Malmö

(Redirected from Malmo)

**Malmö**
Image:Malmö in Sweden.png	City arms Image:Malmö.png
	55° 35´ N, 13° 02´ E
	Charter	13th century
	Municipality	Malmö Municipality
	County	Skåne County
	Province	Scania
	Population	267,171

Malmö ▶(?) IPA: [málmø:] is a town and municipality in the southernmost Swedish province of Skåne. The town of Malmö is located 20 kilometres east of Copenhagen, Denmark, and has a population of 300,000 inhabitants (about 600.000 in the metro area). Malmö is the largest of the towns of Skåne. It was one of the earliest and most industrialized towns of Scandinavia, but has in recent decades been struggling with unemployment and the adaption to post-industrialism.

By the dawn of the 21st century, Malmö had become Sweden's most multi-ethnic city with 24% of the population born abroad, with more than a third being first- or second-generation immigrants, and the proportion of Muslims estimated to be 16%. Half of the population is not ethnically Swedish. Particularly during the last decade, Malmö has been struggling with an increasing crime rate and urban ghettos on the city's east side.

With its old buildings and many parks it appears appealing to outsiders, and is also a popular place to shop due to its many different shops and stores. Malmö is now focusing extensively on education and culture.

1 Population figures
2 History
- 2.1 Heraldry
3 Geography
4 Economy
5 Education
- 5.1 Higher education
6 Sites of interest
- 6.1 Western Harbour
7 Culture
8 Sports
9 People connected to Malmö
10 See also
11 External links

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Population figures

Image:Malmö symbol.png

Malmö urban area, Malmö tätort with 250,000 inhabitants, consists of the urban part of Malmö Municipality together with the small town of Arlöv in the municipality of Burlöv. Both municipalities also include smaller urban areas and rural areas, most notably the southern fishing village Limhamn, which including immediate surroundings has 31,000 inhabitants, and was incorporated into Malmö City in 1915. Malmö tätort is to be distinguished from Malmö stad (The city of Malmö) that is an official name of Malmö municipality, althouth this terminology appears counterintuitive to many locals. Malmö is the most dense urban area in Sweden with 3584 inhabitants/km² (compared to Stockholm's 3230 inhabitants/km² and Göteborg's 2494 inhabitants/km²).

The municipality of Malmö, with a population of 270,000, is the third largest municipality in Sweden.

Malmö is the largest town in the metropolitan area of South-Western Scania (Metropolitan Malmö) with some 600,000 inhabitants, including nearby Lund, the region's centre of higher education and academic culture.

Malmö–Lund and Metropolitan Copenhagen in Denmark forms the center of the Oresund Region that has a total population of 3,600,000 inhabitants. To some, Malmö may appear as the most recent neighbourhood or suburb of Copenhagen.

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History

Image:St Petri church in Malmö.jpg

St Petri Church in Malmö

Image:Malmö city 1580.jpg

Malmö in 1580 from a German map book.

Malmö is held to have been founded in what was then Denmark, in the 13th century as a fortified quay or ferry berth of the Archbishop of Lund, some 20 kilometers north-east.

Around 1290, construction on the St Petri Church began. It was the first Gothic church to be built within Sweden's present-day borders. Similar red brick churches can be found around the coastal regions of both Sweden and Germany (for example in Ystad, Landskrona and Rostock), and were inspired by the German sea merchants, the Hanseatic League, who played a major part in the economical growths around the Sound. Red bricks were used instead of stone, due to its scarcity in the area, and the color comes from the bedrock and the means the bricks were fabricated.

In the ensuing century, Malmö and Copenhagen would rise in economic importance, and until this day this pattern has persisted. Despite Lund (and to lesser degree Roskilde) being culturally of much greater importance, Malmö and Copenhagen have been centers for industrious and economic success. The disunity between the burghers of Lund and Malmö has remained a fundamental characteristic, the former relying on tradition the latter on modernity and adaption. Malmö was, for instance, a leading hanseatic town during the decades of the Hansa's dominance in the region, and leading the process of Protestant Reformation in Denmark of the 1530s. Even after the secession to Sweden, in 1658, Malmö continued to hold this dominant role.

