Skåne
:
Please note that the current administrative county is described in Skåne County (also known as
Scania in English) is the southernmost
historical province (
landskap) and County (
Län) of
Sweden. It borders
Halland,
Småland and
Blekinge. To the east, west and south it also borders the
Baltic Sea and the
Oresund strait. Due to its historical connection to
Denmark and its relatively mild climate and fertile soil, Skåne is both culturally and physically distinct from the other provinces of Sweden.
The administrative subdivision is currently
Skåne County, but it has virtually the same boundaries as the historical province of Skåne. Until 1997, Skåne consisted of the two counties of
Kristianstad and
Malmöhus, when they where combined into Skåne County.
For politics see Skåne Regional CouncilMain article: History of Skåne
Historically the province of Skåne was a part of
Terra Scania, also known as
Skåneland, which together with
Jutland and "the islands" constituted
Denmark. Following the
Treaty of Roskilde in
1658, the entire Terra Scania became a possession of the Swedish
Crown, retaining its old laws and
Diet, but was soon to be split.
Bornholm rebelled and was returned to Denmark, and the other provinces were successively incorporated into Sweden.
As the incorporation affected not only Skåne, but also
Halland and
Blekinge, a combined description of the history can be found in the article
Skåneland.
|
Land usage in Skåne, showing woods, fields and residential areas |
The geography of Skåne was shaped by the last
ice age, the
Weichsel glaciation, a time when it was totally covered with ice.
Hallandsåsen and
Söderåsen are major landmarks but contrary to popular belief, they are not ridges left behind by the retreating ice but
horsts formed by tectonic activity along the
Tornquist zone.
The terrain is almost completely flat, which distinguishes it amongst the otherwise forest- and waterway-rich
geography of Sweden. Skåne has no mountains and few hills, lakes or forests. Stretching from the north-western to the south-eastern parts is a belt of
deciduous forests following the
Linderödsåsen ridge, and previously marking the border between
Malmöhus County and
Kristianstad County. Denser
fir forests are found in the north-eastern
Göinge parts along the border with the forest dominated province of
Småland.
|
Image from south-eastern Skåne, overlooking a crop field (most likely barley) |
Otherwise the
flatland consists of highly fertile agricultural land very important for the rest of Sweden. For instance, 90% of Sweden's
sugar beets are grown in Skåne. The soil is among the most fertile in the world.
The
Kullaberg Nature Preserve in northwest Skane is home to several
rare species including Spring vetchling,
Lathyrus sphaericus (C.M. Hogan,
Kullaberg environmental analysis, Lumina Technologies prepared for municipality of Hoganas, Aberdeen Library Archives, Aberdeen, Scotland, July 17, 2004).
*Highest mountain:
Söderåsen, 212
meters*Lowest spot:
Kristianstad, -2.7
meters*Largest lake:
Ivösjön *National parks:
Dalby Söderskog,
Söderåsen,
StenshuvudSkåne was historically divided into 14
chartered
towns and 23
hundreds.
Cities
These towns have all held the prestigious
City status in Sweden. In Danish times, other towns had been granted a
royal charter, but the towns remained small. For more information, see:
towns of Skåne''
*
Eslöv (
1911)
*
Falsterbo (approximately
1200)
*
Helsingborg (
1085)
*
Hässleholm (
1914)
*
Höganäs (
1936)
*
Kristianstad (
1622)
*
Landskrona (
1413)
*
Lund (approximately
990)
*
Malmö (approximately
1250)
*
Simrishamn (approximately
1300)
*
Skanör (approximately
1200)
*
Trelleborg (approximately
1200)
*
Ystad (approximately
1200)
*
Ängelholm (
1516)
Hundreds
|
The Old Church of Södra Ã…sum in the municipality of Sjöbo â€" a typical example of a Danish medieval church. |
The culture of Skåne is distinct from the rest of Sweden, influenced by its closeness to Denmark and Germany, and its geographical conditions. The local distinctive
Scanian dialect is influenced by the
Danish language and well as native idioms and speech patterns. Some
regionalists have compared it to
Provence in southern
France, because of its historical and cultural distinctiveness from the rest of the country.
Its old churches that cover the countryside often stem from the medieval age. Due to church renovations in the 19th century, mainly by architects
Carl Georg Brunius and later
Helgo Zetterwall, many were renovated and extended, and some were torn down to give room for new. From those that kept its authentic touch we see how the churches of what was then Denmark once looked like with their distinctive stepped gavels and sturdy church porch, and usually made of stone. The most distinctive church building in Skåne, and in whole Sweden only rivalling
Uppsala Cathedral, is
Lund Cathedral that was built in the
11th century in
sandstone from
Höör (now much darkened). In addition, there is the
gothic Saint Petri Church in
Malmö dating from the early 14th century. Similar buildings can be found in all
Hansa cities around the
Baltic Sea (such as
Helsingborg and
Rostock).
But the churches in the countryside did not have the means for such extravagant buildings. Possibly the most notable countryside church is the ancient and untouched stone church in
Dalby. It is the oldest stone church in Sweden, built around the same time as Lund cathedral. After the Lund Cathedral was built, many of the involved workers travelled around the province and used their acquired skills to make baptism fonts, paintings and decorations, and naturally architectural constructions.
Skåne was granted its
coat of arms at the funeral of
Charles X Gustav of Sweden in
1660, based on the arms of the town of
Malmö. The arms is represented with a
ducal coronet. Blazon: "Or, a Griffin's head erased Gules, crowned Azure and armed Azure, when it should be armed".
Since
1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. Although this is a solely nominal title, it may result in an emotional bond between the province and its royal duke.
*
Crown Prince Carl (from his birth in
1826 until he became King in
1859)
*
Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (from his birth in
1882 until he became King in
1950)
From his marriage, in
1905, King Gustaf Adolf had his summer recidence at
Sofiero castle, at
Helsingborg. There he and his family spent their summers, there cabinet meetings were held during summer months, the ministers arriving by night train from
Stockholm, and there he died, at Helsingborg Hospital in
1973.
*
Terra Scania*
Skåneland*
Malmö*
Öresund*
Skåne - Tourist site
*
Foundation for Scanian Future*
Scania -
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation*
Øresundstid. A cooperative educational project established by Scanian and Danish history teachers, funded by EUs InterregIIIA-program, the Danish Department of Education and others, 2004-2006.
*
How to make a Skåne Limpa
