Bohuslän ( Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbûːhʉːsˌlɛːn] ) is a Swedish province in Götaland , on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold , in Norway, to the north. In English it literally means Bohus County , although it shared counties with the city of Gothenburg prior to the 1998 county merger and thus was not an administrative unit in its own right.
41-695: Bohuslän is named after the medieval Norwegian castle of Bohus (Norwegian: Båhus ). Under the name Båhuslen (Bohuslen in Danish), it was a Norwegian county from the Norwegian conquest of the region from the Geats and subsequent unification of the country in the 870s until the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, when the union of Denmark–Norway was forced to cede this county, as well as Skåneland (part of Denmark proper), to Sweden. As of 31 December 2016,
82-505: A broader defensive policy. At the time Bohuslän ( Båhuslen ) was Norwegian territory and served as the main Norwegian defence against Sweden, along the coast as well as the strong point for the Bohuslän region from 1308 to 1658. According to architect Guthorm Kavli : By 1310, records show it was constructed, as normal for that period, out of granite and brick, perhaps under the guidance of Count Jacob of Halland . By 1450, it included
123-467: A considerable forest cover. Timber was once the largest export product and main source of income in Bohuslän. But with the increased importance of fishing, more wood was needed as construction material for houses and boats, and as fuel for herring oil boilers ( trankokerier ). Deforestation during the 19th century gave rise to today's rugged, rocky landscape. A version of the Götaland dialect of Swedish
164-413: A continuous surrounding wall, 3 metres thick at the base, with a height which varied from 8.5 to 13.5 metres, varying with the terrain. It was approximately rectangular, with four rectangular corner towers. At the eastern end there was a brick tower, and in the centre of the west side a gate house and drawbridge. Along the inside of the surrounding wall buildings were located which among other things included
205-546: A museum open to visitors during summer. 57°51′42″N 11°59′58″E / 57.86167°N 11.99944°E / 57.86167; 11.99944 Stad (Sweden) Stad (Swedish: ' town; city ' ; plural städer ) is a Swedish term that historically was used for urban centers of various sizes. Since 1971, stad has no administrative or legal significance in Sweden. The status of towns in Sweden
246-411: A number of mines was exploded under the outer walls. After six weeks of constant battering, the fortress was saved by an approaching Swedish detachment. At this time, there was 400 survivors in the fortress, 300 dead, and 120 wounded "who had their arms and legs shot off". The fortress itself was almost completely ruined and the repairs went on for some 50–70 years, but with small financial support and only
287-702: A ring and a gold chain worth 3,000 Danish dalers . Gyldenstierne gave James a firearm and a sword. In 1593–1604, similar to the construction then undertaken at Akershus in Oslo , Bohus was upgraded to a bastion fortress. A new outer fortification was raised. This construction was one of the early works of Hans van Steenwinckel , also from the Netherlands, who later became noted for his Dutch Renaissance style design in Denmark. As Swedish invasions continuously threatened Norwegian Båhuslen during this time period,
328-537: A site in the UNESCO World heritage program. Rock carvings can be found scattered throughout Bohuslän. The carvings portray the life of an agricultural society with images of daily life, with human figures, religious rituals, ships, circular objects, soles, animals, and fertility figures (e.g. phalluses ); and the creation of shallow bowls. Hundreds of Sweden were sub-divisions of the Swedish provinces until
369-405: A total land area of 4,500 square kilometres (1,700 sq mi) only 177 square kilometres (68 sq mi) is freshwater. Although lakes are common, they tend to be small in size. The largest lakes are the northern and southern Bullaren lakes, with a combined area of about 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi). Most of the coast is made up by Bohus granite formed in the aftermath of
410-521: A variation for the arms of the county was introduced. The coat of arms is surmounted by a ducal coronet. Blazon: 'Argent, a Castle embattled Gules with one embattled Tower of the same and two doors Or hinged Sable between a Sword point upwards and Lion rampant holding the Tower both Azure langued and armed Or." The geography is distinguished by the rocky coast, bordering an archipelago : there are about 3,000 islands and 5,000 islets ( skerries ). These make up
