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Christopher Polhem

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Christopher Polhammar (18 December 1661 – 30 August 1751) better known as Christopher Polhem ( listen ), which he took after his ennoblement in 1716, was a Swedish scientist, inventor, and industrialist. He made significant contributions to the economic and industrial development of Sweden, particularly mining. He was ennobled by King Charles XII of Sweden for his contributions to Swedish technological development.

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100-579: Polhem (Polhammar) was born on the island of Gotland in the village of Tingstäde , north-east of Visby . Originally, the Polhem family came from Hungary , where they were established latest in the 14th century of possible Austrian descent. Polhem's father, Wolf Christoph Polhammer, born c.  1610 in Hungary to a baron, moved from Hungary to Swedish Pomerania because the Austrian catholics had

200-589: A marine climate ( Cfb ). This results in larger seasonal differences than typical of marine climates in spite of it being surrounded by the Baltic Sea for large distances in all directions. This is due to strong continental winds travelling over the sea from surrounding great landmasses. Seasonal temperature variation is smaller in more isolated places on the island such as Hoburgen or Östergarnsholm, having warmer autumn and winter, but are cooler during spring and summer days. Seasonal lag being exceptionally strong in

300-409: A century. In 1690 Polhem was appointed to improve upon the current mining operations of Sweden. His contribution was a construction for lifting and transporting ore from mines, a process that was rather risky and inefficient at the time. The construction consisted of a track system for lifting the ore, as opposed to wires; the construction was powered entirely by a water wheel . Human labor needed

400-473: A facility for the training of engineers, as well as a laboratory for testing and exhibiting his designs. It has since become the prestigious KTH Royal Institute of Technology , whose history began with Charles XI and his praise for Polhem for his mining efforts. His greatest achievement was an automated factory powered entirely by water; automation was very unusual at the time. Built in 1699 in Stjärnsund ,

500-553: A farmer from Gökhem parish in Västergötland on the mainland was found to be more closely related to modern-day Mediterraneans. This is consistent with the spread of agricultural peoples from the Middle East at about that time. Gutasaga contains legends of how the island was settled by Þieluar and populated by his descendants. It also tells that a third of the population had to emigrate and settle in southern Europe,

600-570: A full reorganisation of the institute in 1846–1848, after which he returned to his post in Falun. An entrance test and a minimum age of 16 for students was introduced, which led to creating proper engineering training at the institute. In 1851, the engineering program was extended from two years to three. In the late 1850s, the institute entered a time of expansion. In 1863, it received its own purpose-built buildings on Drottninggatan . In 1867, its regulations were again overhauled, to state explicitly that

700-628: A lot more attention military-wise and has seen a much larger spending on the military. As of 2018, the Gotland Regiment has been re-raised and is the first time since World War II that a new regiment has been established in Sweden. The first modern day tourists came to Gotland during the 19th century and were known as "bathers". Gotland became very popular with socialites at the time through Princess Eugenie who lived in Västerhejde , in

800-703: A military standpoint, it occupies a strategic location at the center of the Baltic Sea . The name of Gotland is closely related to that of the Geats and Goths . The island was the home of the Gutes , and sites such as the Ajvide Settlement show that it has been occupied since prehistory . A DNA study conducted on the 5,000-year-old skeletal remains of three Middle Neolithic seal hunters from Gotland showed that they were related to modern-day Finns , while

900-531: A naval base in the past, as of 2004 , there are no naval units based on Gotland. The Tofta firing range itself (also known as the Tofta Tank firing range), is a military training ground which is located 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Visby. Another less common name for the range is the Toftasjön firing range. Tracing its origins back to 1898, as of 2008 the range extended over 2,700 acres (11 km ). It

1000-536: A number of these grinding grooves to the Stone Age, from c.  3300 BC to c.  2000 BC , based on astronomical alignments, although his methodology has been heavily criticized. The Medieval town of Visby has been entered as a site of the UNESCO World heritage programme. An impressive feature of Visby is the fortress wall that surrounds the old city, dating from the 13th century. Many of

1100-465: A permanent fixed link to the main island. Residents are depending on an around the clock, free of charge, car ferry for transportation over a strait roughly 1.3 km (0.81 mi) wide, taking about eight minutes. Fårö may get connected to the main island with a bridge in the future, but the project has had plenty of delays related to funding. At the closest point, the two islands are separated by less than 500 metres (1,600 ft), although that

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1200-540: A ram statant Argent armed Or holding on a cross-staff of the same a banner Gules bordered and with five tails of the third." The county was granted the same coat of arms in 1936. The municipality, created in 1971, uses the same picture, but with other tinctures . Gotland is Sweden's largest island, and it is the largest island fully encompassed by the Baltic Sea (with Denmark's Zealand at the Baltic's edge). With its total area of 3,183.7 km (1,229.2 sq mi)

