Oelandia (Öland) is a historical Province (landskap) of Sweden. It is located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Smalandia, and consists of the island of Öland, which is the largest island belonging to Sweden after Gotland.

County

For current affairs see: Kalmar County

There was an Öland County between 1819 and 1824, otherwise the island has belonged to Kalmar County since 1634. The island was connected to the mainland by a bridge that was constructed in 1973.

History

Main article: History of Öland

The island has a history of being a royal game park.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Öland

Oelandia was historically divided into a chartered cities and five hundreds.

City

• Borgholm (1816)

Hundreds

• Algutsrum Hundred
• Gräsgård Hundred
• Möckleby Hundred
• Runsten Hundred
• Slättbo Hundred
• Åkerbo Hundred

Facts

• Highest mountain: Högsrum 55 meters
• Largest lake: Möckelmossen
• Length: 137 km
• Width (at widest point): 16 km

Öland is the second largest island in Sweden, and at the samme time its smallest province. The main towns are Borgholm, Färjestaden and Mörbylånga.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Öland

The Borgholm Castle built 1669-1681 for Queen Hedvig Eleonora, and designed by Nicodemus Tessin , senior. Located in the vincinity is also Solliden Palace , summer home to the royal family.

The Agricultural Landscape of southern Öland has been entered as a site of the UNESCO World heritage program. Features of this are the many windmills left standing and the special geological landscape called Alvar.

Heraldry

Main article: Heraldry of Oelandia

Oelandia was granted its arms already in 1560, but it would last until the 1940s until the proper arms were assigned to the province. The arms granted to Öland had been mixed up with the arms granted to Åland and this was not discovered until the 20th century, by which time the misstake was unilaterally corrected for Öland. Åland, which was no longer a Swedish, but a Finnish (autonomous) province, kept its established but originally unintended coat of arms. The deer is ment to symbolise the status of Oleandia as a royal game park and the arms is represented with a dukal crown. Blazon: "Azure a Deer Or attired, hoofed and gorged Gules."

External Links

• Öland - Tourist site