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Borlänge

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Overview

Borlänge ([ˈbôːˌɭɛŋːɛ]) is a locality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality which as of 2017 had a total population of 51,604 inhabitants.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,593 words

WBP editorial3

Industrial heritage as a cultural lens

Borlänge’s skyline, dominated by concrete silos and former steelworks, tells a story of Sweden’s post‑war industrial boom. Visitors who wander beyond the main shopping streets will find repurposed factory halls now housing contemporary art installations, craft breweries and co‑working spaces. This adaptive reuse reflects a broader Scandinavian trend of turning utilitarian spaces into community hubs, offering a tangible sense of how the town negotiated the shift from heavy industry to a service‑oriented economy. A walk along the Lillån River, where the water once powered mills, provides a quiet counterpoint to the buzz of modern cafés, giving insight into the layered relationship between labour, landscape and local identity.

A gateway to Dalarna’s folk traditions

While larger cities host the more famous midsummer celebrations, Borlänge serves as a practical base for exploring Dalarna’s rustic customs. The nearby village of Orsa, reachable within a short train ride, offers authentic handcrafted Dala horses and folk‑music evenings in historic taverns. From Borlänge you can join a guided foraging trek into the surrounding pine forests, where locals still harvest lingonberries and cloudberries for traditional jams. These activities, often organised by community groups rather than tourist operators, give travellers a nuanced glimpse of how regional traditions persist in everyday life, far from the tourist‑centric narratives.

Seasonal rhythms and practical travel tips

Borlänge’s sub‑arctic climate yields distinct seasonal experiences. Spring brings a surge of cyclists taking advantage of the expanding network of bike lanes that connect the town to lakeside trails; renting a hybrid bike locally is cheaper than booking through national providers. Summer evenings are best spent on the banks of Lake Vansjön, where locals gather for low‑key barbecues—joining an impromptu gathering requires simply following the scent of grilled fish. In winter, the town’s proximity to the Bergslagen ski areas means early morning lifts are less crowded than those in the more famous Alpine resorts, making it a quiet alternative for powder enthusiasts.

Introduction

Place in Dalarna, SwedenBorlängeSveatorget in Borlänge in 2005 BorlängeShow map of DalarnaBorlängeShow map of SwedenCoordinates: 60°29′08″N 15°26′11″E / 60.48556°N 15.43639°E / 60.48556; 15.43639Country SwedenProvinceDalarnaCountyDalarna CountyMunicipalityBorlänge MunicipalityFounded1944Area • Total34.36 km2 (13.27 sq mi)Elevation151 m (495 ft)Population (2017) • Total44,898 • Density1,307/km2 (3,384/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codes781 xx, 784 xxClimateDfbWebsiteOfficial website Borlänge ([ˈbôːˌɭɛŋːɛ]) is a locality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality which as of 2017 had a total population of 51,604 inhabitants.

History

[edit] Stora Tuna Church, open as Dalecarlia Cathedral by 1469; its parish and graveyard were established in the 13th century. Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and traces back to at least the 1390s. The village was insignificant up until about 1870. In 1872 the construction of Domnarfvets Jernverk, the ironworks of neighbouring village Domnarvet started. In 1875 a railway between Falun and Ludvika, via Borlänge was inaugurated. Thanks to its railway station the village of Borlänge became highly important in servicing the ironworks. In 1898, Borlänge was granted privileges by the national Swedish government as a market town (Swedish: köping) with about 1,300 inhabitants, but still today it belongs to the Church of Sweden's regionally historically dominant parish of Stora Tuna, centered on a large medieval church by that name (meaning great enclosed farmyards), now located in a rural district east of the city. In 1898, the Stora Kopparbergs Bergslag - the owner of the ironworks in Domnarvet at the time - built a papermill in an adjacent village to Borlänge called Kvarnsveden, upstream from Domnarvet. Many area residents emigrated to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1944, the City of Borlänge was incorporated after the market town joined the industrial towns of Domnarvet and Kvarnsveden. In 1971 the municipality of Borlänge was established when the Stora Tuna municipality merged with the City of Borlänge. From the 1940s onward, politics in the municipality has been dominated by the Social Democratic Party. In the early 1970s, the Kvarnsvedens Pappersbruk paper mill and the Domnarvets Jernverk steel mill had a high demand for employees. Between 1970 and 1974, the Tjärna Ängar Million Programme district was built. In the 1990s, Borlänge had the highest crime rate per thousand inhabitants in Sweden, dominated by violence and theft.

