Kristianstad tourist information
The countryside around Kristianstad is steeped in the history of the time when it was the border between Sweden and Denmark. Not least Kristianstad itself which was founded by Christian IV of Denmark.
The countryside is full of memorials of earlier settlements and cultures.
The destruction of Vä in 1612 was decisive for the decision to replace the burnt-down town with a completely new one. The new town was not just to replace Vä as a commercial centre but also, even more important, it was to be strongly fortified.
The area of the river Helgeån's waters between the lakes Araslövssjön and Hammarsjön was an ideal place for an inaccessible fortress. Laying out and planning the town started in the spring of 1614 under the direction of King Christian IV who was present. The laying of Kristianstad's foundations has been fixed as 22 May.
Kristianstad became the first town in Scandinavia to be founded according to the ideals of the Renaissance with a grid system, ramparts and bastions. The town became a strong fortress against the Swedish attacks and protected important trade routes in the area.
The new town is split by a canal which gives it two main sections, two city gates, two squares, two main streets, two narrow or back streets and two embankment promenades. The main square, Stora Torg, had from the beginning the character of a parade ground and centre in the smaller, but superior, administrative part of the town. Today's small square, Lilla Torg, became the market square and centre of the somewhat simpler part of the town for trade and craftsmen.
Christian IV built the town's most expensive treasure, the Church of the Holy trinity, between 1617 and 1628.
When Skåne became Swedish, Kristianstad lost its importance as a border fortification. The town however played an important role during the Skåne War, when the fortress was in Danish hands between 1676 and 1678.
Skåne was divided in 1719-20 into two counties with Kristianstad as the county town in one of them. Trade and shipping flowered and the town with the harbour in Åhus took a leading position in Skåne's shipping.
The town also became an important military town. Major rebuilding of the fortifications started in 1748 to create the most important military depot in Southern Sweden.
At the beginning of the 19th century Kristianstad became less and less significant. Instead the emphasis was on the town as an administrative centre with the opening in 1821 of the court of appeal for Skåne and Blekinge.
A general order issued on 8 Feb. 1847 it was decreed that Kristianstad should no longer be counted as a fortress. For the most part the ramparts crumbled and the moats filled up.
The fortifications were replaced as in Paris by tree-lined boulevards. The canal that divided the town centre in two was filled in between 1873 and 1874 and became instead Nya Boulevarden, the new boulevard.
Around 1860 Nosabysjön was drained, which was of great importance for the lake Hammarsjön. The drained parts are, today, under the sea..
The industrialisation of Kristianstad began in 1861 when wholesaler C.J.F.Ljunggren started a foundry and mechanical workshop. Around 1900 the company had some 425 employees and considerable output of things like railway carriages, railway engines and steamboats.
Hvilans mekaniska verkstad, Skånska Yllefabriken and Mårten Pehrsons Valsqvarn were significant industries that started at the end of the 19th century.
Trade boomed mainly from the considerable distillery business. The number of traders increased considerably at the end of the 19th century from 62 in 1875 to about 200 in 1910.
Growth during the 20th century was for the most part outside the original fortress town. The majority of large places of work were also set up in the outskirts.
The growth in the population created a great demand for housing. The building was based on the town plan from 1888 and the enclosed parts of the town were built out at the turn of the century.
The population of Kristianstad doubled between 1930 and 1960 – from around 14,000 till 28,000.
The closure of large workplaces in the centre have, and continue, to create changes. One of historical note was the closure of the two regiments in 1994. The character of a military town has changed. P6/Fo14's area at Näsby has been converted to a high school and A3's Åsum site is the location of various types of training.
Since the 1980s, the emphasis on preserving the countryside and cultural environment in Kristianstad meant continuous work with the rich waterlands of Kristianstad, an area that is unique both in character and the fact that parts are in the middle of Kristianstad.
The municipality of Kristianstad today is the result of a series of incorporations and municipal mergers. Today, the municipality has a population of just over 73,000 and an area of 1,283 sq.km. – the largest in Skåne!
by Kristianstad
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