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Linköping
Central square in Linköping
Motto: Where Ideas Become Reality (Där idéer blir verklighet)
Linköping
Coordinates: 58°24′N 15°37′E / 58.4°N 15.617°E / 58.4; 15.617Coordinates: 58°24′N 15°37′E / 58.4°N 15.617°E / 58.4; 15.617
Country	Sweden
Province	Östergötland
County	Östergötland County
Municipality	Linköping Municipality
Area [1]
- Total	42.01 km2 (16.2 sq mi)
Population (2005-12-31)[1]
- Total	97,428
- Density	2,319/km2 (6,006.2/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	www.linkoping.se

Linköping [ˈlɪnɕøːpɪŋ] is a city in southern Sweden, with 97,428 inhabitants in 2005.^[1] It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 140,367 inhabitants (2007) and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church of Sweden) and is well known for its cathedral.

Linköping is the center of an old cultural region and celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1987. Nowadays Linköping is known for its university and its high-technology industry. Dominating the city's skyline from afar is the steeple of the cathedral.

The city is situated south of lake Roxen (which is part of the historically important water paths Motala ström and the Göta Canal) where the main road from Stockholm to Helsingborg crosses the river Stångån (and Kinda kanal).

This road was part of the Eriksgata route that the newly elected king had to travel according to medieval Swedish Law. In the 20th century road system, it was first called Riksettan (national highway no 1). It is currently called E4 and has been redirected to pass outside the city on the north side. Further contributing to Linköping's excellent communications is its situation on the main southern railway line connecting Stockholm with Malmö and Danish capital Copenhagen. There is also a minor airport, Linköping SAAB Airport.

History

Linköping Cathedral seen from East.

Linköping seen from West, in the Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna.

Hunnebergsgatan: an old street with preserved older buildings.

The city is possibly named after the Lionga ting assembly which according to Medieval Scandinavian laws was the most important ting in Östergötland. Exact location of the Lionga ting is not known, but it was along the Eriksgata.

Historically, Linköping is famed for being an early diocese, second in Sweden (within its pre-1658 boundaries) only to Skara. The diocese is first mentioned in 1104 in the so-called "List of Florence" (Lionga. Kaupinga). The monastery of Vreta Kloster near Roxen north of Linköping was established in 1128, and the oldest parts of the cathedral are also from the 12th century (although it has been changed many times since then, the eye-catching tower with copper roofing being a 19th century product). At several occasions, attempts to achieve a separate Swedish archdiocese were based in Linköping, though when they finally were successful in 1164, Uppsala was chosen instead.

Religious centers tend to become educational centers, and Linköping was no exception. A cathedral school can be traced from 1266. In 1627 the current Linköping cathedral school was established, making it the third oldest gymnasium in Sweden.

Also, Linköping was the site for the final settlement of the dispute between king Sigismund III Vasa and his uncle Duke Charles, the latter prevailing in the battle of Stångebro (today a sports field near central Linköping) on September 25, 1598. This ultimately led to the rise to the throne of Charles (de facto at the Riksdag at Linköping in 1600 and formally four years later) and the end of the short-lived Swedish-Polish personal union, as well as the execution of five of Charles's political opponents on the main square of Linköping on March 20, 1600.

Linköping was a relatively small town until 1937, when the Saab aircraft industry was formed, starting a period of rapid expansion. Linköping University was established in the 1960s. Today the city is a center of high-technology and software industry.

Culture

The headquarters of regional utilities company, Tekniska Verken, at Stångebro

Linköping is Sweden's fifth largest city and growing, both geographically and in population. The city offers a wealth of leisure activities to people of all ages. Residents and visitors are able to enjoy art, theatre, history, concerts, markets, festivals and sporting events.

Special sights of interests are: the locks of Berg on the Göta Canal, the locks of the Kinda Canal, Gamla Linköping, Vallaskogen and Valla fritidsområde (Old Linköping, Valla Wood, and the Valla recreational area), Flygvapenmuseum (the Air Force Museum), Linköping's domkyrka (the Cathedral), Slotts- och domkyrkomuseet (the Castle and Cathedral Museum) and Östergötlands Länsmuseum (the Östergötland County Museum). Konsthallen Passagen is an art gallery located in the main square.

