Maps of Falköping

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Map Sweden.

Map of Falköping.

Map of Falköping's parishes.

Some history and tourist info.

"På granna, vi'a slätta mellan berga dar
ä dä ljust å tröggt te bo"

   as the writer Jönn, John Liedholm wrote about
   Falbygden.

The town and the municipal is named Falköping.
The area is called Falbygden or Falan, which is a very old name.

Today Falköping municipal has 32.000 inhabitants, 16.000 in the town.
Other places are:
Broddetorp, Floby, Gudhem, Kinnarp/Slutarp, Kättilstorp,
Odensberg, Stenstorp, Torbjörntorp, Åsarp.

Falbygden has a long history.

It was the inland ice for 10 000 years ago which made the landscape there Falbygden is on the plateu between the mountains Mösseberg and Ålleberg. And it was here one of the first place swedes settled down.

You can find a lot of ancient prehistoric finds in the area. Of all 400 megalite stonegraves in Sweden you can find 300 in Falköping's district, three inside the town.

Falbygden has been home since long time and a major battle has taken place here in the Middle Age between two big armies.

The mountain Ålleberg has an old myth:
That horsemen (swedish warriors who dead at battles in Europe) in full armour sleeping beside theirs horses in a secret hideaway in the mountain. If Falköping were ever to be threatened they would awaken and in all haste save the town. They were seen in 1389 at the battle in Åsle  between Queen Margarete and Albrecht Mecklenburg (tell you more later on), for Queen Margarete's army.

At Hornborgasjön in Broddetorp parish has several village been found from the Hunt Stone Age. It's the oldest inland settlement in the district of Västergötland and is approximately 9 300 years old but unfortunately without any sure traces of huts.
They buried theirs dogs, the oldest found was buried 9000 years ago and is the oldest known dog in Scandinavia.

Ekornavallen in Hornborga parish is a grave field. Used at the Stone Age, Bornze Age and the Iron Age from
3300 BC - 1000 AD.

The most famous Megalitegrave from the Stone Age is the one in Luttra south of the town Falköping. It's the biggest grave in Sweden and was built 5500 years ago.

In Karleby you find the oldest road in northen Europe, over 5000 years old. How can we see that? You find the farms on one side of the road and the Megalite graves on the other.
On one grave the church is built on.

In the middle of the Iron Age 500 B.C. was Västergötland the gold center of the country. One of the finest goldwork is the Ållebergskragen (shows in Stockholm) which was found at Ålleberg in 1827.
Three rings with full of animals and storyanimal. No one can make such fine work today.

Vikings came also from this area. In Åsarp is the Olsbrostone.
On the stone:

"Guve put up this stone after Olav,
his son, a very competent young man.
He was killed in Estland
Håvad (?) inscribe the stone"

In Gudhem was a nunnery. The money to built it was donated by a swedish queen at the Middle Age. When Gustav Wasa become king 1523 and the Reformation took place so we become Lutherans, all monasties and nunnery where shot down, so also the one in Gudhem. Today it's a museum.

The most famous battle which has taken place in Sweden was at Åsle 1389.
It was between Albrecht Mecklenburg (German but by blood-heir of the Swedish crone) and Queen Margarete (Danish) "the king whitout troursers" as Albrecht called her. Queen Margarete wann as Albrecht army of knights on horses were to heavy and they gone down in the moss. After that Sweden - Denmark -Norway were one kingdom until Gustav Wasa made us free 1523. Norway kept been a part of Denmark until 1814 when it become in union with Sweden instead until 1905 when it was broken and Norway become Norway.

Danish armies have been here several times and burnt down the area. You can still find marks after bullets at the frontdoor at Falköping's church. The church is from the 12th century.

Here around you find some very old churches. In Falköping, Gökhem, Göteve, Kinneved, Marka, Mularp, Skörstorp, Vårkumla they are from the 12th century.
In Gökhem is a story about the church:
It was two sisters who decided to built a church but they couldnt' agree where so they started to built one each. As one of them died her church never was completed, that is a ruin today and the farm near it has the name Överkyrke, the only one with that name you can find in Sweden.
The completed church has inside at the roof and walls paintings of stories in the Bible by Mäster Amund from the 15th century.

The railroad West Mainline between Gothenburg and Stockholm was built in the 1850ties and go through Falbygden.
Those days it took over eight hours from Falköping to Stockholm and the town was a dinner-stoop for others. The West Mainline has here the highest point. From Falköping you can also take the train to Jönköping - Nässjö.

TODAY

Falköping is the third highest located town in Sweden as the town is on the plateu and on the hillside of Mösseberg.

Falbygden is a farming land. A lot of small farms all over. But not so many as it used to be as the farmers have to much taxes and do not get so much pay. The competition come from EU's other countries, specially Denmark and Ireland and they don't have to pay so much taxes (1,5 billion SKR pay Swedish farmers more then the rest). A lot of farmers wifes work outside the farm. The milkcow is the most common animals around here.

Centers

Here is the center in Sweden of Volleyboll. At the Gymnasium (high school) it's classes with Volleyboll students for boys and girls.

Falköping is also a center of glidings in Sweden. Falköping has a long history in that.
At the plateu of Ålleberg is the Royal Gliding school which have summerclasses for glider teachers and even gliders from all the Scandinanavian countries are brought here to be repaired.
At winter the center is on the Falköping's airport and the gliding classes at the Gymnasium.

Here 40% of all juwelry in Sweden makes. You can find several small business and factories round in town. The biggest is Alton which has make a serie of juwelry with Pernilla Wiberg - Olympic Gold winner in Giant slalom.

Volvo has a factory in Floby. There it makes brake discs for cars. Not only for Volvo cars but also for SAAB and General Motors.

