Öregrund

Öregrund is a locality ( tätort ) in the Swedish province of Uppsala County with about 1,600 inhabitants. It is among the smallest of the former cities of Sweden.

History

The place is characterized by the fact that he is one of the best preserved timber towns in the country. Due to this fact Öregrund is a popular tourist destination. Thus, every summer, doubling the population of the place. In contrast to the wooden buildings of the medieval stone church stands on a hill. Öregrund has experienced over the centuries, no significant expansion since there is no significant industry and also because of its proximity to the village Östhammar. In Öregrund there have been seven major fires, but the main part of the building dates from the 18th or 19th century.

The town was founded as a suburb of Östhammar and received city rights in 1490. During the Kalmar Union Öregrund was burned on the orders of Christian II, but Gustav Vasa had it built again. The town served mainly as a harbor for the iron products from Uppland. A further looting by Russian troops experienced Öregrund 1719 in the closing stages of the Great Northern War.

At the end of the 19th century Öregrund developed into a spa. Many citizens from other Swedish cities bought a summer residence in Öregrund that stood empty in other seasons. Due to declining tax revenues, the city came into economic problems. You had to soon share with the mayor of the neighboring town and later became an administrative part of Östhammar.