The city centre possesses a wide range of shops and restaurants, including many which are small and specialise.

Tornby, to the north of the city centre, is a vast shopping area with huge retail outlets and immense parking lots. The names of the larger stores in Tornby will be familiar to the average Swedish consumer.

LHC (Linköping's Hockey Club) is premier-league ice hockey team which plays its games in the Cloetta Center. LFC is its soccer counterpart.

The city and its environs offer all sorts of green landscapes to see and experience. Two examples are a park named after the group responsible for it, Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society), and the Tinnerö area with its oak woodland. Local bodies of water include the lakes Roxen, Rängen and Järnlunden, the River Stångån/Kinda Canal and the Göta Canal with the Berg locks. These areas can be accessed by foot, bicycle, or boat.

Linköping is the home of the Linköping Symphony Orchestra. The city is one of the sites of the Östergötland Music Days each summer, and the host of the Student Orchestra Festival in May every other year. One of the most notable choirs in Linköping is the Linköping University Male Voice Choir.

The area around the main square was re-planned in the 1960s and many old houses were destroyed. Some, however, were moved to Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping), in the city's western part, neighbouring the university's main campus. It is a living museum environment and a popular site with both residents and tourists.

Many pubs, restaurants, and night clubs are found on or near a street named Ågatan.

Sport

Teams from Linköping are prominent in Volleyball ("Linköpings VC") and ice hockey (Linköpings HC (see above), or "Cluben" as some fans refer to it). The hockey team allied itself with Linköping's women's football (soccer) team and created Linköpings FC, which plays in the highest division. The team won the Swedish Cup in 2006. The city continues to lack a first-class men's team in football (soccer) with Linköpings FF in one of the lower divisions. The world's largest floorball club Linköping Innebandy Klubb have its home arena in central Linköping.

Industry

One of the biggest employers in Linköping is Saab which among other products manufactures the SAAB Gripen fighter jet and where the SAAB 340 twin-engine commuter turboprop was produced. The city also has a strong presence in information technology based industries such as Sectra, IFS (Industrial and Financial Systems), Motorola, Ericsson, Cambio Healthcare Systems AB, and many others. Toyota Industries Sweden AB has a presence in Linköping, as one of its subsidiaries, BT Industries, is located in nearby Mjölby. The Swedish Air Force Museum is located near the town.

Notable Residents

See also

• Diocese of Linköping
• Roundabout dog
• Linköping University

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Linköping is twinned with:

• Guangzhou, China^[2]
• Oradea, Romania

References

External links

• Linköpings kommun - Official site (English)
• [1] - The official visitors guide to Linköping
• [2] - Regional event guide for Linköping and the rest of Östergötland
• lkpg.nu Local event guide for Linköping.
• Architecture in Linköping - Site with facts about architecture in Linköping with a lot of pictures of buildings. (Swedish)
• Linköping University

Linköping is one of 133 places with the historical city status in Sweden.

Municipalities and seats of Östergötland County Municipalities Åtvidaberg · Boxholm · Finspång · Kinda · Linköping · Mjölby · Motala · Norrköping · Ödeshög · Söderköping · Vadstena · Valdemarsvik · Ydre Municipal seats Åtvidaberg · Boxholm · Finspång · Kisa · Linköping · Mjölby · Motala · Norrköping · Ödeshög · Österbymo · Söderköping · Vadstena · Valdemarsvik Counties of Sweden · Sweden

Administrative seats of Swedish counties (län) Falun • Gävle • Gothenburg • Halmstad • Jönköping • Kalmar • Karlskrona • Karlstad • Linköping • Luleå • Malmö • Nyköping • Örebro • Östersund • Stockholm • Sundsvall • Umeå • Uppsala • Västerås • Växjö • Visby

