Umeå 2014

European Capital of Cuture

Umeå the city of birches

Umeå was founded in the early 1620s just like many other Swedish cities (i.e. Göteborg, Sundsvall, and Piteã). King Gustaf II Adolf wanted a tighter grip on trade in order to be able to levy more taxes and he therefore forced the merchants to move to the new cities. The city was built on the lands of the Sanda homestead as a compromise between Ön and Backen.

The city was burned to the ground by marauding Russian troops in 1714 and 1720. A Russian army corps captured Umeå in 1809 without any fighting to speak of but left after a few days of occupation due to imminent peace negotiations. In June 1888 the whole of the eastern part of Umeå, the shipyards at Teg and the houses on Island were devastated by a fire that began in the brewery close to Renmarksbäcken. About 2,300 of the city's 3,000 inhabitants were made homeless. When the city was rebuilt after the fire, wide avenues were laid out as fire protection and silver birch trees planted along them to prevent fires from spreading from one building to another.

Umeå soon became known around Sweden as the City of Birches. In 1951 Umeå was allocated the fifth copy of most of what is printed in Sweden, enabling it to build up a major academic library. A dental school opened in 1956, paving the way for the development of the university.

Umeå's Graduate School for Social Work was established in 1962, the same year that Umeå airport opened. Umeå University was inaugurated on 17 September 1965. In 1992 Ume overtook Sundsvall to become the Norrland municipality with the largest population. In 2012, Umeä's population topped 117,000 after several years of record growth. Today, Umeå is the most densely populated town in northern Sweden. The 33 000 students at the university mean that Umeå stays young and vital and offers lots of city-pulse activities like shopping, eating in restaurants and pubs, or having a picnic in the city park.

The Umeå region is composed of Umeå and the five neighboring municipalities. Together they have a unique span in which nature and nature activities, culture, history and city life can be easily combined. All year round, the Umeå region has many guises. In the summer, beach life and boat trips draw you to the sea. There are many golf courses in beautiful settings. Games can go on long into the light, summer nights. Whitewater rafting trips are run along the Vindelälven, one of Sweden's national rivers. A canoe is an excellent way to tour our islands and rivers. For the fishers, there are good salmon, salmon, trout, grayling and perch waters. The forests can be experienced from horseback or along any of our exquisite walking trails.

Wintertime is embarking on a dog sled trek and experiencing the forest's stillness and quiet a real adventure. A popular winter pleasure is also ice fishing on the frozen sea or a lake. The region has many kilometers of beautiful snowmobile routes to discover.

Umeå European Capital of Culture 2014

Being Europe's Capital of Culture is part of Umeå's long-term development strategy up to 2050. The award will accelerate investment and growth. Culture and sport will have new opportunities for development in cooperation with the rest of Europe and the world. Umeå will be more attractive to students, people who move here, entrepreneurs, creators and investors. Umeå, the most northerly Capital of Culture ever, will treat audiences and visitors from all around Europe to a challenging and innovative year.

The Opening Weekend

Burning Snow