In Kinnarp you find KINNARPS. They making furnitures for offices.
They are marketing leader in Scandinavia. The market for them is in Europe.

ARKIVATOR  is a precision-tool workshop and works for several companies.
Among the work they do are parts to the Hasselblad camera.

TOURISM

At the spring the cranes come to Bjurum and Hornborgasjön on theirs way from Spain up to theirs breeding places in Sweden, Finland and Russia. Here they eat corn and the couples dance at the "Naturum Cranedance"
Hornborgarsjön is restored to the biggest birdlake in the northen Europe and is a national park.
People all over the world come on spring to watch the dance as it's the only place you can come so close to the birds near the road 184 and Bjurum church.
About 100.000 use to come every year.
In the winter you can watch when the white-tailed eagle and golden eagle fed with pigs at the "Naturum Cranedance".

In Åsarp you find Ekehagens forntidsby - a journey through past centuries, see how our ancestors probably once lived in Prehistoric time.
We shows how it was at
THE OLD (Hunter-gatherers) STONE AGE -   12000 - 6000 years ago.
The huts in Ekehagen are mainly reconstructed from findings in Ulkestrup, Denmark. There they were built 8.000 years ago.
THE NEW (Farmer) STONE AGE -    4000 - 1800 BC.
THE BRONZE AGE     -    1800 - 500 BC.
THE IRON AGE     -    500 BC  -  1000 AD

In Åsle the only "Tå" in Sweden is left with the orginal houses. A "Tå" was the place the people lived in the old days who didn't had a place of theirs own. They maked dagsverken at the parish farms, was shoemaker, blacksmith and found out others ways to make theirs living, they were all poor. Small cottages with one or two rooms, they also took theirs hens inside.

To and back from Åsle you drive on the way over the moss, there the battle took place 1389. After Åsle you take the way over Karleby. Here you find the North Europes oldest road with the farms on one side and the Stone Age graves on the other grave the Karleby church stands.

You take the road up to Ålleberg. At the base of the mountain you find a pathway to the top. You pass the place there the neckless Ållebergskrage where found. At the top you stand on "Ålleberg's Änne"
At Ålleberg you find Sweden's only glider museum. The collection includes for example the oldest flying Tiger Moth in the world and the glider "Weihen", which won the world championship in 1948 and 1950.
At the foot of the mountain you find "Hokällan". Always cold and fresh water, good to drink.

The nature at Falbyden is wonderful.
The views from Ålleberg and Mösseberg over the town and the area around.. You can find restarant on each mountain and sit and eat at the edge of them.
Here you will see the most beatiful flora on fields of heather.
"Vråhålan" a place up on Mösseberg with wall of rocks and here you have a nice view over Marka and you hear your echo.
The view is painted by the wildanimal painter Harald Wiberg in a painting with the Swedish "tomte".

In Stenstorp you can find three museums. A schoolmuseum,
a show with Swedish tapestry and the museum over the inventor Gustaf Dahlén who was born in Skräddaregården, Stenstorp (1869-1937). He become blind after a experiment but continued to invent.
He invented a light for lighthouses so they didn't needed to be manned, this was sold over the world. After he become blind he invented the AGA cooker, which today makes in Great Britain.
As you already have guessed he was the founder of the Gascompany AGA.
The German company Linde has bought it.

At Mösseberg you can sport.
In summertime you can jog at several exercise-tracks, at the winter you can cross skii or take the slalomskiis.
As Sweden have the "allemansrätt" (The Right of Public Access allows you to enjoy the fragrance of flowers, the singing birds, the flower-covered meadows and the peaceful silence of the forest. But! You are required to show care and consideration towards other people, animals, plants and wildlife YOU MUST NOT DISTURB OR DESTROY), you can make your own daytrips on the mountain and in the nature all over. Pick mushrooms, lingonberries and blueberries.
You find several ramble-route here around. At Mösseberg & Ålleberg, Brunnhemsleden, Faludreven in Segerstad and Hornborgasjön.

At Falbygdens Ost you can taste different cheeses and also buy other things like books, china, Santa Claus etc.
The most visited place in Falköping.

You can stay at:

Falköpings Hotell
Medborgarhuset, 521 44  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 199 00    Fax: +46 515 199 36
Internet: http://www.hotelfalkoping.com      
e-mail: hotel.falkoping@r.lrf.se

Hotell S:t Olofs
St Olofsg 23 B, 521 43  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 107 28    Fax: +46 515 162 33

Rantens Hotell (at the railwaystation)
Järnvägsg 3, 521 33 FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 130 30    Fax: +46 515 126 21

Motell Ålleberg AB
Ulricehamnsv 1, 521 41  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 173 30    Fax + 46 515 121 55

Mössebergs Kurort, Hotell o Konferens
Box 733, 521 22  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 856 00    Fax: +46 515 856 04

Hotell Gästis
Tingsg 8, 520 40  FLOBY
Phone: +46 515 408 05

Youth Hostels
Vandrarhem STF
Lidg 4, 521 32  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 850 20    Fax: +46 515 100 43

BRUKSHOTELLET
Rösberga Säteri, 521 96  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 315 00    Fax: +46 515 311 16
Homepage http://www.artech.se/~rosberga

Cottages and Camping
Mössebergs Camping & Stugby
Lidg 4, 521 32  FALKÖPING
Phone: +46 515 850 21    Fax: +46 515 100 43

Tourist Information in Falköping at

Trädgårdsg 22, 521 42  FALKÖPING

Phone: + 46 515 131 95    Fax: +46 515 817 56

E-mail: turisbyran@turism.falkoping.se

Open:               April-August                               
                    Mon-Fri    9.00    -     18.00 
                    Saturday   9.00    -     13.00

                    September-March
                    Mon-Fri    9.00     -    16.00