50 most populous urban areas in the Nordic countries  Denmark ·  Finland ·  Iceland ·  Norway ·  Sweden 1.  Stockholm 1,252,000 2.  Copenhagen 1,167,569 3.  Helsinki 1,027,635 4.  Oslo 876,391 5.  Gothenburg 510,500 6.  Malmö 258,000 7.  Turku 248,598 8.  Århus 239,865 9.  Bergen 227,752 10.  Tampere 209,748 11.  Reykjavík 195,000 12.  Stavanger 189,828 13.  Trondheim 160,072 14.  Odense 152,100 15.  Uppsala 144,839 16.  Oulu 137,370 17.  Jyväskylä 128,114 18.  Aalborg 122,461 19.  Västerås 107,000 20.  Fredrikstad 101,698 21.  Lahti 100,444 22.  Örebro 98,200 23.  Linköping 97,400 24.  Drammen 96,563 25.  Kuopio 91,845 26.  Helsingborg 91,500 27.  Kouvola 88,396 28.  Skien 86,923 29.  Jönköping 84,400 30.  Norrköping 83,600 31.  Pori 75,562 32.  Lund 76,200 33.  Umeå 75,600 34.  Joensuu 72,167 35.  Esbjerg 71,900 36.  Lappeenranta 70,210 37.  Gävle 68,700 38.  Kristiansand 67,547 39.  Hämeenlinna 66,257 40.  Borås 63,400 41.  Södertälje 60,300 42.  Eskilstuna 60,200 43.  Randers 59,842 44.  Rovaniemi 59,274 45.  Vaasa 58,607 46.  Täby 58,593 47.  Karlstad 58,500 48.  Seinäjoki 56,578 49.  Kolding 56,249 50.  Halmstad 55,688

From Wikitravel

Linköping [1] (pronounced "Linshooping") is Sweden's fifth biggest municipality. It is in the northern part of the Götaland region and is the capital of Östergötland county. It has about 135,000 inhabitants in the municipality, including some countryside, and just under 100,000 in the city proper.

The city has the advantage of being a major city with all that it entails yet retaining the cozy quiet small town feel, largely due to the lack of tall buildings (a result of the military airfield just outside the city).

The cathedral in wintry Linköping

Understand

Linköping is the clerical and administrative centre in a rich farmland district, the province and county Östergötland.

In the "battle of Stångebro" in 1598, the city fought on the Catholic side and lost. A memorial of the following "bloodbath of Linköping" is found outside the city hall.

• Skavsta Airport [2] - Used by Ryanair. Lies 100km north-east of Linköping. A shuttle bus [3] (90 min) overland link between central Linköping and Skavsta airport. Departs from the Resecentrum.

• Linköping Airport [4] - Flights almost only to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Riga and Copenhagen.

• Norrköping Airport [5] - Flights almost only to Visby, München and Copenhagen.

By train

The Linköping train station (Resecentrum) lies less than ten minutes walk from the center of the town. SJ [6] train journey's from Stockholm can take as little as 80 minutes and cost as little as 95 SEK.

By bus

Long-distance buses leave from Fjärrbussterminalen which is about 400m north of of the Resecentrum, past where the local buses are departing. It's on the same side of the road as the train station.

• Swebus Express, ☎ +46-771-218218, [7]. Linköping is part of the wide network of Swebus Express services, with journeys to Stockholm (2-3 hours), Gothenburg (4 hours) and Malmö (6 hours). Swebus is the most frequent, running sometimes more than 1 service per hour to Stockholm. If there's enough people it'll run express.  edit
• Bus4you, ☎ +46-771-444000 (info@bus4you.se), [8]. A smaller bus company running more comfortable buses (only 3 seats across) Göteborg-Borås-Jönköping-Linköping-Stockholm several times daily but less frequently than Swebus.  edit

• 200km south of Stockholm on the E4. Very good road (2h drive).

• 45km south of Norrköping on the E4. Very good road (30 min drive).

• 450km north of Malmö/Copenhagen on the E4. Very good road (5h drive).

Get around

By bus

All bus lines originate at Resecentrum. You'll also find a reception desk there where you can find timetables or get help. The local bus company is called Östgötatrafiken [9]. They also run the buses and trains in the rest of Östergötland and is the cheapest way to get around.

