The city with a short and unique history, is were we live. The place is called Örnsköldsvik. It has quite few inhabitants 52000, but it's just as big as the province Blekinge. The countryside is very beautiful and it lies in the heart of the high coast world heritage. Örnsköldsvik is one of the many towns which was planned. It is built here because, it was too far to the nearest towns. Here we have a good harbour and it's not too far from the coast. Two of the founders worth mention are the governor Hampus Mörner and the priest Carl-Johan Holm. They suggested the foundation of a town in the middle of the nineteenth century. The town was built in squares, the streets are straight and the market is big because they sold home made things there.

The work of the local folklore society

Göte Nordmar, chairman in the Ödberg society, a group that is working with the history of Örnsköldsvik. He tells us the importance of keeping history in mind. - To be aware of your home town is important. If you don't know anything about the past, you cant shape the future, he says.

- Why wouldn´t we want to be aware of and remember our beautiful buildings and active people? When we ask him how their organisation works, he answers: - We are a group of 400 members, most pensioners. We have taken it as our duty to manage the community centre which is the oldest house in this town. We have also different projects and study circles. We repair and maintain the building and have exhibitions there.	Ödberg community centre.
We asked him how to get youth interested in history. He lets out a loud sigh and tells us that they are thinking about this a lot and are trying to figure out how to inform young people. He also tells us that they have made a virtual reality tour of the town as it looked like in 1905. - That is one of our ways for trying to get youth interested in their home town! Trade and industry in Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik started as a market town. During the twentieth century it has become an industrial town. The main industries are wood industry (MoDo) and engineering industry (Hägglunds). Örnsköldsvik have today is good for shopping and manufactory. Örnsköldsvik today Örnsköldsvik today is more modern. But a lot of people have moved away to bigger or other cities. The train station is only for oil and wood transportation. Today we are building a railway with faster trains that will keep the youth from moving away for studies. You can now live here and go by train to the nearest university. In the future it will be running all over the north part of Sweden. Many older people like to look back at the old days and see the good things and the fine buildings that remain.
Facts * 1842 The plan started. * 1844 The first man arrived and settled down. * 1863 The street lights started gloving. * 1870 Side walks were built. * 1870 650 people lived here. * 1894 Örnsköldsvik became a town. * 1890 The first bank opened. * 1892 The railroad was built. * 1898 The harbour expaed it's activities. * 1970 Parkskolan was built. What do you know about your home town?

© 2003 Freeway
Writers: Evelina Sahlén(sp04-44@park.se), Anneli Byström (sp04-04@park.se).
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