Säffle Municipality

Säffle Municipality
Säffle kommun
Municipality

Coat of arms
Country Sweden
County Värmland County
Seat Säffle
Area[1]
 • Total 2,497.51 km2 (964.29 sq mi)
 • Land 1,220.78 km2 (471.35 sq mi)
 • Water 1,276.73 km2 (492.95 sq mi)
  Area as of January 1, 2014.
Population (June 30, 2016)[2]
 • Total 15,511
 • Density 6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code SE
Province Värmland and Dalsland
Municipal code 1785
Website www.saffle.se

Säffle Municipality (Säffle kommun) is a municipality in Värmland County in west central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Säffle.

Säffle was the last local government unit in Sweden to get the title of a city, in 1951. In 1952 the system with different types of municipalities was made obsolete, but it formally existed until 1971. The present municipality was created in that year, when the city was amalgamated with the surrounding rural municipalities.

The municipality covers a peninsula in Lake Vänern (Värmlandsnäs), and has a large fresh water archipelago.

Värmlandsnäs

Värmlandsnäs, also called Näset, is a big and important part of the municipality. The area which reaches out into the middle of Lake Vänern as a big peninsula is very significant to the economy by the produce of pork. The area supplies more than 200,000 people with pork.

Näset also has a wonderful archipelago on the east side. The boat people talk very well of Millesvik Archipelago (Millesviks skärgård), which also has a lot of old runestones and other ancient monuments.

From Ekenäs harbor you can take the tourist boat to Lurö, a small island in Lake Vänern. At Lurö you can dine and stay over night.

Many people who visit Värmlandsnäs in the summer wants to take a swim in Lake Vänern. The opportunities are plenty and good. At Ekenäs you will find a very nice bathing place. From this place you can almost walk all the way out to Lurö. Other popular bathing places are Ekôrn and the bathing place at Örud near Örö harbor (Örö hamn).

Some interesting stories from Värmlandsnäs

When Sweden was a poor country and the gold rush started in America a lot of Swedes emigrated to America, it even started a long time before that era. A genealogist has found out that one of the most famous actors in America, Julia Roberts, has her roots in Värmlandsnäs.

The next story is a modern fairy tale and the person is still alive and all of it is true:

An emigrated brother visited his brother in Gaperhult, Värmlandsnäs, and felt bad for his old brother who had to drive on a bad road every time he had to buy something. He decided to do something for his brother and when he got back home to America he donated $1,000,000 to build a new road for his brother and the people who live in Värmlandsnäs. The next year he visited his brother and they could take a trip on the new road "Dollarvägen" (Dollar Road).

Localities

Government and politics

The municipal commissioner of Säffle Municipality is Daniel Bäckström and he was elected in 2006. He represents the Centre Party.

Distribution of the 41 seats in the municipal council after the 2010 election:

Results of the Swedish general election, 2010 in Säffle:

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Säffle Municipality is twinned with:

Norway Hol, Norway
Denmark Tørring, Denmark
Finland Mäntyharju, Finland
Estonia Antsla, Estonia[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Statistiska centralbyrån, Kommunarealer den 1 januari 2014" (Microsoft Excel) (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  2. ↑ "Folkmängd i riket, län och kommuner 30 juni 2016" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Antsla valla arengukava 2003–2012" (in Estonian). Antsla vald. p. 81. Retrieved 23 July 2011.

Coordinates: 59°08′N 12°56′E / 59.133°N 12.933°E / 59.133; 12.933

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