Climate

[edit] Climate data for Borlange (1991–2020) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.0(30.2) −0.2(31.6) 4.1(39.4) 10.1(50.2) 15.8(60.4) 19.6(67.3) 22.1(71.8) 20.5(68.9) 15.4(59.7) 8.7(47.7) 3.3(37.9) 0.2(32.4) 9.9(49.8) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −6.9(19.6) −6.8(19.8) −4.1(24.6) −0.3(31.5) 4.5(40.1) 8.8(47.8) 11.3(52.3) 10.2(50.4) 6.5(43.7) 2.1(35.8) −1.7(28.9) −5.5(22.1) 1.5(34.7) Average precipitation mm (inches) 38.1(1.50) 29.9(1.18) 30.9(1.22) 36.0(1.42) 54.8(2.16) 73.1(2.88) 83.7(3.30) 81.6(3.21) 49.9(1.96) 62.5(2.46) 48.4(1.91) 43.3(1.70) 632.2(24.9) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 15.9 13.9 12.0 11.3 13.5 14.9 15.6 16.0 13.6 15.2 17.2 17.2 176.3 Source: World Meteorological Organization

Demographics

[edit] Interior of the Borlänge People's House (Folkets hus). According to the Borlänge Municipality, as of 2017, Borlänge had a population of 51,604 inhabitants. 11,693 residents in the city are of foreign origin, comprising 22.7% of the total population. Of these individuals, 8,837 were born abroad and 2,856 were born in Sweden. Most of the residents of foreign background come from Asia, Africa, other Nordic countries, and other parts of Europe. According to the Borlänge Municipality, in the 1990s, most foreign-born residents of Borlänge arrived from Southern Europe, due to the civil wars in Yugoslavia. During the 2000s, immigrants in the city primarily came from Somalia, Iraq and Turkey. The Somalia-born immigrants mainly arrived via family reunification. This migration had decreased by the following decade, with most newcomers in Borlänge now consisting of asylum immigrants from Syria and Eritrea. As of 2016, there are 472 refugees in the municipality, most of whom originate from Syria (218), Eritrea (121), and Somalia (56). The newer asylum immigrants in the city largely emigrated from Syria and Eritrea. As of 2017, the most common countries of origin for total foreign-born individuals residing in Borlänge are Somalia (3,114) Finland (1,570) Syria (1,032) Iraq (1,028) Turkey (926) Eritrea (350) Thailand (322) Iran (240) Ex-Yugoslavia (197) Norway (174).

Districts

[edit] Borlänge's official districts and their inhabitants from 1975 to 2010: District 1975 1990 2010 Bullermyren 4,000 2,700 2,800 Centrum, Östermalm 3,900 3,300 3,800 Domnarvet, Medväga, Barkargärdet 2,900 3,300 3,600 Gylle, Åselby, Hytting, Bro 5,200 4,200 4,100 Hagalund 4,700 3,800 4,100 Idkerberget, Tuna Hästberg 750 650 550 Jakobsgårdarna 1,300 1,900 Ornäs, Dalsjö, Kyna m.fl. 900 1,300 1,400 Romme m.fl. 2,500 2,200 2,300 Skräddarbacken 3,100 2,700 Tjärna Ängar 3,200 1,900 2,900 Torsång m.fl 500 1,200 1,300 Väster Tuna 1,400 1,700 1,800 Tjärna ängar[edit] Typical residential buildings in Tjärna ängar. According to the Borlänge Municipality, many of the city's inhabitants with a foreign background live in the neighborhoods of Jakobsgårdarna and Tjärna Ängar (nicknamed "Lilla Mogadishu" because of its many Somalia-born inhabitants). An agreement between the Borlänge Municipality and the Swedish Migration Board to receive 30 refugees per year has contributed to the population growth, with many arriving via family reunification. Additionally, people have relocated to the city from other areas. Many are young, with few individuals older than 60 years of age. Over a five-year period, the number of inhabitants in Tjärna Ängar increased considerably, as 1,000 young persons relocated to the neighborhood. The new arrivals principally came from two or three foreign backgrounds, and included university students and people who had emigrated from abroad. In its December 2015 report, the Swedish Police Authority placed the Borlänge's Tjärna Ängar district in the second highest category of urban areas with high crime rates. In the summer of 2016, there was widespread vandalism, cars were torched and when firefighters arrived, they were attacked with stones and had to wait for police to escort them in order to complete their mission. The Dalarna University College has student accommodation in the area where female students are sexually harassed by the local male youth on a regular basis and avoid going outdoors after sunset. In a 2018 interview, the local police commissioner Erik Gatu stated in an interview that clan leaders and religious leaders have taken over the leadership of the area, where 9 out of 10 are born abroad. Police has noted a change in 2017 when crime happens, nobody calls the police but the injured parties settle among themselves according to "an eye for an eye" in a parallel justice system. Although the official number of inhabitants are 3500, unofficially the population may be as high as 6000-10000, when water usage and the weight of generated household waste is analysed.