It's not possible to pay cash for a ticket on the bus. You can get ticket in Quickomats, some stores and at the bus station (Resecentrum). It's also possible to buy an SMS-ticket, information how to do that can be found at [10]. The ticket is valid for a limited time (usually 1 hour) so you can use the same ticket for more than 1 trip.

You can also buy a bus card. It is a magnetic strip card and you can load money in it. The advantage is that each trip fare is cheaper than the normal fare. You'll find more info about tickets and fares at [11]

Taxi

Taxis are on the expensive side. The meter is used to control the cost but always make sure that this is set when commencing a journey.

Bike

Linköping was announced the Swedish biking city of the year in 2002. Most students use bikes to get around and it is recommended you get one if your stay is extended. When you have a bike, the special bike map [12] might be useful. There are also recommended routes [13] available for those who want to combine nature with tourist sights. Paper versions are available at the tourist information office and in bike shops.

S:t Lars Kyrka

• Linköping Cathedral [14]. The first church was built on this site in the 12th century, and was expanded regularly over the following centuries, culminating on the 19th-century tower. Linköping is said to have had the first Christian bishop in Sweden, in a time when Lund was Danish and Uppsala was pagan.

• Linköping Castle [15], from the 13th century, was the bishop's residence until the Lutheran reformation in the 16th century. Now it is the residence of the sheriff (landshövding) for Östergötland county. The castle also houses a small museum.

• The City Hall [16] (stadshuset) was erected as a secondary school (läroverk) in 1864. Above its entrance is the Latin phrase "Initium sapientie timor Domini" (fear of the Lord is the beginning of all learning). This power triangle is on the crest of a minor hill from which the city's main street (Storgatan) slopes down to the main square (Stortorget) and further down to the bridge (Stångebro) across river Stångån. In its extension, this street was part of the old country road to Norrköping and Stockholm.

• Public Buildings. Situated around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and a sports house (gymnastikhuset [17]) built in 1881. The current library was built in 1998, but the collections of the old cathedral library date back to before Gutenberg. Further north are the concert hall (Konsert & Kongress), the county museum (Östergötlands länsmuseum) next to the Raoul Wallenberg plaza, and two secondary schools (Katedralskolan, Berzeliusskolan).

• Gamla Linköping. Valla fritidsområde. Old style town.

• Gamla Linköping [18] and Valla fritidsområde together have over 20 museums.

• The Swedish Air Force Museum [19] in the suburb of Malmen features over a hundred aircraft from the early 20th century to the modern age. Due to expansion, the Museum will be closed from March 2, 2009 until the Grand Opening in June, 2010.

• IT-ceum [20] is a computer and computing museum, located in Mjärdevi Science Park where you will find many of Linköping's IT companies. The museum covers both ancient Swedish computers and more current events, such as the demo scene with its realtime multimedia productions. The exhibitions describe both the technical and the social aspects of computing. The museum's signs are both in Swedish and in English. Free entry.

• Linköpings Slotts- & Domkyrkomuseum [21] - a museum that shows the town's history as a seat for bishops since the 12th century.

• Visit Linköping Cathedral. Don't miss the organ concertos.

• Walk around the city.

• Gamla Linköping, Vallaskogen (Kryddbodtorget 1) (About 2km west of Linköping central. North of Vallaskogen), [22]. Walk around and explore the old houses  edit

• Take in a hockey game, at Linköping HC's new arena - Cloetta Center, just 5 minutes walk from the city centre.

• During the semester, talk to the students at the university. Many of them will be glad to show you a good time!

• Boat trip on the Kinda canal [23].

• Visit the relaxing Linköpings Trädgårdsförening park in the central area.

• Kisa to Boxholm following the Malexandermorden trail by car.

• SF Bio, Ågatan 39, ☎ 08 562 600 00, [24]. Catch a movie at the SF Bio cinema  edit

• When in Gamla Linköping, visit Kanevad [25] woodshop art and Cloettas Chokladbod [26].

• In the city center you have a couple of malls, Filbytergallerian [27], Gyllen Gallerian and Gränden [28].

