Follow
The town and municipality Kalmar, Småland, Sweden
Kalmar (/ˈkɑːlmɑːr/) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. Kalmar is situated in the province Småland. It is also the capital of Kalmar County. (Focus for this project group is the town and municipality - not the county Kalmar.)
From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries, Kalmar was one of Sweden's most important cities. Between 1602 and 1913 it was the episcopal see of Kalmar Diocese, with a bishop, and the Kalmar Cathedral from 1702 is still a fine example of classicistic architecture. It became a fortified city, with the Kalmar Castle as the center. After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, Kalmar's importance diminished, until the industry sector was initiated in the 19th century.
History
The area around Kalmar has been inhabited since ancient times. Excavations have found traces of stone age gravefields. However, the oldest evidence for there being a town is from the 11th century. According to a medieval folk tale, the Norwegian king Saint Olav had his ships moved to Kalmar. The oldest city seal of Kalmar is from somewhere between 1255 and 1267, making it the oldest known city seal in Scandinavia.
In the 12th century the first foundations of a castle were established, with the construction of a round tower for guard and lookout. The tower was continuously expanded in the 13th century, and as such, Queen Margaret called an assembly there between the heads of state of Sweden and Norway, and on 13 July 1397, the Kalmar Union treaty was signed, which would last until 1523. Kalmar's strategic location, near the Danish border (at the time the Scanian lands, i.e. the provinces of Blekinge, Halland and Scania, were part of Denmark), and its harbour and trade, also involved it in several feuds. There are two events independently labelled the Kalmar Bloodbath, 1505: the first in 1505, when King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had the mayor and city council of Kalmar executed; the second in 1599 by command of Duke Charles, later to become King Charles IX of Sweden.
Kalmar Castle
In the 1540s, first King Gustav Vasa, and later his sons Erik XIV of Sweden and John III of Sweden would organize a rebuilding of the castle into the magnificent Renaissance castle it is today.
Kalmar became a diocese in 1603, a position it held until 1915. In 1634, Kalmar County was founded, with Kalmar as the natural capital. In 1660, the Kalmar Cathedral was begun by drawings of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. It would be inaugurated in 1703.
In 1611–1613, it suffered in the Kalmar War, which began with a Danish siege of Kalmar Castle. 1611 is mentioned as the darkest year of Kalmar's history, but by no means the only dark year; much blood has been shed in the vicinity of the castle. The last was during the Scanian War in the 1670s, so there have been 22 sieges altogether; however the castle was never taken.
After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, the strategic importance of Kalmar gradually diminished as the borders were redrawn further south. In 1689, the King established his main naval base further south in Karlskrona and Kalmar lost its status as one of Sweden's main military outposts.
Kalmar Cathedral
The new city of Kalmar built on Kvarnholmen around the mid-1600s. The transfer from the old town was largely completed 1658th The new, fortified town was planned after the current renaissance ideals. According to this pattern were placed church and town hall across from each other at a major square Stortorget Kalmar. The cathedral was built, designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and is one of the foremost examples of baroque classicism in Sweden. Kalmar Cathedral drawing series reflects the complex interaction between the new style, liturgical considerations, tradition and the fortress-city requirements. The work began in 1660, but it was interrupted on several occasions, including when the Scanian War (1675–1679) raged. Construction resumed, and Kalmar Cathedral stood finished in 1703.
Reference:
- Kalmar på svenska https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmar
- Kalmar suomeksi https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmar
- Kalmar in english https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmar (Read 2018-04-08.)
To this group you can add profiles that were born, lived or died in one of these parishes:
- Kalmar domkyrkoförsamling,
- Förlösa-Kläckeberga församling,
- Dörby församling
- Hossmo församling
- Ryssby församling
- Åby församling
- Ljungby församling
- Arby-Hagby församling
- Halltorp-Voxtorps församling
- Karlslunda-Mortorps församling
- Kalmar S:t Johannes församling
- Heliga Korsets församling
- S:ta Birgitta församling
- Två systrars församling.
This is a cooperation project - the aim is to help each find common ancestors.
This project group was started in April 8th, 2018. Focus is on the town or municipality Kalmar - not on the county Kalmar (Kalmar län).
- Add as much geographical information you can, information about, the farm, the parish, municipality and so on, where the person lived or died.
- Share information about which source or archives you have used. It can help others to find information about their ancestors.
- A lot of people in Sweden got the same or similar names. Add information that can help family researchers to distinguish one person from another
- If possible, share information in several languages.
- Your ancestors are always shared by several persons. Help each other.
Sharing is caring.
Kalmar is a subgroup to the project about the province t Småland
There are other town or municipality-projects in Sweden:
Borås I Göteborg I Eskilstuna I Kalmar I Sundswall I Södertälje I Visby I Västerås I