Economy

[edit] Employers[edit] Borlänge has for a long time been an industrial town surrounding the iron mill of Domnarvet (SSAB) and the paper mill of Kvarnsveden (Stora Enso). As a city with a structure heavily divided by rails and roads, with a modern city center, Borlänge also houses the head office for a state authority - the National Swedish Transport Administration Trafikverket. Transport[edit] Borlänge is served by Dala Airport which is located 8 kilometres (5 mi) southeast of Borlänge. However, there no scheduled passenger flights to and the airport. The nearest airport is Stockholm Arlanda Airport, located 214 kilometres (133 mi) southeast of Borlänge town centre.

Sport

[edit] The city boasts a successful football team IK Brage, named after the Norse god, has a history of 18 seasons in the Swedish Premier Division (Allsvenskan). Brage plays in green and white and hosts its home games at Domnarvsvallen Stadium in Borlänge, with a seating capacity of 6,500. Another Borlänge team which has had a great deal of success in the sport, with both domestic and foreign fans following their progress, is the multicultural soccer team Dalkurd FF. The handball club Borlänge HK won the Swedish Women's Championship 3 times during the 1970's. Other sports clubs located in Borlänge include: Forssa BK IF Tunabro Islingby IK Kvarnsvedens IK Stora Tuna OK In 2013, a Somali national bandy team was formed in Borlänge with the goal of participating in the 2014 Bandy World Championship. The 2008 Women's Bandy World Championship was also arranged with Borlänge as the main venue. In 1999 the large orienteering competition O-Ringen was held around Borlänge, gathering 15 238 participants. The 1993 World Gliding Championships were held at the Borlänge Airport, east of the town.

Music

[edit] As is the case with its twin city, Falun, music is an important part of Borlänge. It has been the hometown of many new young musicians in Sweden such as Mando Diao, Sugarplum Fairy and Miss Li and offers the possibility to get a degree in popular music at BoomTown Music Education, a branch of the School of Music at Luleå University of Technology. The annual but now defunct Peace & Love music festival was hosted in Borlänge. Notable musical groups[edit] Stonewall Noise Orchestra, rock band Mando Diao, rock band Twilight Force, power metal band Astral Doors, heavy metal band Dozer, stoner rock band Greenleaf, stoner rock band Sator, rock band (earlier Sator Codex) Rootvälta, reggae band Sugarplum Fairy, rock band Anekdoten, prog band

Notable people

[edit] Simon Aspelin, tennis player Jens Bergenström, hockey player Jussi Björling, tenor Maja Dahlqvist, cross-country skier Mattias Ekholm, - NHL Hockey Player for Edmonton Oilers Erik Eriksson, Centre Party's first chairman Tomas Forslund, ice hockey player Per Fosshaug, bandy player Lars Frölander, swimmer Nils Patrik Johansson, heavy metal singer Lars Jonsson, ice hockey player Gabriel Karlsson, hockey player Miss Li, musician Lasse Nilsson, football player Gustaf Norén, musician Per Olov Qvist (born 1948), Swedish film critic Mattias Ritola, hockey player Johan Olof Wallin, archbishop, poet and psalmist