The first fortification was erected at the site of Skeppsbron and Malmö Central Station, first hinted at in unfriendly diplomatic correspondence between the king and the archbishop in March 1256, but Malmö's growth gave in 1434 reason to the erection of a new citadel at the beach south of the town. The new fortress, Malmöhus, was completed in the mid-16th century and continued to play an essential role after the secession to Sweden — now as a part of the defense system against the Danes. During 1828–1914 the building was re-used as a prison, and since the 1930s it houses Malmö museum.

Image:Malmöhus in Malmö, joint image.jpg

Malmöhus Castle, now housing Malmö Museum

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Heraldry

The city arms were granted in 1437 by King Eric of Pomerania. The arms of Pomerania is argent with a griffin gules, which gave the griffin's head to Malmö. The coat of arms for the city is similar to the arms of the province of Scania and Skåne County, which actually are derivations of the arms of Malmö. Blazon: "Argent, a Griffin's head erased Gules, crowned Or". Note the similarity between this coat of arms and the logo for Saab cars.

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Geography

Malmö is located at 13°00' east and 53°35' north. Its location in southernmost Sweden makes it closer to the Italian town of Milan than to the northernmost Swedish town Kiruna.

Image:Malmo-city hall.jpg

Malmö city hall, Rådhuset, built in 1546 at Stortorget ("the Big Square"), although the facade is from the 1860s.

Malmö is part of the transnational Oresund Region and since 2000 the Oresund Bridge crosses the Oresund strait to Copenhagen. The bridge was inaugurated July 1, 2000, and measures 8 kilometres, with pylons reaching 204.5 metres vertically. The bridge has put in question the existence of ferries to Copenhagen, that since Malmö's foundation in the 12th century have been a matter of course.

Commuter trains pass the bridge every 20 minutes connecting Malmö, Copenhagen, and the Copenhagen Metro (inaugurated on Oct 19, 2002). Also some of the Intercity trains to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo, and Hamburg pass the bridge. All these trains stop at Copenhagen Airport.

Malmö, as the southern hub of the Swedish railway system and the western hub of the Scanian commuter train system, has excellent train connections. A night train line to Berlin, by ferry over the Baltic, has been in traffic since 1909.

In March of 2005, digging began on a new railroad connection called Citytunneln (The City Tunnel). The tunnel will run from under Malmö Central to Hyllievång (Hyllie Meadow), where it will emerge to connect with the Oresund Bridge, effectively changing Malmö Central from an end station to a through station. A new stop will also be built at Triangeln (The Triangle), an important square in the city surrouned by shopping, housing, and cultural attractions. At the emergence of the tunnel in Hylievång, a new shopping centre, sports hall, and hotel are to be built.

Beside the Copenhagen Airport, Malmö is also served by the Malmö-Sturup Airport that chiefly is used for low-cost carriers, charter flight routes, and domestic Swedish destinations.

Image:Tsujigiri - Malmo stadsdelar.png

Malmö's districts

The highway network was further improved in connection with the opening of the Oresund Bridge. European route E47 (formerly E6) follows the Swedish and Norwegian west coast from Malmö–Helsingborg to Kirkenes at Barents Sea. The European route to Jönköping–Stockholm (formerly E4) starts at Helsingborg. Main roads in direction of Växjö–Kalmar, Kristianstad–Karlskrona, Ystad, and Trelleborg start as freeways.

Malmö is sometimes referred to as the city of parks ("parkernas stad"), the largest two being Pildammsparken and Kungsparken, the long beaches, and a longtime tradition of decorating the city with plants and flowers of the season.

Biking is a popular means of transport, since Malmö is a city virtually without altitude differences and since the snow season is usually brief. A continuous network of bike roads, in intersections often with right of precedence over for cars, has in recent decades been a priority beside the rather extensive public transport system. The trolley cars were however abolished in 1973.

A Swedish deregulation of taxicabs in the 1990s turned out particularly advantageous for Malmö. The supply of cabs is good, and most operate to low fixed fares, usually arriving within three–four minutes if requested by phone, which is the most convenient. For tourists, however, it's advisable to compare prices.

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Economy

The economy of Malmö was traditionally based on shipbuilding (Kockums) and construction related industries, such as concrete factories. The region's leading university, with associated hi-tech and pharmaceutical industry, is located in nearby Lund. As a result, Malmö had a troubled economic situation following the mid-1970s. However, during the last few years there has been a revival. Contributing factors have been the economic integration brought about by the bridge, the university founded in 1998, and effects of integration into the European Union.

