Malmö
Metropolis at the Öresund
Malmö is not only the capital of Skåne County but with about 280,000 residents the third largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and Gothenborg.
The city on the Öresund is characterized by the contrast between old and new and a multicultural flair. Until the turn of the millennium, Malmö was a gray city; affected by the consequences of the decline of industries. Economically, Malmö has become a center for services and the development of new technologies. Extensive construction have given the city a modern face.
The cultural offer and the opportunities for leisure activities are extensive and appropriate to a modern city. There are also strong multicultural influences, which are reflected in a wide variety of over 600 different restaurants, cafes and bars.
Destinations & attractions in Malmö
History of Malmö
The emergence of Malmö in the mid-13th century dates back to the founding of a landing site that was operated by the archbishop of Lund. Lund was the seat of the archbishop for Scandinavia since 1106 and was the most important city in southern Sweden. This landing site at the Öresund should provide a quick route to the Danish capital Copenhagen.
The expansion of the small town Malmö contributed especially in the rich fishing grounds off the coast. Malmö was behind Skanör and Falsterbo the most used landing site by foreign merchants. The city then received its town charter in 1353, expanded and became the most important city in Skåne. Its medieval heyday experienced Malmö in the 15th century, also strongly shaped by the influences of the German Hanseatic.
Between the 13th and 17th century, the city was again and again the scene of clas hes between Danes and Swedes. Not until 1658 were all southern Swedish provinces that belonged to Denmark, finally explained to Swedish territory.
The Malmö port was built not until the end of the 18th century and the town benefited particularly strongly from the industrial revolution in the 19th century. With the emergence of a local shipbuilding industry, the population increased sharply and from 1900 Malmö displaced Norrköping as the third largest city in Sweden.
From the 1970s Malmö had to fight through the social impact of the economic crisis because of the decline of the shipbuilding and other industries. A change for the better took place with the construction of the Öresund bridge in 1995.
A short time later it was decided to host the Bo01, a urban fair. For this purpose, the area at the western harbor was built into a completely new suburb. The landmark of this district is the 2005 completed Turning Torso, with 190 meters the tallest skyscraper in Scandinavia. The economic problems are past and Malmö has now become a part of the most important economic region in northern Europe.