1300-582: A reserve component of the Swedish Amphibious Corps . Among the residual war reserve stocks reported to be still in storage on Gotland in March 2015, were 14 tanks ( Stridsvagn 122s ) at the Tofta skjutfält (the Tofta firing range), but without any crews or dedicated maintenance personnel assigned to them. Gotland currently has no local air defence capability. Despite its importance as

1400-517: A rich heritage of folklore, including myths about the bysen , Di sma undar jordi , Hoburgsgubben and the Martebo lights . Gotland gives its name to the traditional farmhouse ale Gotlandsdricka , a turbid beer with much in common with Finnish sahti , and related beers from the Baltic states . There are a number of notable people born or living on Gotland, or in other major ways associated with

1500-586: A school and research facility in the engineering field of mechanics after his extensive trips, studies and research abroad. The mechanical models that formed the basis of the education were used intermittently for teaching practical mechanics by different masters until the School of Mechanics ( Mekaniska skolan ) was founded in 1798. In 1827 the School of Mechanics was transformed into the Technological Institute ( Teknologiska institutet ), following

1600-576: A tradition associated with the migration of the Goths , whose name has the same origin as Gutes , the native name of the people of the island. It later tells that the Gutes voluntarily submitted to the king of Sweden and asserts that the submission was based on mutual agreement, and notes the duties and obligations of the Swedish King and Bishop in relationship to Gotland. According to some historians, it

1700-437: A tutor. In exchange for constructing a complex clock, he was given Latin lessons by a local vicar. Word of Polhem's mechanical skill spread quickly and a member of the clergy wrote to Anders Spole , professor of mathematics at Uppsala University to recommend Polhem. Anders Spole, grandfather of Anders Celsius , presented two broken clocks to Polhem and offered to let him study under him if he could repair them. Polhem repaired

1800-486: A while, the title civilingenjör was equal to "KTH graduate" but in 1937, Chalmers in Gothenburg became the second Swedish engineering college which were allowed to confirm these titles. In 1917, the first buildings of KTH's new campus on Valhallavägen were completed, and still constitute its main campus. Although the engineering education of the late 19th and early 20th century were scientifically founded, until

1900-477: A year. In 2007, the number of passengers exceeded 1.5 million. In 2012, the ferries had 1,590,271 passengers and the airlines 327,255 passengers. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic tourism did not change much as Swedes chose to visit the island instead of travelling abroad. The main port of call on Gotland is Visby. The city is visited by a number of cruise ships every year. About 40 cruise lines frequent

2000-442: Is Lojsta Hed which stands 82 m (269 ft) above sea level. The average height of the island is 29 meters. Settlements besides Visby include: Of these, Hemse is the largest settlement in southern Gotland and along with Roma the two largest inland villages. Burgsvik is the southernmost locality and Fårösund the northernmost. The island of Fårö is permanently settled, but with only a few hundred year-round residents and lacks

2100-556: Is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province / county (Swedish län), municipality , and diocese . The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, as well as the Karlsö Islands ( Lilla and Stora ) to the west. The population is 61,023 (2024) of which about 23,600 live in Visby , the main town. Outside Visby, there are minor settlements and a mainly rural population. The island of Gotland and

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2200-582: Is Sweden's largest technical university. Currently, KTH consists of five schools with four campuses in and around Stockholm. KTH was established in 1827 as the Teknologiska institutet (Institute of Technology) and had its roots in the Mekaniska skolan (School of Mechanics) that was established in 1798 in Stockholm. But the origin of KTH dates back to the predecessor of the Mekaniska skolan ,

2300-459: Is a central academic meeting place at KTH, and an arena for collaboration. The library also has two branch libraries, in Kista and Södertälje. KTH Library supports the academic and digital skills of students and researchers. The library promotes open access publishing and provides the university with analyses that support and make it easier to make strategic decisions. One of the goals is to increase

2400-402: Is at a distance from road connections. Slite is the largest settlement on Gotland's sparsely populated east coast. The eastern coast of Gotland, including the adjacent marine waters and islets, has been designated an 150,000 ha Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a suite of waterfowl , waders and terns . Gotland has a semi-continental variety of

2500-545: Is ranked 73rd in the world among all universities in the 2024 QS World University Rankings , which is higher than any other university in the Nordic countries . KTH's earliest Swedish predecessor was the Laboratorium Mechanicum, a collection of mechanical models for teaching created in 1697 by Christopher Polhem . Polhem is considered to be the father of mechanics in Sweden. He founded the laboratorium as