451-480: Is spoken in Bohuslän. The province was a part of Norway until 1658 as mentioned above. Traces of Norwegian remain in the dialect. 'Bohuslän', literally means the 'Fief of Bohus', referring to Bohus Fortress and län . The Nordic Bronze Age (c. 1700–500 BCE) produced rock art showing scenes from the daily life and religious rituals, such as the examples found in Bohuslän. The rock art at Tanum , possibly made earlier, c. 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, have been entered as
SECTION 10
#1732801599571492-400: Is the seat of Gotland Municipality , but is no political entity of its own. Some former towns have also grown together, forming one urban area. A few municipalities which used to be towns still style themselves as stad , e.g. Stockholm , Gothenburg and Malmö . There are also municipalities with considerable rural areas that market themselves with the term. Statistics Sweden defines
533-480: The Late Middle Ages , c. 1450 , Sweden (excluding Finland ) had 41 chartered towns. By 1680 there were 83. The only town founded and chartered during the 18th century was Östersund (1786). In 1863 the first local government acts were implemented in Sweden. Of the around 2,500 municipalities that were created, 88 were chartered towns. The main difference between these and other municipalities
574-537: The Sveconorwegian orogeny . In detail these granites have been eroded as to contain abundant small rock basins, some of them filled with clay and silt of combined glacial and marine origin. The coast of Bohuslän is a joint valley landscape . Studies of denudation chronology suggest Bohuslän lies at the westernmost reaches of the Sub-Cambrian peneplain ; however, there is some uncerntainty on whether
615-427: The 'Kings hall', the castle commander's residence, the chapel, the guardroom, the barracks and the kitchen. The fortress had secure vaulted positions, partly cut into the mountain, and beyond that strong outer-works. At the time Båhus was Norway's strongest fortress. The approaches were very difficult and the area to be defended was small, only 250 x 150 metres, so it did not require a large defensive force. The fortress
656-552: The Viken area properly. The earliest proof of Båhus lands being in Norway's hands is from the 11th century. As long as Norway was a kingdom of its own, the province prospered, and Båhus castle was one of the key fortresses of the kingdom. When Norway was united with Denmark , the province began its decline in wealth; the area was frequently attacked by Swedish forces as part of the larger border skirmishes. The Norwegian fortress, Båhus ,
697-448: The administration uniform all over Sweden. The amalgamations of municipalities reduced the number of local government units from a maximum of 2,532 in 1930 to less than 300 today. Consequently, by 1970 most municipalities contained both rural and urban areas. Since the urban and rural municipalities also with time got the same duties towards citizens, it became unnecessary to differentiate between towns and other municipalities, as all had
738-518: The attack. As a reward the family of one of the volunteers received a piece of land which is still owned by his descendants. The Norwegians rebuilt the fortress of stone and brick, and reinforced it substantially. The reconstruction immediately after the war was directed by Hans Paaske (Påske) from the Netherlands . On 1 January 1590 James VI of Scotland and his wife Anne of Denmark came to Bohus. They gave Henrik Gyldenstierne, Captain of Bohus,
779-467: The city Gothenburg . In 1998, some Swedish counties were merged to reduce administration costs, and Gothenburg and Bohus County were therefore merged into the new, much larger Västra Götaland County . Bohuslän was granted its arms at the time of the funeral for Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1660. It was identical to the arms of the Town of Kungälv . In 1962 the higher claim of the town was established and
820-432: The delinquent has to walk and sleep. The floor accepts all their faeces, but then returns an unbearable stench, that soon makes the poor prisoner confess whatever crime he has committed". In those days, you were only put in prison until you confessed - then you got your immediate punishment: fine, shame, dismembering or death. Today the floor is more forgiving, but it still gives you a hint on what it might have been to sit "in
861-567: The discretion of the Riksdag or the monarch , but they could include a permanent town council hall and a prison. In the majority of cases, before a town received its charter, it would have previously been given the status of köping or "merchant town". Exceptions to this would be when a town was founded under Royal supervision, in which case it would often bear the name of the monarch, such as Kristianstad or Karlskrona (named after kings Christian IV of Denmark and Karl XI of Sweden ). In
