From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Falun (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈfɑːlʉn]) is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005.[1] It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with close to 100,000 inhabitants.
Falun was originally famous for its copper mine, and is today an important service and industrial city even though the mine is closed (since 1992).
[edit] History
The town of Falun is known to have existed in the 14th century as a market place for the surrounding lands. Mining for copper had been a local business since the mid-1200s, or possibly as early as 1000,[2] and the organisation for the extracting of copper and gold from the Great Copper Mountain (Stora Kopparberg) is believed to be the oldest still-existing enterprise in the world, proved active since 1347, when its charter was granted by King Magnus IV of Sweden. The first share in the company is dated as early as 1288.
However, an enterprise at that time was nothing more than a cooperation among the owners, each contributing with a share of money for constructions, tools, etc., necessary to run the organisation. Depending on their contribution they could use the facilities and share the profit according to the relative share they contributed.
The city of Falun received its privileges in 1641. By then Falun was already one of the largest cities in Sweden.
Falun is located in the Bergslagen district, and the mining area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stora Kopparberg (Great Copper Mountain), which also was the name of the mining company of Falun, is today a part of Stora Enso.
For education, the city holds part of the University College of Dalarna (Högskolan Dalarna).
In sports, Falun hosts the annual Swedish Ski Games at its skiing arena Lugnet, Falun. The city's most successful sport team is the bandy team Falu BS which has played in the Swedish top division for many years. Also, IBF Falun, the floorball male and female teams have been very successful.
Lugnet, Falun Stadion has also hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships three times: 1954, 1974, and most recently in 1993.
The city lost out to Calgary, Canada in 1981 for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Again, Falun applied for the 1992 Winter Olympics but lost out to Albertville, France in 1986. The city lost despite the best efforts of one of ABBA's singers who recorded a single in support of the bid.
Falun is the hometown of The Battle, one of the world's most famous snowboard competitions.
Iron and Copper byproducts from the mine are still used as a paint ingredient, in the production of the nationally well known and culturally important Falu Red paint, particularly used on wooden houses.
[edit] Notable residents and former residents of Falun
- Ferdinand Boberg, architect
- Björn Dixgård, musician
- Mattias Ekström, racing driver
- Mattias Flink, Mass murderer
- Maria Hjorth, golfer
- Tomas Jonsson, ice hockey player
- Jenny Kallur, Athlete, Susanna's sister
- Susanna Kallur, Athlete holding the world indoor record on 60 m hurdles
- Lina Leandersson, actress
- Marcus Ljungqvist, road bicycle racer
- Thomas Quick, Serial murderer
- Sabaton, Heavy Metal band
- Ulf Stenlund, tennis player
- Gunnar Säve-Söderbergh, palaeontologist
- Ernst Rolf, actor and singer
- Georg Skarstedt, actor
- Georg Stiernhielm, civil servant, linguist and poet
- Putte Wickman, jazz clarinetist
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Sweden
Media related to Falun at Wikimedia Commons