2600-471: Is therefore an effort not only to write down the history of Gotland, but also to assert Gotland's independence from Sweden. It gives Awair Strabain as the name of the man who arranged the mutually beneficial agreement with the king of Sweden; the event would have taken place before the end of the ninth century, when Wulfstan of Hedeby reported that the island was subject to the Swedes: Then, after

2700-643: The Carolingian Empire , as major commercial centers for the next several centuries. The Berezan' Runestone , discovered in 1905 in Ukraine, was made by a Varangian ( Viking ) trader named Grani in memory of his business partner Karl. It is assumed that they were from Gotland. The Mästermyr chest , an important artefact from the Viking Age , was found in Gotland. On 16   July 1999,

2800-459: The Finnish War between Sweden and Russia, a Russian army landed on the southeastern shores of Gotland near Grötlingbo . Under command of Nikolai Andreevich Bodisko 1,800 Russians took the city of Visby without any combat or engagement, and occupied the island. A Swedish naval force rescue expedition was sent from Karlskrona under the command of admiral Rudolf Cederström with 2,000 men;

2900-594: The Karolinska Institute also conducts education and research in Flemingsberg, often in collaboration with KTH. KTH Södertälje is the southernmost and smallest KTH campus, located in the city of Södertälje . Education at KTH Södertälje is constantly developed via a close co-operation with the town's business community and in particular major Södertälje companies such as Scania and AstraZeneca . KTH offers both bachelor's and master's level courses on

3000-536: The Laboratorium mechanicum , which was established in 1697 by the Swedish scientist and innovator Christopher Polhem . The Laboratorium mechanicum combined education technology, a laboratory, and an exhibition space for innovations. In 1877, KTH received its current name, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan (KTH Royal Institute of Technology). The Swedish king, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf , is the patron of KTH. KTH

3100-524: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1739, the same year the academy was founded. Polhem died of natural causes in 1751 in Stockholm, at the age of 90. According to Polhem's autobiography , the event that marked the beginning of his career was the successful repair of the unfinished medieval (16th century) astronomical clock designed by Petrus Astronomus at Uppsala Cathedral , which had remained unfinished and broken for more than

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3200-667: The Teutonic Knights , awarded to them on the condition that they expel the piratical Victual Brothers from their fortified sanctuary . An invading army of Teutonic Knights conquered the island in 1398, destroying Visby and driving the Victual Brothers from Gotland. In 1409, Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen of the Teutonic Knights guaranteed peace with the Kalmar Union of Scandinavia by selling

3300-525: The land of the Burgundians , we had on our left the lands that have been called from the earliest times Blekingey , and Meore , and Eowland , and Gotland, all which territory is subject to the Sweons ; and Weonodland was all the way on our right, as far as Weissel -mouth. The number of Arab dirhams discovered on the island of Gotland alone is astoundingly high. In the various hoards located around

3400-624: The sunny climate and the extensive shoreline bordering mild waters. During summer, Visby hosts the political event Almedalen Week , followed by the Medieval Week , further boosting visitor numbers. In winter, Gotland usually remains surrounded by ice-free water and has mild weather. Gotland has been inhabited since approximately 7200 BC. The island's main sources of income are agriculture, food processing, tourism, information technology services, design, and some heavy industry such as concrete production from locally mined limestone . From

3500-442: The Baltic sea with Visby as one of their destinations. In 2005, 147 ships docked at Visby, in 2010 the number was 69. In 2014, 62 ships are scheduled to visit Visby. The decrease in visiting ships is due to the fact that the modern cruise ships are too large to enter Visby harbor. Ships must anchor a fair distance from shore whereupon passengers are shuttled to shore in small boats, which is not possible during bad weather. In 2007,

3600-469: The KTH part of DiVA, the institutional repository for research publications, where all KTH publications are collected. The library has extensive printed collections that have been built up over time. The rare books collection consists of 60,000 volumes from 1827 to 1960 and is located in the main library. The main library is housed in a building from 1917 designed by architect Erik Lallerstedt, who also designed

3700-660: The Midsummer's Eve celebration on the island, but also throughout the summer months. The games have widespread renown; some of them are played by people as far away as in the United States. The knotwork design subsequently named the " Valknut " has the most attested historic instances on picture stones in Gotland, which include being on both the Stora Hammars I and the Tängelgårda stones . Gotland also has