According to Dansk Folkeparti and domestic talk radio personalities, Malmö's 1970s-build low-status outer neighbourhoods, typically exemplified by its suburbs such as the district Rosengård ("Rose Garden"), are ghettos boiling with gangs and riots. In 2004, Fox News used Malmö as an example to demonstrate the danger of Muslim immigration to Europe [1]. The municipality of Malmö and the state of Sweden invest proportionally large sums on schools and other forms of social welfare in these quite segregated neighbourhoods.

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Education

Malmö has a variety of both public and private schools. One of the most notable private schools is Bladins, with an impeccable reputation and huge waiting lists. Malmö Borgarskola is the largest high school in the city, also holding the renowned IB school, one of the best in the World, rivaling that of London, Paris and New York. Other schools with old traditions are Malmö S:t Petri skola [2] and Malmö Latinskola.

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Higher education

Malmö has the country's eighth largest teaching site (Malmö Högskola) established in 1998, with 1,300 employees and 21,000 students (as of 2003). Also the Lund University (established in 1666) has some education located to Malmö.

World Maritime University is one of the best universities of its kind, had holds a variety of students from all over the world.. (http://www.wmu.se)

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Sites of interest

Image:Turning-Torso-Malmo.jpg

Turning Torso

The city is gaining in popularity as a tourist destination. It retains much historical charm with an "old town" section filled with small shops. Malmö also offers a late-medieval castle, housing a small city museum and a fairly large art gallery.

Nightlife and music scene are mainly centered around two places: Lilla Torg ("Little Square") is encircled by trendy pubs and upmarket night clubs, while the district of Möllevången ("the Mill Meadow") houses hang-outs for artists and good opportunities for live music.

In August each year a festival, Malmöfestivalen, fills the streets of Malmö with different kinds of cuisines and events, along with pickpocketeers.

Until its dismantling in 2002, the Kockumskranen, a huge crane of the shipyard Kockums was the landmark of Malmö.

An extension of the city library was finished in 2000, called the Light Hall, its walls are almost entirely made up of glass panels.

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Western Harbour

Västra Hamnen (The Western Harbour) used to be the location for heavy industry, but in 2001 was rebuilt, becoming the arguably most exclusive nighbourhood in Malmö. The apartment districts features exclusive uniquely designed small houses in a district known as Bo01, and adjacent is the spectaluar Turning Torso by designer Santiago Calatrava. This is a spectacular twisting skyscraper, with 190 metres (623 feet) the second highest residential building in Europe, and its siluette can be seen from around the Malmö area.

The beach Ribersborg in the western harbour, and is a shallow beach, stretching along Malmö's coast line. It is the site of Ribergsborgs Kallbadhus, an open air bath opened in the 1890s, where people go swimming all year round.

The long boardwalk at the beach has become a new favourite summer hang-out for the people of Malmö and is a popular place for bathing.

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Culture

The Old Cemetery (Gamla Kyrkogården), established in 1819 and today right in the city center, appalled William S. Burroughs when he visited Malmö briefly in the 1950s. In The Naked Lunch he notes that the city was dreadful since he could not find any open bar or cinema; thus there was nothing to do except staying in the hotel room, waiting for the ferry back to Copenhagen.

This was asserted by several other visitor to Malmö during the last decades, but today the image has changed, thanks to an opera house, several theaters, the connection to Copenhagen, and the closure of the old ship industry Kockums. The inaugruration of Malmö Högskola has attracted many students, and the lack of apartments for students in the studying at the nearby Lund University has also forced students to settle in Malmö.

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Sports

The best known football (soccer) team in Malmö is Malmö FF, who play in the top-level Allsvenskan. They had their period of glamour in the 1970s and 1980s, when they won the league several times. In 1979, they advanced to the finals of the European Cup, now the UEFA Champions League. The 1990s brought them nothing but difficulties, culminating in relegation in 1999, although they would return to the top flight at the first opportunity. However, several of the players with a foreign background have proven to be golden geese for the team. The Swedish-record transfer fee paid by Dutch power Ajax for Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2001 enabled the team to acquire several other players. The success of Ibrahimović, the Malmö-born son of Bosnian immigrants, proved that multi-ethnicity could work on the field, encouraging the addition of more immigrants to the team. And in 2004, they won the Allsvenskan for the first time in 15 years.

The second most notable team is Malmö Redhawks, in ice hockey. They were the creation of a millionaire and quickly rose to the highest rank in the 90's.

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