Arvika is a Municipality in Värmland County, and a city in west central Sweden, with the city situated 80 km north-west of Karlstad. The municipality covers an area of 1659.5 km². Of the total population of 26,188, 12,857 are male, and 13,331 are female. The population density of the community is 16 inhabitants per km².

The city of Arvika has a population of 14,240 (1996).

Geography

The city Arvika is situated at Kyrkviken , a bay of Glafsfjorden , Swedens only inland fjord, a remnant of the ice age, when the area was close to the sea. The area is hilly with the highest hill Storkasberget close to the city.

Arvika and its surroundings has good water infrastructure, and through a system of canals, lake Vänern can be reached, and from there Göta kanal opens a passage to Gothenburg and the sea.

A part of the town named Haga was once designated worker quarters.

History

Ten kilometers west of the city, in Bergs Klätt, there are remnants of a younger Stone Age and Bronze Age settlements in the form of graves.

The city was historically only a village until 1811 when it was given city privileges under the name Oscarsstad in order to improve the economics of the area. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the city privileges were withdrawn in 1821 and the village was instead given the status of market-town (köping) and renamed Arvika. The city privileges were not returned until 1911, and the name Arvika was kept.

Industry

Arvika have several heavy industrial production facilities which employ the majority of the population, among these Volvo Wheel Loaders and Arvika Gjuteri (nodular and grey iron foundry).

Culture

Arvika is know for their artist collective Rackstad just outside the city. Here, several famous Swedish artists lived and worked, the most well-known probably being Christian Eriksson and Gustaf Fjæstad and his wife Maja Fjæstad . Other talents that lived in Rackstad include Björn Ahlgrensson and Fritz Lindström .

In recent times, the Arvika festival (an annual event since 1992) is the biggest cultural activity in the area, with several international bands visiting the town during three days in July every summer. In recent years such bands as Einstürzende Neubauten, Ministry and Kraftwerk have performed here.

External links

• Arvika - Official site
• Arvikafestivalen - (Arvika festival) Official site