3800-543: The Romanesque style from 1150 to 1250. The newer churches were constructed in the Gothic architectural style that prevailed from about 1250–1400. The oldest painting inside one of the churches on Gotland stretches as far back in time as the 12th century. Traditional games of skill like Kubb , Pärk , and Varpa are played on Gotland. They are part of what has become called "Gutniska Lekar", and are performed preferably on

3900-532: The Stockholm area were added. In the present-day, KTH provides one-third of Sweden's research and engineering education. In 2019, there were a total of 13,500 undergraduate students, 1,700 doctoral students, and 3,600 staff members at the university. After the American deployment of nuclear weapons at the end of World War II , the Swedish military leadership recognized the need for nuclear weapons to be thoroughly investigated and researched to provide Sweden with

4000-554: The awareness of KTH's research. The library's main purpose is to strengthen the quality of education and research. The foundation for the library was created in 1827 when the Institute of Technology was founded in Stockholm. The institute's first director, Gustav Magnus Schwartz, made a study trip to France, Germany and England, where he bought books for the institute's library. The first collection of 800 books consisted mainly of books on crafts. In 1845, Professor Joachim Åkerman became

4100-418: The beginning of the 20th century rektor . Many prominent former students have attended KTH, including; KTH Great Prize is a prize annually awarded by KTH. The distributed amount was SEK 1,200,000 in 2019. The prize is awarded to: The recipient of the award must also be a Swedish citizen. Usually, the prize is awarded to a single prize winner, but it has happened that two or three prize winners have shared

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4200-515: The buildings on the range, the former tank repair shop , is currently owned by a private company ( Peab ), with the military renting back the top floor for its own use. When not used by the military, a number of cultural and sports events have been held at the range, one of the most notable being the Gotland Grand National  [ sv ] , the world's largest enduro race, from 1984 to 2023. As of 2018, Gotland has received

4300-410: The bulk of this initial garrison will make up a new motorised rifle battalion, alternatively referred to in other reports as a "modular-structured rapid response Army battalion". A later report claimed that plans were at an advanced stage for a support helicopter squadron and an Air Force "fast response Gripen jet squadron" to also be based on the island to support the new garrison and further reinforce

4400-450: The campus has since been expanded with new buildings. KTH Campus is still the base for most of the university's operations. In the 1980s, the predecessor to the current School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (at KTH) located some of their operations to a campus in Kista , Stockholm. Kista is situated north of central Stockholm and is Sweden's largest corporate center and one of

4500-500: The campus, mainly focused on mechanical engineering, logistics, production and product development. The library at the Royal Institute of Technology ("Kungliga Tekniska högskolans bibliotek", KTHB) is Sweden's largest library for technology and basic sciences. The foundation for the library was laid in 1827, when KTH was founded in Stockholm. The main library is located on KTH's main campus in central Stockholm. The KTH library

4600-551: The clocks with no difficulty and in 1687, entered the University of Uppsala at the age of 26. Polhem married Maria Hoffman (1671–1735) on 28 December 1691. Together they had 8 children between 1692 and 1705. In 1716, he was ennobled by King Charles XII of Sweden in gratitude of his services to the nation by the king and changed his surname from Polhammar to Polheim , which he later shortened to Polhem . He and his son Gabriel Polhem (1700–1772) were both elected members of

4700-484: The construction of Göta Canal , a canal connecting the east and west coasts of Sweden. Together with Charles XII of Sweden, he planned the construction of parts of the canal, particularly the canal locks in the 18th century; it was not to be finished until 1832, long after his death. Other major contributions made by Polhem were the constructions of dry docks , dams , and canal locks, which he designed together with his assistant and friend, Emanuel Swedenborg . Polhem

4800-556: The countryside had to be put down by King Magnus III of Sweden in 1288. In 1361, Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark invaded the island. About 1,500 Gotlandic farmers were killed by the Danish invaders after massing for the Battle of Mästerby . The Victual Brothers occupied the island in 1394 to set up a stronghold as a headquarters of their own in Visby. At last, Gotland became a fief of

4900-572: The defences. Prior to the disbandment of the original garrison, there had been a continuous Swedish military presence on Gotland in one form or another, for nearly 200 years. After the standing down of the original garrison, a battalion of the Swedish Home Guard is based on Gotland for emergencies as part of the Eastern Military Region ( MR E ). The unit, 32:a Gotlandsbataljonen (the 32nd Gotland battalion), acts as

5000-400: The early 20th century, research as such was not seen as a central activity of an Institute of Technology. Those engineering graduates who went on to academic research had to earn their doctorates, typically in physics or chemistry, at a regular university. In 1927, KTH was finally granted the right to confer its own doctorates, under the designation Teknologie doktor (Doctor of Technology), and