• Tornby is a shopping center to the north of Linköping that has several big stores and a big mall IKANO-huset [29] next to IKEA [30].

• Siam Shop, Storgatan 6, ☎ 013 12 12 13, [31]. 1000-1800 M-F, 1000-1400 Sat. Specialising in Thai groceries.  edit

• SITE Cybercafé, Sturegatan 3. 15 SEK per hour.
• Sidewalk Express, Railway station. 19 SEK per hour.
• Public Library, price: free, but time is limited. (to what extent, unknown for the moment)

Eat

Most restaurants in the city offer a restricted choice Saturday Shopping Lunch between 1200-1500 for around 80SEK which can be a good way to try out new restaurants. Lunch from Monday-Friday is often cheaper.

• Kniv å gaffel, Drottninggatan 26, [32]. Cozy place with tasty food from the Mediterranean region. Mains 119-219 SEK.  edit
• Wokaway, Repslagaregatan 22, [33]. Cheap thai food for taking away or eating in. Mains 45-99 SEK.  edit
• Wasabi Sushi Bar, Storgatan 27, [34]. Really tasty sushi. Mains 69-179 SEK.  edit
• Riva, Ågatan 43, [35]. Italian and American food. Mains 79-255 SEK.  edit
• BK (Bar & Kök), Ågatan 47, [36]. Mains 145-229 SEK.  edit
• Thai Coconut, S:t Larsgatan 25A, [37]. Good spicy Thai food. Mains 95-149 SEK, Lunch 60 SEK.  edit
• Yogi, Platensgatan 5, [38]. Tasty indian style food, spicy or non-spicy. Mains 135-168 SEK.  edit
• Texas Longhorn, S:t Larsgatan 25C, [39]. Texas steak house. Mains 145-570 SEK.  edit
• Halong, S:t Larsgatan 12, [40]. Asian food close to the train station. Mains 65-115 SEK.  edit
• Sangria, Platensgatan 1, [41]. Spanish and pourtoguies dishes. Mains 168-278 SEK.  edit
• Gula Huset (The Yellow House), Klostergatan 19, [42]. Mains 140-260SEK.  edit
• Kikkobar, Ågatan 39, [43]. Sushi, Japanese, Asian style. Lunch and Dinner. 140-280SEK.  edit
• The Bishops Arms, Ågatan 27, ☎ 013 10 09 93, [44]. English pub style food, e.g. Fish & Chips. Mains 124-256 SEK.  edit
• De Klomp, St Larsgatan 13 (opposite hotel Skandic Frimurare), ☎ 013-4655563, [45]. Dutch Bruin Cafe style cooking and beer on tap. Mains 105-235.  edit

Bosses Glassbar, Platensgatan 3, is a unique hole-in-the-wall style ice cream shop selling fresh ice cream. Long lines form outside on hot summer days. Closed during the winter.

Drink

Coffee

There are many nice coffee houses and cafes by the main square and in the central parts of the city. They serve a wide variety of coffee. Sweden and the Swedes are the second highest consumers of coffee per person worldwide. In the past ten years traditional Swedish coffee tradition has been diversified and enriched by Italian and continental European coffee, the result being the caffè latte (the Italian word for Swedish coffee with milk) and a gazillion other forms of coffee.

• Coffeehouse by Geroge, Stora Torget 6, [46].  edit
• Wayne's coffee, Nygatan 20, [47].  edit

Alcohol

Linköping boasts several bars. Most of them are found in the central parts of the city around the cathedral. Among the most popular are:

• The Bishops Arms, Ågatan 27, ☎ 013 10 09 93 (bishops.linkoping@elite.se), [48].  edit
• De Klomp, St Larsgatan 13 (opposite hotel Skandic Frimurare), ☎ 013 46 55 563, [49].  edit
• Harry's Pub and Restaurant, Ågatan 43, ☎ 013 13 33 90, [50]. One of the busiest nightclubs in Linköping.  edit
• Bar och Kök (BK), Ågatan 43, [51].  edit
• Platen's Bar, Platensgatan 3, [52].  edit
• Plaza, Ågatan 28, [53]. Pool tables, nightclub, restaurant.  edit
• Platå, ☎ 013 - 35 21 21 (info@plata.se, fax: 013 - 35 21 22), [54].  edit

The The Champ [55] sports bar, as well as The Pub, are also popular choices. A branch of the sports bar chain Pitcher's [56] opens on April 30, 2009.

