Dalarna
Dalarna
Iller
Category="Dalarna"Category="Provinces of Sweden"Dalarna ▶(?) is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bounded by Norway in the west.Its Latin form, which is sometimes still encountered, is Dalecarlia or Dalekarlia.
County
Provinces serve no administrative function in Sweden today. Instead, that function is served by the Counties of Sweden. However, Dalarna has virtually the same boundaries as the corresponding Dalarna County.The main exception is a smaller northern part which belongs to Gävleborg County.
Geography
The geography is distinguished by lake Siljan in the middle part. And the Västerdal River and Österdal River that join into the Dalecarlia River.The northern part of the province are within the Scandinavian mountain range, and are mountainous with many lakes. The southern part consists of plains, with several mines, most notably Copper, traditionally forming part of Bergslagen.
Highest point is Storvätteshågna with 1,204 meters. Lowest point is at 55 meters, in the south-east part.
Cities
Dalarna was historically divided into chartered cities and districts. National parks
History
The province was part of the Svealand kingdom in the medieval age, before Sweden's consolidation in the 11th century.In the 16th century, the province became the refuge for king Gustav Vasa, wherefrom he gathered forces to fight the invanding Danish army in Stockholm.
Heraldry
Arms granted in 1560, the use of two crossed arrows as a symbol precedes this. The province is also a duchy and the arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Azure, two Dalecarlian Arrows Or in saltire point upwards pointed Argent and in chief a Crown of the first."Culture
[image] A famous symbol of the province is the "Dala horse" or Dalahäst a painted and decorated wooden horse.The Vasa race, a cross country skiing race over 90 km, is held annually, on the first Sunday of March, between Sälen and Mora, in commemoration of Gustav I of the House of Vasa.
The mining area of the Stora Kopparberget ("Great Copper Mountain") has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Notable natives
- Jussi Björling, opera singer
- Nils Karlsson, "Mora-Nisse", skiier
- Gunnar Myrdal, politican
- Charlie Norman, pianist
- Björn Skifs, singer, actor
- Gunde Svan, skiier, "celebrity".
- Hans Werthén, CEO of Electrolux
- Anders Zorn, artist
- Gustaf de Laval (1845-1913), inventor and engineer
Dukes
Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title. Districts
The Swedish provinces were subdivided into Hundreds of Sweden, in effect until early 20th century.In some provinces the sub-dividing was through districts. Dalarna had only one chartered hundred - the others were court districts.
References
External links
- Dalarna - Tourist site
- Profiles of over 200 relevant websites, primarily in English