SECTION 20
#1732801599571902-588: The early 20th century. Bohuslän's hundreds were: Despite the non-administrative status of Bohuslän, some historical functions still remain with football being administered by Bohusläns Fotbollförbund . People from Bohuslän are known as bohusläningar . Bohus f%C3%A4stning Bohus Fortress lies in Kungälv , Bohuslän , Sweden , north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches (20 km (12 mi) north of Gothenburg ). It commands
943-537: The examples found throughout Bohuslän. During the Migration Period (300–700 CE) and the Viking Age (700–1000 CE), the area was part of Viken , and was actually known as two entities: Rånrike in the north and Elfsyssel in the south. It has been claimed that King Harald Fairhair made it part of the unified Norway in about 872, but contemporary sources give rise to doubt that Harald actually ever held
984-426: The fortress was used as a prison. The most noted prisoner was the radical pietist Thomas Leopold , who spent 42 years of his life behind bars, 32 of those at Bohus, for his alleged heresies. His stone-clad cell still exists in the castle. In the tower Fars Hatt, the original dungeon is still visible from above. A report from the 18th century states this as "a great depth, which has a floor of an iron net, upon which
1025-574: The highest point is Björnepiken at 222 meters. Sweden's only threshold fjord, Gullmarn or Gullmarsfjorden , is located near Lysekil . It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) long and 1 to 3 kilometres (0.62 to 1.86 mi) wide with a maximum depth of 118.5 metres (389 ft). The fjord is home to unique marine life. Bohuslän's coastline was ranked 7th among the world's last great wilderness areas by CNN Travel . Unlike other parts of Sweden, there are relatively few lakes or streams in Bohuslän: out of
1066-564: The hilltops are remnants of the peneplain . Rather than Sub-cambrian most of the province is made up of a relief unit known as the Sub-Mesozoic hilly peneplain . Bohuslän's chartered cities are: Their central areas are now non-administrative urban areas . In addition there are several other notable settlements: During the 2nd millennium BC E, the Nordic Bronze Age began (c. 1700–500 BCE), including rock art such as
1107-567: The improvement of the fortifications went on for years. For example, starting in the summer of 1651 and until the autumn of 1652, the Dutch engineer Isaac van Geelkerck supervised the construction of two corner towers along the south façade and a new ring wall that was constructed around the arsenal building. Under the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, Denmark–Norway ceded the Danish provinces of Scania , Blekinge and Halland (the latter
1148-551: The most important work was done. After Denmark–Norway ceded the territory which included Bohus Fortress, Fredriksten Fortress was constructed in Fredrikshald on the newly established Norwegian-Swedish border. Since the Bohus Fortress no longer lay on the border, it was of small use to Sweden, which relied on the existing New Älvsborg at Gothenburg and the new Carlsten Fortress built at Marstrand . Instead
1189-468: The northern part of the Gothenburg archipelago , Sweden's second largest after Stockholm archipelago . In old days, the seascape was renowned for its many reefs and sunken rocks which caused many shipwrecks. Two of the largest islands, Orust and Tjörn , constitute their own municipalities. Both islands have a distinctive culture and history. However, the rocky terrain cannot be said to be mountainous:
1230-400: The now unused fortress should be demolished. Demolition crews worked at the fortress for two months, after that the money allocated for the job had run out. Residents of the nearby town of Kungälv used the dressed stone from the fortress to build houses. However, much of the fortress is still intact, including the large northern tower, Fars hatt ("Father's hat"). As of 2015 , the fortress is
1271-421: The number of inhabitants was 299,087, giving a population density of 68 inhabitants per square kilometre (180/sq mi). The provinces of Sweden serve no administrative function. Instead, that function is served by the counties of Sweden . For centuries, the administrative county for Bohuslän was Gothenburg and Bohus County , and as its name implies it consisted of the entire Bohuslän province together with
