Smedstorp
| Smedstorp | |
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Smedstorp church
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 Smedstorp
Smedstorp
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| Coordinates: 55°33′N 14°07′E / 55.550°N 14.117°ECoordinates: 55°33′N 14°07′E / 55.550°N 14.117°E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Skåne |
| County | Skåne County |
| Municipality | Tomelilla Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2010) | |
| • Total | 363 |
| • Density | 611/km2 (1,580/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Smedstorp is a locality situated in Tomelilla Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. Located 15 km west of the town of Simrishamn, Smedstorp is a small village with 363 inhabitants in 2010.
On 1 January 2002 the current parish of Smedstorp was formed from the amalgamation of six small parishes Kverrestad, Smedstorp, Östra Ingelstad, Bollerup, Tosterup and Övraby. So, the parish of Smedstorp extends beyond the village itself to the surrounding farms and hamlets. Smedstorp is also a postal district covering and even larger area.
In the 18th Century, only a handful of houses existed in the village of Smedstorp. They were inhabited mostly by craftsmen and farm workers, who owned no land of their own. At this time, the main road passed through the Smedstorp Manor estate.
During the early 19th Century, more small houses were built. With the passing of the Farming Act in 1842, the fairly poor soil south of the main road started to be farmed. By 1930, all land south of the main road had become farm land.
In 1882, a privately owned railway service was in place and started a Simrishamn - Tomelilla service. The station of Smedstorp was built on a piece of land that had previously been grazing land for cattle. The only house in the vicinity was a small cottage where a soldier lived. The railway and station attracted more people to the village, which resulted in more houses being built. This meant that the village grew fast.
In 1896, the railway company merged with the Tomelilla - Malmö Railway, resulting in direct access to Malmö from Smedstorp. The same year saw the constitution of the municipality of Smedstorp, and Smedstorp itself was given the status of town, even though it was not technically a town. Smedstorp became the centre of the region.
At the turn of the century there were approximately ten stores in the town and around forty other businesses and craftsmen, including a distillery, a brewery and a dairy. The small original station building was torn down and replaced by an elegant new station in 1912. This station house is still standing today.
Smedstorp remained an independent municipality until the passing of the Municipalities Act in 1972.
Smedstorp' history is traceable to the third century A.D. A number of archaeological excavations have contributed to significant discoveries about the locality's early history. In 1949, investigations of nearby Gårdlösåsen uncovered a young girl's grave, containing jewellery along with her remains. The most famous is a silver item from the third century. Its inscription uses letters from the oldest written language found in this part of the world. From this find, the young girl gained her nickname, "The Silver Girl." Near her grave, the remains of 56 houses were also found, dating from between the fifth and tenth centuries.
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Wikipedia