Skaraborg County Skaraborgs län |
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County of Sweden | |||||
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Coat of arms |
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Capital | Skara (1634-1660) Mariestad (1660-1997) |
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Governor | |||||
• | 1991–97 | Birger Bäckström | |||
History | |||||
• | Established | 1634 | |||
• | Disestablished | 31 December 1997 |
Coat of arms
Skaraborg County (Swedish: Skaraborgs län) was a county of Sweden from 1634 until 1997. It was disestablished at the end of 1997 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Älvsborg to form Västra Götaland County.
The county was named after a fortress (Swedish: borg) outside the city of Skara. The seat of residence for the county governor was Mariestad from 1660 onwards and the largest city (during the 20th century) was Skövde. The county consisted of the northeastern part of the province of Västergötland.
Even though Skaraborg County itself no longer exists, various organizations are still named after it, and cover that approximate area. These include several newspapers, one public radio channel and various non-profit organizations. Also, the regional hospital complex in Skövde is named Skaraborgs sjukhus, as is the Skaraborg Air Force Wing in Såtenäs and the Skaraborg Regiment in Skövde.