Piteå
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| Piteå | |
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  Piteå
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Sweden |
| Municipality | Piteå Municipality |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Province | Norrbotten |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 24.87 km² (9.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 22,650 |
| - Density | 911/km² (2,359.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Piteå (or Pite in the local dialect) is a city in Norrbotten in northern Sweden. It has 22,500 inhabitants, and is the seat of Piteå Municipality, which has 40,800 people.
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[edit] Geography
Piteå is a large municipality with an appealing nature located at the mouth of the Pite River (Piteälven), at the shore of the Bay of Bothnia. The central part is located on an islet called Häggholmen, which due to land elevation almost has become a part of the mainland; the land in northern Sweden rises at a rate of up to 9 mm (0.35 in) per year.
Piteå has a pretty archipelago, which is one of the reasons it is a popular place for tourism both in summer and winter. It proudly boosts a beach resort area, which is often labelled "The Riviera of Norrbotten" (or Norrland), around which there is a spa, a long sandy beach, a popular restaurant and a golf course. The nature is also suitable for fishing and outdoor activities. In the winter snow activities, such as skiing and winter bathing, set the mark.
[edit] History
Piteå received its city privileges on May 12, 1621.
In July, 1666, the entire town burnt down. Afterwards it was rebuilt in the 17th century. The only building remaining from that time is the town church, as it was the only spared building when the town was demolished by plundering Russians in 1721.
The town square, where the town hall is located, has however kept its structure from the 17th century, and is today one of only two squares in Sweden with closed corners (the other one is in Uppsala).
The population has increased rapidly since the 19th century. In the years 1870-1920, Piteå had a population of only 2,500 people. Part of the early population increase is attributed to the 1911 opening of the Älvsbyn - Piteå railway branch, as well as industrial establishments and the harbour.
Piteå has traditionally strong forestry industry: papermills, sawmills, and also its harbour are of some importance.
[edit] Culture
Piteå is known for its pitepalt, a food dish consisting of potato dumplings with chopped pork filling. The area is also know for its dialect, called Pitemål.
[edit] People from Piteå
- Nils Edén
- Tomas Holmström —NHL player with the Detroit Red Wings
- Liza Marklund
- Mattias Öhlund
- Stefan Persson — but born in Umeå
- Mikael Renberg
- Daniel Solander
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005 (xls) (Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
- Official website of Piteå
- (Swedish) NF, article Piteå from Nordisk familjebok
- www.paltakademien.se The official Paltacademy
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Piteå is one of 134 towns with the historical City status in Sweden. |
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