Västerås
From Freepedia
Västerås [vɛstər'oːs] is a Swedish town in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Westmannia, 100 km west of Stockholm. The town has a population of just above 100,000, and is the seat of Västerås Municipality which has 130,000 inhabitants (Sweden's sixth largest).
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History
Västerås is one of the oldest cities of Sweden. The name originates from Västra Aros, which refers to the estuary of the river Svartån. The area had been populated from Nordic Viking Age, before 1000 AD. In the beginning of the 11th century, it was the second largest city in Sweden, and in the 12th century became seat of the bishop.
In the ensuing centuries a cathedral and a monastery were built. The first City Arms is from the end of the 13th century.
Rudbeckianska Gymnasiet, the first gymnasium (high school) in Sweden, was built in Västerås by Johannes Rudbeckius in 1623.
In the 18th and 19th century the growing of cucumbers was frequent, and Västerås received the nickname "City of Cucumbers", which may be heard still today.
Today
Västerås wants to distinguish itself as Västerås - Mälarstaden, which would translate to "Västerås -- the city by lake Mälaren", in order to attract tourists, inhabitants and students for the Mälardalen University (the University is only about 10 years old, but is significant with some 13,000 students). To this effect, they are using a designed symbol in all official contexts, replacing the coat of arms.
Industry
Asea Brown Boveri, formerly ASEA, has one of it main locations at Västerås. Other major industries include transportation like Bombardier with several distribution centers, copper smiths like Outokumpu Copper and IT. University College of Mälardalen is located in Västerås and shared with the city of Eskilstuna.
Gallery
 The Vasa park |
 The City Hotel |
 The Turbine House |
Notable natives
- Mai Zetterling, actress
- Einar Andersson
- Pontus Kåmark, football player (national team)
- Pugh Rogefeldt, musician
See also
External link
- Västerås - Official site
