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Värmdö Municipality

Värmdö kommun
Municipality
Coat of arms of Värmdö kommun
Coat of arms
Country Sweden
County
Seat Gustavsberg
Area
 • Total 2,980.11 km2 (1,150.63 sq mi)
 • Land 448.03 km2 (172.99 sq mi)
 • Water 2,532.08 km2 (977.64 sq mi)
  Area as of January 1, 2014.
Population (December 31, 2016)
 • Total 42,000
 • Density 14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code SE
Province Uppland and Södermanland
Municipal code 0120
Website www.varmdo.se
Density is calculated using land area only.

Värmdö Municipality (Värmdö kommun) is a municipality in in east central Sweden. Its seat is in the town of Gustavsberg, with a population of 9,682 (2005), on the main island at an elevation of 37 metres (121 ft).

The municipality is named after the main island Värmdön, 180 km2 (69 sq mi) in size.

The municipality in its present form was created in 1974, when "old" Värmdö was amalgamated with Gustavsberg (which had been detached from it in 1902) and Djurö.

The municipality consists of 10,000 islands, all part of . The larger islands are Värmdö, Ingarö, Fågelbrolandet, Djurö/Vindö, Svartsö, Möja, Runmarö and Nämdö. Gustavsberg is the main town, and there are also several villages and suburbs spread out such as Djurö, Stavsnäs, Mörtnäs, Hemmesta, Brunn, Strömma and Sandhamn.

The name Värmdö can be traced to 1314, but it is not clear what it means. (It is likely that it comes from the word värmd, a small hot spring in the ocean which causes holes in the ice in winter, and which there are several of in the area.) The area has however been inhabited longer than that, probably from the Stone Age wherefrom remains are found. The people lived on fishing and the hunting of seals and sea birds. As the coast climate was not suitable for traditional cereal crops, the agricultural efforts were often directed towards the cultivation of potatoes.

After the introduction of steam boat lines around 1850, wealthy people in started to build vacation houses around the stations. When today's main roads were built in the 1930s, only the steam boats serving islands remained, and the expansion continued. With the municipal reform in the 1970s, Värmdö was created through a merger between six small municipalities and adopted the coat of arms of Gustavsberg, with two porcelain ovens.

Värmdö is a rapidly expanding suburban area to Stockholm and also one of the most exclusive areas for vacation houses in Sweden. During the summer month, the population triples.


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