Bohuslän - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-818: The same powers. Since 1 January 1971, all municipalities are designated as kommun , regardless of their former status. Most of the urban areas of Sweden which once were chartered towns are today still usually referred to as stad . The majority of them are also house the seat of their respective municipalities though the term is no longer an administrative term. In some municipalities there can be more than one former town, e.g. Eskilstuna and Torshälla in Eskilstuna Municipality , Kungälv and Marstrand in Kungälv Municipality , or Jönköping , Huskvarna and Gränna , which all three now are part of Jönköping Municipality . The town of Visby
1353-478: The surrounding area from a cliff 40 m (130 ft) high, with the river forming a natural moat around it. The fortress used to be situated along the old Norwegian – Swedish border. The construction of Bohus Fortress ( Norwegian : Båhus festning , Swedish : Bohus fästning ) began in 1308 under King Haakon V Magnuson , king of Norway from 1299 to 1319. Håkon V also initiated construction of Norwegian fortresses at Akershus and Vardøhus as part of
1394-498: The title of stad . Of the new towns chartered between 1901 and 1951 (44, making the total number of towns 133), not a single one was given its own jurisdiction, but remained under what was called landsrätt ("rural jurisdiction"). In the middle of the 20th century many administrative reforms were carried out that continued to diminish the difference between rural and urban areas. Police forces and district courts , as well as taxation, were centralized under state agencies, making
1435-413: The tower". In the tower of Sven Hall, an old medieval dungeon has also been discovered, but it is hardly visible today. Probably it was no better than the one mentioned above, since evidence suggest that it was along the sewer exit from the fortress. Today it can be reached only by professionals, and is not visible except from the small daylight opening. At the end of the 18th century, it was decided that
1476-831: Was agreed to belong to Sweden for a period of 30 years after the Peace of Brömsebro, but was given to Sweden permanently in the treaty of Roskilde) and the Norwegian provinces Trøndelag and Bohuslän (including the Bohus Fortress). After an unsuccessful attempt to recapture the fortress in 1676, a Norwegian army under the command of Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve returned in June 1678. Some 850 defenders faced 16.000 attackers, who fired 20-30.000 iron gun shots, 2265 "bombs" with chemical and biological content, 384 explosive grenades, 384 "great stone boulders", 161 glowing fire shots, 79 sacks filled with grenades and 600 "great mortar rounds". Also
1517-403: Was also a free port (porto Franco), with a free religious practice and, as such, home to the only synagogue in Sweden at the time. The commercial fishing of herring increased in the 18th century, and the province flourished during a major herring period around 1747–1809. Many small fishing communities grew up around the coast. Before the large scale fishing of herring started, Bohuslän had
1558-500: Was attacked or besieged 14 times, but was never captured. During the Northern Seven Years' War , in 1563–1570, it was seriously damaged. This occurred in 1566, when Swedish forces successfully stormed the 'Red Tower' in the northeast of the fortress. Two men from the garrison volunteered to detonate the tower's magazine, causing a massive explosion (the " Bohus Bang ") which killed hundreds of Swedish soldiers and thwarted
1599-581: Was built to protect this territory. Being a border zone towards the Swedish kingdom, and to a lesser extent against Danish lands in Halland, the Båhus region was disproportionately populated by soldier families. Båhuslen belonged to Denmark-Norway until it was ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The fortress of Carlsten was built in Marstrand during the 17th century. For a period, Marstrand
1640-501: Was formerly granted by a royal charter , comparable to the United Kingdom 's status of borough or burgh before the 1970s or city status today. Unless given such town privileges , a municipality could not call itself stad . To receive the privileges, there were several requirements a municipality needed to fulfill, like being of a certain size, and to have certain facilities. The criteria varied over time as they were at
1681-418: Was that a stad had its own jurisdiction , i.e. independent town courts. There were also laws on urban planning and building ( Byggnadstadgan 1874 ), fire prevention ( Brandstadgan 1874 ), public order ( Ordningsstadgan 1868 ) and public health ( Hälsovårdsstadgan 1874 ) which were compulsory applicable to towns. Prior to 1900, the two minor towns of Borgholm and Haparanda lost their courts, but retained