Karlskrona

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**Karlskrona**
Image:Karlskrona in Sweden.png	City arms
	[[[:Template:Coor URL]]56_11_N_15_39_E 56° 11´ N 15° 39´ E]
	Charter	City (1680)
	Municipality	Karlskrona Municipality
	County	Blekinge County
	Province	Blekinge
	Population	32,606 (2005)

Template:Infobox World Heritage Site

Karlskrona is a city in south-eastern Sweden. It is the seat of Karlskrona Municipality and of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only Naval base.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Today
4 Parishes
5 Education
6 See also
7 External links

Geography

The city centre is located on the islet of Trossö. The islet of Stumholmen was formerly property of the Navy but today it houses a Naval Museum.

History

The city was founded in 1680 when the Royal Swedish Navy was relocated there. Its name is derived from King Charles XI of Sweden and means Charles's Crown.

Image:Fredrikskyrkan Karlskrona.jpg

Fredrikskyrkan in Karlskrona, at the market square

Image:Heliga Trefaldighetskyrkan Karlskrona.JPG

Heliga Trefaldighetskyrkan (Holy Trinity Church), or Tyska Kyrkan (The German Church), also at the market square

The buildings that were built at the foundation of Karlskrona in the 17th and early 18th century are still standing. Fredrikskyrkan was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, who was influenced by European architecture. The foundation of that church were laid in 1720, and it was inaugurated in 1744. It differs from usual Swedish churches in its yellow color and its adornment.

The church Heliga Trefaldighetskyrkan, also called The German Church, was built between 1697-1709, following Tessin's drawings. It is likewise located at the market square in the centre core. The dome-shaped roof takes its influence from Italian architecture and is rarely seen on Swedish churches.

The third city church is the Karlskrona Admiralty Church, built in 1685, in red-painted wood.

The shipyard in Karlskrona was established almost at the same time as the city. It was a necessity because of the heavy losses the Swedish Navy had suffered in 1689. In 1711, the shipyard was Sweden's largest industrial employer with 1,100 workers. In 1750, Karlskrona had about 10,000 inhabitants, a high number for a Swedish city at that time. The oldest dock, the Polhem dock, is cut in the cliff itself and is still in use today. It also got its name from Christopher Polhem ("Sweden's DaVinci", a man with several inventions still in use to day that originate from his designs).

The city has also kept its street structure since its foundation.

The naval installations there has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1981 the Cold War-incident with the Soviet submarine U 137 occurred in the archipelago just outside Karlskrona. This triggered a serious situation between Sweden and the Soviet Union at the time.

Today

The most important day in Karlskrona is the day before midsummers eve. On that day a big fair takes place and attracts tens of thousands to visit Karlskrona. The fair is called Lövmarknaden - the Leaf fair - and is very popular among the locals.

Karlskrona's market place is the biggest in Scandinavia, and actually the second biggest in Europe, after the Red Square of Moscow.

Every year in late July/early August a popular festival called The Sail takes place in the harbor of Karlskrona. Usually it is a place where families go to have something to eat and drink, and perhaps watch the sailing boats lined up at the pier. During the sail, the seascouts of Karlskrona will row a boat carrying torches along the docks while playing the national anthems for the visiting ships.