Lidingö

Lidingö is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561.[1] It is the seat of government of the Lidingö Municipality, Stockholm County.

Lidingö
Lidingö Show map of Stockholm Lidingö Show map of Sweden
Coordinates: 59°22′N 18°09′E
Country	Sweden
Province	Uppland
County	Stockholm County
Municipality	Lidingö Municipality
Area [1]
• Total	12.51 km^2 (4.83 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2010)[1]
• Total	31,561
• Density	2,524/km^2 (6,540/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Lidingö's qualities have attracted affluent residents such as Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson of ABBA. Exclusive regions include the coastal region between Mölna and the east tip of the island, Gåshaga, as well as the east tip of the northern part of the horse shoe, called Elfvik. Notwithstanding the fact that many middle-class Swedes have moved to the island, (due to rental apartment construction projects), the municipality remains the third wealthiest in Sweden after Danderyd and Täby.

Nature

The seascape at Lidingö shares similarities with that of Seattle, USA and Sydney, Australia, with clear blue skies and waterways. The landscape is one of large forests and open farm land.

The Lidingö summer is limited to the period between the end of May and August, when the air temperature seldom exceeds 25 °C. Sea water temperatures usually peak around 20 °C, in mid July, in the inner parts of the archipelago.

September and October are the months of the short autumn.

The first snow fall is expected in the first two weeks of November. During winter, thick ice covers the waters around Stockholm and up to 15 to 20 nautical miles into the Baltic Sea. The coldest period is from January until the end of February.

Springtime is from mid April to May.

Map of Lidingö, 2009.

History

Runic inscriptions

Two runic inscriptions have been found on Lidingö. The latest, listed in Rundata as the Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1986 84, was found in 1984 under a 10 cm thick layer of soil and moss in an uninhabited region. The inscription is from the Viking Age, around 800–1050 AD. The inscription has been translated as:

"Åsmund carved runes in memory of his grandfather Sten, father of Sibbe and Gerbjörn...a great monument over a good man."

The figures show large snakes and on top, a Maltese cross, a typical motif for the late Viking Age rune stones.

Later history

Landscape near Elfvik farm

Approximately 300 to 400 years after the carving of the runes, the inhabitants of Lidingö had established small farms. Lidingö is first mentioned in writing in 1328, in the will of Jedvard Filipsson, in the sentence curiam in Lydhingø meaning a "Lidingö farm".

Bo Jonsson (Grip) (early 1330s–20 August 1386) bought the entire island between 1376 and 1381. In approximately 1480, the island was taken over by the Banér family from Djursholm. On 29 August 1774, Johan Gabriel Banér (1733–1811) also from Djursholm, sold the entire island and the land was divided into 25 farms.

In the east part of Lidingö, the Långängen-Elfvik national park, which includes 125 acres (0.51 km²) of open farmland and most of the forest land on Elfvik, has, preserved within its boundaries, one of the largest old farms, the Elfviks farm. Most of the original houses, built from the end of the 18th century to mid‑19th century, have been saved and restored. The farm is still active with beef cattle, sheep, and horses and is run by Lidingö Municipality.

The first church was built in 1623.

The IBM educational center for northern Europe, was built close to the Elfvik farm in the early 1960s. The centre was later converted to a hotel.

Sports

The following sports clubs are located in Lidingö:

• IFK Lidingö - IFK Lidingö FK (soccer section)
• IFK Lidingö - IFK Lidingö SOK (orienteering section)
• IFK Lidingö - IFK Lidingö FRI (track and field athletics section)
• Lidingöloppet, cross-country running event

Features

• Hersbyholm

References

1. "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km² 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.

Population

In 2018 the 31 december there where 47 818 inhabitants on Lidingö.