Karlskoga

For other uses, see Karlskoga (disambiguation).
Karlskoga
Locality
Björkborn Manor
Karlskoga Church
Karlskoga Hundred Savings Bank
Circus Kiosk
Karlskoga Art Gallery
Nickname: 
Alfred Nobel's Karlskoga
Karlskoga is located in Örebro
Karlskoga
Karlskoga
Karlskoga is located in Sweden
Karlskoga
Karlskoga
Coordinates: 59°20′N 14°31′E / 59.333°N 14.517°E / 59.333; 14.517
Country Sweden
ProvinceVärmland
CountyÖrebro County
MunicipalityKarlskoga Municipality
Named forCharles IX of Sweden
Government
 • Chairman of the municipal boardTony Ring (M)
Area
[1]
 • Total27.33 km2 (10.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total27,562
 • Density991/km2 (2,570/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websitehttp://www.karlskoga.se

Karlskoga (Swedish pronunciation: [kaɭˈskûːɡa] ⓘ)[2] is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality, Sweden. Located within Örebro County, 45 km (28 mi) west of Örebro,[3] and 10 km (6 mi) north of Degerfors. With a 2020 population of 27,386 distributed over 10.55 square miles (27.33 km2), Karlskoga is the second-largest city in both Örebro County and the historical province of Värmland.

Karlskoga straddles the northern shore of Lake Möckeln.[4][5] Among the city's main topographical features are the two rivers, Timsälven and Svartälven. Other features include an esker, Rävåsen, designated as a nature reserve, and contiguous with the city center.[6]

The broader Karlskoga area distinguishes itself from its surrounding regions, e.g. the Närke Plain, with its abundant woodlands and hills, which made it better suited for activities beyond agriculture, such as the ironwork industry.

Karlskoga evolved around the arms manufacturer Bofors, and by 1970, it counted almost 10,000 employees.[7] The many jobs in the arms industry during the 1900s multiplied Karlskoga's population. Today, Karlskoga is still a thriving center of the arms industry, but its economy is more diverse than during the peak-Bofors era.

Karlskoga is home to the Björkborn Manor, on the property of the Björkborn Works, where Alfred Nobel lived. His residency there is the reason his will was adjudicated in Karlskoga at Karlshall, establishing the Nobel Prize.[8] Other landmarks include the Nobel Laboratory, the Karlskoga Church, Mässen, and the Bofors Hotel.

  1. ^ a b "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  2. ^ Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979). Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter (in Swedish). p. 13.
  3. ^ "Karlskoga". www.informationsverige.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  4. ^ Valeur, Bent. "Karlskoga". lex.dk (in Danish). Den Store Danske. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Karlskoga". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Rävåsen – Naturreservat". Karlskoga – Visit Värmland (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  7. ^ Fransson, Stig A (2001). "BOFORS – förändringsvindar i gammal tid och nutid" (PDF) (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 November 2022. Bofors är nu som störst och har nästan 10 000 anställda i Karlskoga.
  8. ^ Carlsson-Lénart, Mats (30 December 2015). "Alfred Nobels testamente - Nobels hästar det sista triumfkortet". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 September 2021.