Uppvidinge Kommun

The name Uppvidinge, which translates as "Upper Forest Area", delivers what it promises, because the region on the southernmost foothills of the southern Swedish highlands is covered to 80 percent of forest. Almost the entire area of the Uppvidinge Kommun is 200 meters above sea level, some elevations are up to 300 meters high.

The dense forests are interrupted by around 230 lakes, each larger than one hectare. By far the largest lake is the 11.5-square-kilometer Madkrocken near Norrhult-Klavreström, which Uppvidinge shares with the neighboring municipality Växjö.

The Uppvidinge Kommun is relatively sparsely populated and is below the already low population density of about 20 inhabitants per square kilometer in Småland – in Uppvidinge there are just about eight inhabitants per square kilometer. A region that might invite you to dangle your soul in nature. Spend relaxed time on a secluded forest lake fishing, swimming or doing nothing, hiking through the vast forests or one of the more than 20 nature reserves.

The municipality Uppvidinge forms the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Crystal, the region famous for its numerous glassworks in Småland. In the municipality itself, however, there is only the small, but very interesting craft glassworks Hauges Hantverksglas in Alstermo, where normal bottles or other glass are recycled to decorative objects.

Anyone who succumbs to the charm of so-called Lost Places has to visit the decommissioned large glassworks Rosdala Glasbruk, now declared an industrial monument. Not abandoned, but about 800 years older and only 10 kilometers from there, you find Granhults Kyrka, the oldest surviving medieval wooden church in the whole of Sweden.

The geographical location of the Uppvidinge Kommun at the three provinces of Kronobergs-, Jönköpings- and Kalmar Län makes it possible to reach many tourist hotspots in Småland. The provincial capital Växjö with its great cultural offerings is located in the immediate neighborhood, as are well-known glassworks such as the Kosta Glasbruk in the southern neighboring municipality Lessebo.

Incidentally, Uppvidinge Kommun is one of the very few municipalities in Sweden that does not bear the name of their capital. Main town of the municipality is Åseda, a small town with nearly 2,600 inhabitants and at the same time the largest locality in the municipality.

In total, there are just 9,600 inhabitants living in the approximately 1,230 square kilometer municipality. They are located to 2/3 into five towns with more than 200 inhabitants, led by Åseda, Lenhovda with about 1,800 inhabitants and Norrhult-Klavreström with about 1,200 inhabitants.