To get informed about any entertainment or cultural events in town, such as the occasional live band, you pick up the free Nolltretton and Corren Fredag magazines (only available in Swedish) or check www.lkpg.nu [57]. You can also check the billboard on Lilla Torget where the arrangers post their flyers.

The students have their own places to go to, for instance Herrgår'n [58] in the Ryd area, Flamman [59] or Nationernas Hus [60] next door to the Cathedral in central Linköping. You have to be a university student (including foreign universities) or the guest of a student at Linköping University, to get in.

Systembolaget

Systembolaget is the state owned monopoly liquor store. This is where you go if you want to buy a bottle of wine or spirits or beer stronger than approx. 3% alocohol which you can find in supermarkets.

• Systembolaget Gyllentorget Linköping, Repslagaregatan 25-27 (City Centre), ☎ 013 12 25 81, [61].  edit
• Systembolaget Tornby, Svedengatan 9 TORNBY, ☎ 013 17 58 93, [62].  edit
• Systembolaget Ekholmen, Ekholmens Centrum, ☎ 013 15 12 15, [63].  edit

• STF Hostel Linköping [64], Klostergatan 52A, phone 013-35 90 00, is the IYHF[65] hostel in town. Dorm bed 205 SEK, singles from 390 SEK, doubles from 410 SEK. Add 45 SEK to the price if you're not a member of the IYHF.

• Good Evening Hotel [66], Hantverkaregatan 1, phone 013-12 90 00 Single rooms: 795 SEK Sun-Thu, 610 SEK Fri-Sat. Basic hotel at Stora Torget (Big Square). Re-opened as Best Western Hotel in 2009.
• Hotell Östergyllen [67], Hamngatan 2. Good, cheap, and close to the railway station. Single rooms from 425 SEK, double rooms from 620 SEK. Not all rooms have bathrooms in the room.
• Stångå Hotell [68], Tullgränd 4. phone 0046 (0)13-31 12 75. A family owned hotel with good service and prices that suites everyone, close to the railway station. Single rooms from 845 SEK, double rooms from 995 SEK (weekdays). Single rooms from 645 SEK, double rooms from 795 SEK (weekends).
• Park Hotel [69], Järnvägsgatan 6, next to the railway station, phone 013-12 90 05. Single rooms from 550 SEK, double from 750 SEK.

• Linköping University [70] was founded in 1969 and has its main "Campus Valla" west of the city. It is also home to Sweden's National Supercomputing Centre (NSC) and is well connected to the Internet. In 1993 Sweden's first website [71] was started by students in Linköping.

Get out

The River Stångån ends in Lake Roxen a few kilometers north of the city. The river is also part of Kinda kanal with a system of early 19th century locks that allow scenic boat trips through other lakes further south. Lake Roxen is also part of Göta kanal, dug in the 1810s to connect the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic at Gothenburg. A remarkable sight is Bergs slussar, a sequence of six locks on Roxen's western shore, about 10 kilometers north of Linköping.

The nearby city Norrköping has some interesting tourist attractions but worse shopping than Linköping.

For those who like running and exercising take a trip down south to Vidingsjö. It's about 5km to the south-east, an easy bike ride from the city centre. In Vidingsjö there are marked running tracks (2.5km, 5km and 10km) through the forest, some outdoor exercise equipment, a pizza shop and two other restaurants.

Helsingborg ← Jönköping ←

W  E

→ Norrköping → Stockholm

Events

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

English

Etymology

From Swedish

Proper noun

Linköping

Linköping

1. The seventh-largest city in Sweden.

Translations

Swedish

Etymology

This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this word, please add it to the page as described here.

Proper noun

Linköping

1. Linköping