Ronneby

Bergslagen in Ronneby

Coat of arms

Ronneby

Coordinates: 56°12′N 15°17′E / 56.200°N 15.283°ECoordinates: 56°12′N 15°17′E / 56.200°N 15.283°E

1882

Area

• Total

7.75 km² (2.99 sq mi)

Population (31 December 2010)

• Total

12,029

• Density

1,552/km² (4,020/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,029 inhabitants in 2010.

Ronneby is regarded as the heart of "the Garden of Sweden", and in 2005 the park "Brunnsparken" in Ronneby was voted Sweden's most beautiful park. 2006 the park was voted Europe's 4th most beautiful park. The church Heliga Kors kyrka was founded in the 12th century, modified and extended until the 15th century, and badly damaged during Northern Seven Years' War in the 16th century.

The citys oldest surviving city privileges are from 1387. The first recorded spelling of the name (around the year 1300) is Rotnæby, "the village upon the roaring (river)", so named because of the rapids on the spot. In the Middle Ages, Ronneby was an important trading and shipping town.

In 1564, Ronneby was the location of a bloody battle during the Northern Seven Years' War between the Swedish and the Danish armies during which the Swedes under King Erik XIV besieged the city, killed many inhabitants (Ronneby Bloodbath) and burnt it to the ground. Erik later reported that "The Water was red from blood of the Danes." The number of victims was heavily exaggerated, for different propagandistic reasons, by both sides.

Following the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, whereby Blekinge and other southern provinces became Swedish, a navy base was built in Karlskrona – east of Ronneby – which accordingly was granted city rights, while revoking the city rights of Ronneby.

But Ronneby did attract some industries in the 18th century. Besides the industry, it also hosted the Ronneby spa, with water believed to have healing qualities. The park around the spa can still be visited. The first source of chalybeate (ferruginous) water was found in May 1705. But the high period of the spa was in the 19th century.

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Wikipedia