Västerviks Kommun

Västerviks Kommun with its central city Västervik, which is nicknamed the archipelago city in Småland, is a very popular holiday region not only because of its particularly beautiful location on the multi-faceted coast.

Immediately on the coast, the landscape consists of numerous rocky elevations, is highly rugged and criss-crossed by some bays reaching far into the country. Off the coast is the archipelago of Tjust, consisting of about 5,000 rocky and mostly forested islands. Almost the entire region is densely forested to the coast. The tree population mainly consists of pine trees, larger oak and birch trees, as well as some spruce.

Water is an above average frequently encountered element in the region. Apart from the coast, it also appears in the shape of more than 550 lakes. The largest lake is the nearly 15 square kilometer Yxern, located in the municipality Västervik and the Vimmerby Kommun in the west. It is also the largest lake in Kalmar Län.

The city Västervik is measured by Swedish standards, rather a medium sized city. With several supermarkets in the outer area and numerous smaller shops in the city center, Västervik is effectively the shopping metropolis in northeastern Småland.

In the summer months, the tourist popularity of Västervik is not deniable from well-stocked restaurants, sidewalk cafés and the hustle and bustle in the city center. On special occasions, such as the well-known annual folk music festival Västerviks Visfestivalen in the ruin of Stegeholm Castle, the city can get really busy. During the festival, there is even a special timetable for the Museum Railway connecting Hultsfred and Västervik, which takes visitors directly to the city center.

The municipality of Västervik is the largest municipality in southern Sweden with an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers. With only around 36,500 inhabitants, however, the population density of 19.5 inhabitants per square kilometer is just below the national average.

Apart from the city of Västervik, which alone accounts for around 21,000 inhabitants, the population density in the surrounding region is much lower. The nearest major town Gamleby has just under 2,800 inhabitants, followed by Ankarsrum, Överum and Gunnebo, each with 1,000 to 1,200 inhabitants.