5100-519: The establishment of polytechnical schools in many European countries the early years of the 19th century, often based on the model of École polytechnique in Paris. The institute had one professor in chemistry and one in physics , and one class in mechanical engineering and one in chemical engineering . During the first years, however, teaching was at a very elementary level, and more aimed at craftsmanship rather than engineering as such. The institute

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5200-415: The factory produced a number of products including manufacture of knives, locks and clocks. Development of the factory was derived from the idea that Sweden should export fewer raw materials and instead process them within their own borders. The factory met great resistance among workers who feared they would be replaced by machinery. Eventually most of the factory was destroyed in a fire in 1734, leaving only

5300-476: The first design of the variation of padlocks common today. Economically, the factory was unfeasible, but the king at the time, Charles XII , was supportive and gave Polhem freedom from taxes to encourage his efforts. The factory of Stjärnsund was visited by one of his contemporaries, Carl Linnaeus , who wrote about the factory in his diaries as "Nothing is more optimistic than Stjärnsund" (Swedish: Intet är spekulativare än Stjärnsund ). Polhem also contributed to

5400-450: The first five doctors were created in 1929. In 1984, the civilingenjör programs at all Swedish universities were extended from four years to 4.5. From 1989, the shorter programs in technology arranged by the municipal polytechnical schools in Sweden was gradually extended and moved into the university system, from 1989 as two-year programs and from 1995 alternatively as three-year programs. For KTH, this meant that additional campuses around

5500-453: The first proposition for building a new pier at Visby harbor, large enough to serve the modern cruise ships, was made. In 2011, the matter of the new pier was discussed in the Riksdag and in 2012 research and planning for the pier began. In January 2014, a letter of intent for building a new cruise pier in Visby harbor was signed by Region Gotland and Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP). The pier

5600-625: The institute should provide scientific training to its students. In 1869, the School of Mining in Falun was moved to Stockholm and merged with the institute. In 1871, the institute took over the civil engineering course formerly arranged by the Higher Artillery College in Marieberg . In 1877, the name was changed into the current one, which changed KTH's status from Institute ( institut ) to College ( högskola ), and some courses were extended from three years to four. Architecture

5700-413: The institute's new director. During his time, the library focused entirely on scientific literature. In 1869, Falu Bergsskola was transferred to the institute, and 2 000 books in metallurgy and chemistry were incorporated into the library collection. In 2013, KTH library was visited by US president Barack Obama. The library currently focuses on electronic books and journals, and it is also responsible for

5800-465: The island had twenty district courts ( tings ), each represented by its elected judge at the island-ting, called landsting . New laws were decided at the landsting, which also took other decisions regarding the island as a whole. The city of Visby and rest of the island were governed separately, and a civil war caused by conflicts between the German merchants in Visby and the peasants they traded with in

5900-691: The island has remained under Swedish rule. On 19 September 1806, Gustav IV Adolf offered the sovereignty of Gotland to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem , who had been expelled from Malta in 1798, but the Order rejected the offer since it would have meant renouncing their claim to Malta. The Order never regained its territory, and eventually it reestablished itself in Rome as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . On 22 April 1808, during

6000-480: The island of Gotland and the other areas of the province of Gotland make up 0.8% of Sweden's total land area. The province includes the small islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, as well as the Karlsö Islands, (Lilla and Stora) to the west, which are even smaller. The island of Gotland has an area of 2,994 km (1,156 sq mi), whereas the province has 3,183.7 km (1,229.2 sq mi) [3,151 km (1,217 sq mi) of land excluding

6100-532: The island of Gotland to Queen Margaret of Denmark, Norway and Sweden . The authority of the landsting was successively eroded after the island was occupied by the Teutonic Order, then sold to Eric of Pomerania and after 1449 ruled by Danish governors. In late medieval times, the ting consisted of twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants. Since the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645,

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6200-473: The island was liberated and the Russians capitulated. Russian forces left the island on 18 May 1808. The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes today, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Gotland, however, due to its insular position, the administrative county ( län ), Gotland County , and the municipality ( kommun ), Region Gotland , both cover

6300-614: The island, there are more of these silver coins than at any other site in Western Eurasia. The total sum is almost as great as the number that has been unearthed in the entire Muslim world. These coins moved north through trade between Rus merchants and the Abbasid Caliphate , along the Silver-Fur Road , and the money made by Scandinavian merchants would help northern Europe, especially Viking Scandinavia and

6400-484: The island. In 2012, there were 171 registered sports organizations on Gotland. The Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( Swedish : Kungliga Tekniska högskolan , lit.   'Royal Technical High School'), abbreviated KTH , is a public research university in Stockholm , Sweden . KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and

