Also, the opening of the Trollhätte Canal affected its trade.

Things started to get better for Uddevalla in the 1870s and 1880s. New industries began to arrive. A Scottish businessman named William Thorburn helped a lot with this. He was amazed by the town's beauty and moved there in 1822. He started many businesses, especially textile companies. Building a new railroad, the Bohus Line, also helped the town's economy grow stronger. A very important person in Uddevalla's history was Ture Malmgren, who published newspapers and was a forward-thinking politician.

Uddevalla was also one of the twelve Swedish towns that hosted matches during the 1958 FIFA World Cup. These games were played at the Rimnersvallen stadium.

Uddevalla Today: The 21st Century

After the Swedish shipyard problems in the 1980s, when the Uddevallavarvet closed, Uddevalla faced economic challenges. However, over the past thirty years, the town has recovered well. The number of people living in Uddevalla is now slowly but steadily increasing again.

Learning in Uddevalla

All the high schools in Uddevalla are managed as one big school. It's called Uddevalla Gymnasieskola, which means "Uddevalla High School". This is now the largest high school in Sweden! The school has 4,000 students who attend different branches:

Agneberg – Focuses on Social studies.
Sinclair (High school) – For students interested in The arts and Media studies.
Östrabo 1 – Specializes in Science studies.
Östrabo Y – Provides training for heavy industry jobs.
Margretegärde – Offers both Social studies and Science studies.

There are also many primary schools in Uddevalla for younger students. Some of them include:

Äsperödskolan
Västerskolan
Fridaskolan
Ramnerödsskolan
Norgårdenskolan
Norrskolan
Sommarhemsskolan

Sports and Fun in Uddevalla

Sports Arenas

Agnebergshallen is an indoor sports arena. It is used for many different sports, including handball.

The home ground for the IK Oddevold football team is the outdoor arena Rimnersvallen. Right next to Rimnersvallen is a large indoor arena called the Rimnershallen. This indoor arena is used for handball, floorball, and other sports.

Local Sports Teams

Uddevalla is home to many sports clubs. Here are some of them:

Football Clubs

IK Oddevold
IFK Uddevalla
IFK Lane
Herrestad AIF
IK Rössö
IK Svane
Rosseröds IK

Hockey Clubs

Uddevalla HC

Handball Clubs

GF Kroppskultur(GFK)
Uddevalla HK(UHK)

Floorball Clubs

Walkesborg 99
Herrestad AIF

Futsal Clubs

IFK Uddevalla Futsal – This team won the Swedish Championship in the 2016/2017 season!
IK Oddevold Futsal

Uddevalla's Sister Cities

Uddevalla has twin town or sister city relationships with several places around the world. This means they share cultural ties and friendly connections: