Helsingborg
From Freepedia
Helsingborg ['hɛlsiŋ'bɔrj] is located in southernmost Sweden with a population of 87,000, and is the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, which together with immediate surroundings has 121,000 inhabitants.
Helisngborg is located by the shore, Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city Elsinore (Helsingør) clearly visible on the other side of the strait of Öresund.
Helsingborg is with its old history and houses regarded as a scenic coastal city. The buildings are a blend of old styled stones churches and a fortress in the centre core, and new styled business buildings. Similarly the streets are alternatly wide avenues and small allyes.
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Industry
Helsingborg is a major regional centre of trade, transport and business. In 2001 Campus Helsingborg, a branch of University of Lund, opened in the former Tretorn rubber factories, founded by Henry Dunker. Three boat companies take people and cargo from and to Denmark around the clock, on the so called Helsingborg/Helsingør-route. A significant amount of Swedes travel the 20-minute journey to Helsingør (Elsinore) to buy large amounts of beer and occasionally get drunk, which they can do cheeply due to low Danish alcohol taxes. The Danish city Elsinore built a considerable amount of its industry on Swedish alcohol-tourists. As the Swedish alcohol taxes have been lowered and the currency changed, this is no longer so profitable for the Swedes though, but it still exists and the route is hugely popular with day-trippers going to Copenhagen or simply enjoying the views from the ferries.
Notable natives
- Dietrich Buxtehude
- Henrik Larsson Football/soccer player and one of the best scorers in Europe.
- Tina Nordström, A Swedish Chef known from TV but more eloquent.
- Henry Dunker
Sights
The nearby castle of Sofiero, that was the previous king Gustav VI Adolf's country mansion, and willed to the city of Helsingborg after his death in 1973, holds some very large gardens with a wide range of local (and other) plantlife situated at the Öresund shore some kilometres to the North.