6500-436: The island; palæo- sea-stacks are preserved in places. The island's main sources of income are agriculture along with food processing, tourism, IT solutions, design and some heavy industry such as concrete production from locally mined limestone . Most of Gotland's economy is based on small scale production. In 2012, there were over 7,500 registered companies on Gotland. 1,500 of these had more than one employee. Gotland has

6600-426: The knowledge to defend itself from a nuclear attack. With the mission to "make something with neutrons", the Swedish team, with scientists like Rolf Maximilian Sievert , set out to research the subject and eventually build a nuclear reactor for testing. After a few years of basic research, they started building a 300 kW (later expanded to 1 MW) reactor, named Reaktor 1 ( R1 ), in a reactor hall 25 meters under

6700-401: The lakes and rivers]. The population is 61,001 as of December 2021. As of 2016, approximately 23,600 people (about 40% of residents) lived in Visby, which is the seat of the municipality and the capital of the county. Gotland is located about 90 km (56 mi) east of the Swedish mainland and about 130 km (81 mi) from the Baltic states , Latvia being the nearest. Gotland is

6800-742: The most important ICT clusters in the world. The area is home to over a thousand companies in the ICT sector, for example Ericsson , Volvo , IBM , Tele2 , TietoEnator , Microsoft , Intel and Oracle . Since 2002, the current School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (at KTH) has had a part of its activities in Flemingsberg , Stockholm. Flemingsberg is an area of high academic density and one of northern Europe's most important areas for biotechnology, both in terms of research and industrial activities. Södertörn University and

6900-456: The name of the main island, but the adjacent islands are generally considered part of Gotland and the Gotlandic culture: There are several shallow lakes located near the shores of the island. The biggest is Lake Bästeträsk , located near Fleringe in the northern part of Gotland. The Hoburg Shoal bird reserve is situated on the southern tip of the island. The highest point of the island

7000-582: The other areas of the province of Gotland make up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area. The county formed by the archipelago is the second smallest by area and is the least populated in Sweden. In spite of the small size due to its narrow width, the driving distance between the furthermost points of the populated islands is about 170 kilometres (110 mi). Gotland is a fully integrated part of Sweden with no particular autonomy, unlike several other offshore island groups in Europe. Historically, there

7100-433: The part of the factory that produced clocks. The factory continued producing clocks, known for their high quality and low price. Although the popularity of the clocks diminished during the beginning of the 19th century, clock-making continues to this day at Stjärnsund, still producing around twenty clocks of the Polhem design per year. Another product from the factory was the "Polhem locks" (Swedish: Polhemslås ), essentially

7200-513: The prize. The list of recipients is at KTH:s stora pris . KTH has been awarded the title "European University" by the European Commission . Together with six other European technical universities, KTH has formed the alliance UNITE! (University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering). The aim of the network is to create a trans-European campus, to introduce trans-European curricula, to promote scientific cooperation between

7300-696: The residents still speak Gutnish (Gutamål), the autochthonous language on the islands. But most of them now speak Gotlandic ( Swedish : gotländska ), a Gutnish-influenced Swedish dialect. In the 13th century, a work containing the laws of the island, called "the Gotlandic law" (Gutalagen), was published in Old Gutnish , as well as the Gutasaga . Gotland is noted for its 94 Medieval churches , most of which are restored and in active use. These churches exhibit two major styles of architecture: Romanesque and Gothic . The older churches were constructed in

7400-446: The rest of the library is grouped around the courtyard. Old facades have been renovated, both towards the courtyard and towards the streets. Inside, the old part of the house has been renovated and regained much of the original architecture. The renovation and extension of the library has won several architectural awards. In 2004, Per Ahrbom was awarded the “Helgopriset”. The title was överdirektor first, then föreståndare and from

7500-417: The rest of the university's then new campus. The building was later rebuilt several times, and in the 1950s the former open courtyard was built in. During the period 2000–2002, the building was rebuilt according to drawings by architect Per Ahrbom. The extension from the 1950s was demolished and a new entrance and office building with a glass facade were erected. The courtyard is the library's central room, and

7600-421: The same territory as the province. Furthermore, the diocese of Visby is also congruent with the province. Gotland is traditionally divided into 92 sockens . On 1   January 2016, they were all reconstituted into Districts , administrative areas with the same borders as the former sockens. Gotland was granted its arms in about 1560. The coat of arms is represented with a ducal coronet. Blazon: "Azure

7700-625: The schools head a number of departments, centres of excellence, and study programmes. The schools are: KTH was 73rd worldwide in the QS WUR 2024, 97th worldwide in the THE WUR 2024, 201–300th worldwide in ARWU 2022, and 207th worldwide in the USNEWS rankings. KTH was the 138th best-ranked universities worldwide in 2022 in terms of aggregate performance across QS, THE, and ARWU, as reported by ARTU. It

7800-451: The sea was 50 to 100 m (160 to 330 ft), and reefs continued to dominate the sedimentary record. Some sandstones are present in the youngest rocks towards the south of the island, which represent sand bars deposited very close to the shoreline. The lime rocks have been weathered into characteristic karstic rock formations known as rauks . Fossils, mainly of crinoids , rugose corals and brachiopods , are abundant throughout

7900-473: The south, and overlies a 75 to 125 m (246 to 410 ft) thick Ordovician sequence. It was deposited in a shallow, hot, and salty sea on the edge of an equatorial continent. The water depth never exceeded 175 to 200 m (574 to 656 ft), and became shallower over time as bioherm detritus and terrestrial sediments filled the basin. Reef growth started in the Llandovery Epoch , when

8000-443: The surface right underneath KTH. Today this might seem ill-considered, since approximately 40,000 people lived within a 1 km radius. It was risky, but was deemed tolerable since the reactor was an important research tool for scientists at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences ( Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien ). At 18:59 on 13 July 1954, the reactor achieved criticality and sustained Sweden's first nuclear reaction. R1

8100-440: The then predominantly protestant Hungarians under religious persecution. Wolf Polhammer traded with Visby . He would eventually settle down to become a skipper. Christopher Polhammar attended a German language school in Stockholm until the age of 8 when his father died. His mother, Christina Eriksdotter Schening, who was from Vadstena in Östergötland , later remarried. Because of conflicts with his stepfather, his private tuition

8200-426: The transformation of the School of Mechanics to the Technological Institute. The buildings and surroundings were decorated by prominent early 20th-century Swedish artists such as Carl Milles , Axel Törneman , Georg Pauli , Tore Strindberg and Ivar Johnsson . The older buildings on the campus were renovated heavily in 1994. While the original campus was large at the time of construction, KTH very soon outgrew it, and

8300-484: The weather station Östergarnsholm. As an example, December is warmer than March with temperature lows being similar to April. August is typically the warmest month, an unusual occurrence in Swedish sites. In capital Visby, July and August temperatures tend to be quite even. Since winters usually remain just above freezing and brackish water remaining liquid longer than freshwater, the sea remains ice-free all year round, except during rare extreme cold waves . The last time

8400-499: The west part of the island from the 1860s. When a new law ensuring two weeks vacation for all employees in Sweden was passed in 1938, camping became a popular pastime among the Swedes, and in 1955, Gotland was visited by 80,000 people. In the 1970s mostly young people were attracted to Gotland. Since 2010 the island has become a more versatile vacation spot visited by people from all over the world, in all manner of ways. In 2001, it

8500-490: The whole passage from the mainland to Gotland froze was in 1987 when icebreakers were used to maintain passenger and goods traffic to the island. Gotland is made up of a sequence of sedimentary rocks of a Silurian age, dipping to the south-east. The main Silurian succession of limestones and shales comprises thirteen units spanning 200 to 500 m (660 to 1,640 ft) of stratigraphic thickness, being thickest in

8600-512: The word typically does in its English usage. Rather, konst paired with vetenskap (science) more precisely describes the konst of putting scientific knowledge into practice; that is, through ingenjörskonst (engineering, literally "art of engineering"). Hence, another possible translation of the motto is "Science and the Art of its Application." KTH is organized into five schools individually responsible for education and research activities. Each of

8700-616: The world's largest Viking silver treasure, the Spillings Hoard , was found in a field at Spillings farm northwest of Slite . The silver treasure was divided into two parts weighing a total of 67 kg (148 lb) (27 kg (60 lb) and 40 kg (88 lb)) and consisted mostly of coins, about 14,000, from foreign countries, mostly Islamic. It also contained about 20 kg (44 lb) of bronze objects along with numerous everyday objects such as nails, glass beads, parts of tools, pottery, iron bands and clasps. The treasure

8800-525: The world's northernmost established vineyard and winery, located in Hablingbo . Gotland occupies a strategic location in the Baltic sea from a defence viewpoint. In March 2015, the Swedish government decided to begin reestablishing a permanent military presence on Gotland, starting with an initial 150 troop garrison, consisting primarily of elements from the Swedish Army . It has been reported that

8900-406: Was a linguistic difference between the archipelago and the mainland with Gutnish being the native language. In recent centuries, Swedish took over almost entirely and the island is virtually monolingually Swedish in modern times. The archipelago is a very popular domestic tourist destination for mainland Swedes, with the population rising to very high numbers during summers. Some of the reasons are

9000-573: Was a major training and storage facility for the Gotland garrison during its existence, and was still occasionally used for training by various elements of the Armed Forces since the garrison was shut down in 2005. However, from the second half of 2014 onwards, there has been a marked increase in the use of the range, especially by armored units (mostly company sized), as tensions in Northeastern Europe have escalated. At least one of

9100-434: Was also added to the curriculum. In 1915, the degree titles conferred by KTH received legal protection. In the late 19th century, it had become common to use the title civilingenjör (literally "civil engineer") for most KTH-trained engineers, and not just those who studied building and construction-related subjects. The only exception was the mining engineers, which called themselves bergsingenjör ("mountain engineer"). For

9200-467: Was also plagued by conflicts between the faculty and the founder and head of the institute, Gustaf Magnus Schwartz, who was responsible for the artisanal focus of the institute. A government committee was appointed in 1844 to solve the issues, which led to removing Schwartz in 1845. Instead, Joachim Åkerman, the head of the School of Mining in Falun and a former professor of chemistry at KTH, took over. He led

9300-804: Was finished in 2018. The estimated cost is 250 million crowns (about US$ 38.52 million). A number of stones with grooves exist on Gotland. Archaeologists interpret these grooves as traces of an unknown industrial process in the High Middle Ages . There are approximately 3,700 grinding grooves, of which about 750 occur in the solid limestone outcrop and the rest in other rock formations. The latter often consist of hard rocks such as granite or gneiss, but also soft rocks such as sandstone occur. Grinding grooves are also found in Skåne, in southern Sweden and in Finland. Astronomer Göran Henriksson dates

9400-426: Was found by using a metal detector, and the finders fee, given to the farmer who owned the land, was over 2 million kronor (about US$ 308,000). The treasure was found almost by accident while filming a news report for TV4 about illegal treasure hunting on Gotland. Early on, Gotland became a commercial center, with the town of Visby the most important Hanseatic city in the Baltic Sea . In late medieval times,

9500-563: Was limited to loading the containers. Being new and revolutionary , word of Polhem's work reached King Charles XI of Sweden who was so impressed with the work that he assigned him to improve Sweden's main mining operation; the Falun Mine in Dalarna . Funded by the Swedish mining authority, Polhem traveled throughout Europe, studying mechanical development. He returned to Sweden in 1697 to establish laboratorium mechanicum in Stockholm ,

9600-752: Was no longer paid and Polhem was sent to live with his uncle in Stockholm. He took a job as a farmhand on Vansta, a property in Södertörn , Stockholm. Quickly, he rose to the position of supervisor, being responsible for supervision and accounting, for which he was well suited by his affinity for mathematics. He worked at Vansta for ten years, during which period he constructed a workshop where he made tools, repaired and constructed simple machinery to earn money. Hungering for knowledge within his fields of interest, mathematics and mechanics, he soon realized that he would get no further without learning Latin. Self-studies were attempted, but given up; Polhem realized he needed

9700-759: Was not only active within the field of mechanics, he actively wrote essays concerning medicine , social criticism , astronomy , geology , and economics . One ancestor to Béla Bartók , on his mothers side was Rozália Pallheim. [REDACTED] This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok , a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain . Gotland Gotland ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ t l ə n d / , Swedish: [ˈɡɔ̌tːland] ; Gutland in Gutnish ), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ θ l ə n d / ),

9800-622: Was ranked 101–125th worldwide in the THE World Reputation Rankings 2022. In the QS rankings by subject 2023: In the Times Higher Education subject rankings 2023: KTH Campus is the main campus of KTH located in the area of Östermalm . The main buildings by architect Erik Lallerstedt , were completed in 1917. The bells of the clock-tower were completed ten years later in 1927 at the 10 year anniversary of

9900-439: Was the fifth largest tourist destination in Sweden based on the total number of guest nights. Gotland is usually the part of Sweden which receives the most hours of sunlight during a year with Visby statistically the location with the most sunshine in Sweden. In 2007 approximately 750,000 people visited Gotland. In 1996, for the first time, ferries between Gotland and mainland Sweden carried more than 1 million passengers in

10000-413: Was to be the main site for almost all Swedish nuclear research until 1970 when the reactor was finally decommissioned, mostly due to the increased awareness of the risks associated with operating a reactor in a densely populated area of Stockholm. The motto of KTH, "Vetenskap och konst," is directly translated as "Science and Art." Here, the word konst (art) does not necessarily refer to creative art as

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