Boden, Sweden

Boden
Rödberget Fort, part of Boden Fortress
Rödberget Fort, part of Boden Fortress
Boden is located in Norrbotten
Boden
Boden
Boden is located in Sweden
Boden
Boden
Coordinates: 65°49′32″N 21°41′26″E / 65.82556°N 21.69056°E / 65.82556; 21.69056
CountrySweden
ProvinceNorrbotten
CountyNorrbotten County
MunicipalityBoden Municipality
Charter1919
Area
[1]
 • Total
14.17 km2 (5.47 sq mi)
Elevation
46 m (151 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2018)[1]
 • Total
16,847
 • Density1,189/km2 (3,080/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
961 xx
Area code(+46) 921
Websiteboden.se

Boden (Swedish: [ˈbǔːdɛn], outdatedly [ˈbûːdɛn], Lule Sámi: Suttes)[2] is a locality and the seat of Boden Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 16,847 inhabitants in 2018.[1] It is part of the larger area around coastal city Luleå some 36 kilometres (22 mi) southeast.[3] After Kiruna, it is the second largest town in Northern Sweden's interior.

History

The town of Boden started as a railway junction where the Northern Line (Norra stambanan, opened 1894) met with the Ore Line (Malmbanan) from the rich iron ore fields in northern Sweden.

The town experienced increased growth when the Boden Fortress was constructed in the beginning of the 20th century. The purpose of the fortress was to defend Sweden from a possible attack from the east, where Russia was considered the most dangerous threat.

The first official writings mentioning Boden refer to it as "Boden Village" (Swedish: Bodebyn) and come from a 1539 national tax register. In 1546, "Boden village" is mentioned as having 7 homes. Boden received the title of city in 1919. This title became obsolete in 1971 and Boden is now the seat of Boden Municipality.

Industry

Today (2007) Boden is still a military stronghold, and houses the largest garrison of the Swedish Army.

The army and the municipality are the two largest employers in Boden. As the military is continuously disarming, with the five regiments united into one garrison, the population has decreased by 2,000 people over the past ten years.

In 2022, the Swedish Company Stegra began construction of a new steel mill in Boden, expected to start production in mid 2026.[4] It will use hydrogen technology, designed to cut emissions by as much as 95%. If it succeeds, it will be the first large-scale green steel plant in Europe.[5] The project received 314 M€ in funding from the European Investment Bank in 2024.[6] The project includes a 700 MW electrolysis plant.[7] In November 2024, Stegra signed a 6 TWh power purchase agreement with Uniper for the 2027-2032 period.[8]

The famous Fällkniven knives are from Boden.

Well-known Boden citizens, former or current

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Sweden

Twin towns and sister cities

Boden is twinned with:

Sports

The following sports clubs are located in Boden:

References

  1. ^ a b c "Statistiska tätorter 2018, befolkning, landareal, befolkningstäthet per tätort" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979). Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter (in Swedish). p. 5.
  3. ^ "Avstånd från Boden" (in Swedish). Avståndstabell.se. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ^ Hammarström, Linda (2024-10-17). "Questions about green steel and jobs when Stegra met Boden". Boden Business Park. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  5. ^ "The race across Europe to build green steel plants". BBC News. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. ^ "Sweden: EIB and NIB to provide €371 million with InvestEU backing for H2 Green Steel's large-scale production of steel with minimal carbon footprint". European Investment Bank. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  7. ^ "Stegra and Uniper enter 6 TWh electricity agreement". Energy Connects. 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  8. ^ Ellichipuram, Umesh (2024-11-27). "Uniper signs 6TWh electricity deal with Stegra". Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  9. ^ "Altas vennskapsbyer" (in Norwegian). Alta municipality. Archived from the original on 2 September 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2012.