| Sundsvall Industry and environment | A centre for service in Northern Sweden Information technology - IT is the future | Studying in Sundsvall Leisure and Entertainment | Sport indoors and out Spotlight on Culture | Living in Sundsvall | Social services For further information The city of Sundsvall is a traditional commercial centre with roots that stretch back to Viking times. Sundsvall´s location on the coast and its close proximity to Sweden´s neighbours have ensured that the city has always been an important commercial crossroads. The sawmill industry transformed Sundsvall into Sweden´s first major industrial centre at the beginning of the nineteenth century. While the mills have remained important to this day, more recently they have been joined by other industries which have added fascinating new dimensions to the city´s commercial character. Sundsvall is at the heart of an expansive and dynamic region, where a wide range of projects is being carried in all sorts of business areas. As for culture, tertiary education, research an development, leisure and the environment (to mention but a few), Sundsvall rivals any of Sweden´s other major cities. Located at the heart of Sweden and at the very heart of Scandinavia, Sundsvall is as much a centre of trade today as it has always been. The city is best known for its timber industry. This flourished in the mid 1800s, when Sundsvall became the focus for Sweden´s timber business and people flocked from all corners of the country to work on the Swedish "Gold Coast", the first major industrial centre in Sweden. Population
distribution in Sundsvall
Sundsvall is still home to many large industries. Most significant is the timber industry, which now produces mainly paper and pulp. Factories making chemical products and Sweden´s only manufacturer of primary aluminium are also located here. Exporting industries are important for the city, and, in order to improve competitiveness, a number of the larger industries have invested in new machinery and production processes in recent years. Local industries make their mark on the city in many ways, not only through the jobs they create. Sundsvall is heavily involved in environmental work and applies strict environmental demands on its industries, for example. A consistent and determined approach has meant that the name of Sundsvall has become synonymous with environmental awareness both at home and abroad. A centre for service in Northern SwedenBut Sundsvall is much more than just industry. The service sector provides more jobs in the municipality than any other sector of the economy. A number of government departments and other major service companies are based in the city. Telia (Swedish Telecom) has invested heavily in Sundsvall, making it a centre of expertise for Sweden´s mobile telecommunications business. The city is also home to a District Court, a Court of Appeal and an Administrative Court of Appeal. The regional hospital is Sundsvall´s second largest employer after the local government offices. Information technology - IT is the future Close to 3,000 people are employed in information technology, 1,300 of the as qualified technicians, systems analysts and program developers, making the Sundsvall region one of the strongest in computing in Europe. Thanks to modern information technology, traditional constraints on office locations are a thing of the past, a district advantage in an area like Sundsvall, where towns and tiny communities are spread out over a wide area of the countryside. Studying in Sundsvall Sundsvall´s schools are developing rapidly. Upper secondary education offers a wide range of studies in a variety of disciplines, while the Art College caters for artistically inclined. Mitthögskolan (the MidSweden University), which now incorporates the College of Nursing, is one of the contry´s fastest growing universities. Students can choose from 35 programmes and 200 individual coursers on campuses in Sundsvall itself, in Härnösand or in Östersund. Work on the new campus has now been completed and the university has been provided with larger facilities. On the very spot where the city was first founded, on the fringe of the present city centre, we have built the future home of Mid Sweden University. The 4,000 plus students also add colour to Sundsvall, enriching life in the city with their student union arrangements, revues, light-hearted initiation ceremonies and a host of other activities. Networks are being established between the university and the business community to promote the interests both of regional commerce and industry and of the students themselves. The aim - to secure a solid base for research and to consolidate national and international contacts - is an investment in the future for both parties. Leisure and EntertainmentYou are never far from the forest, the sea or the open countryside in Sundsvall. There are plenty of places for bathing - in the sea, in lakes, bays or indoor swimming pools, while forests provide the opportunity for walks and excursions, and the added appeal of picking berries and mushrooms. There are mile after mile of cross-country skiing tracks, and slalom slopes for the more adventurous. The Södra Berget area, close to the city centre, is a mecca for those who enjoy the outdoor life. There is something here for everyone all year round - walking, playing on the adventure trails with the children, exercising on the illuminated skiing track (at 26 kilometres, Sweden´s longest) or just enjoying the view. As for entertainment Sundsvall has as much to offer as any big city. If you enjoy hors racing, for example, Sweden´s fourth largest trotting track, Bergsåker, is situated here, with the chance for a flutter every week. Sundsvall also has cosy pubs and bars, street cafés, discotheques and dance halls. No matter who you are, you'll find Sundsvall full of fun. And then there is the annual summer Street Festival, when the city centre becomes the site for one gigantic party. Artistes and shows, food and drink and a splendid carnival atmosphere make the Street Festival a party for all ages. Sport indoors and outSundsvall´s northern heart and heritages is perhaps most clearly visible in the winter. The snow lies thick on the ground, tempting you out on ski trips across the countryside, up hill and down dale. There are good ski slopes and marked tracks at Södra Berget close to the city centre with varying degrees of difficulty to suit everyone, young or old, expert or beginner. Nordic Hallen (The Nordic Hall) is regarded as one of Sweden´s top indoor areas for football and athletics, and is also used for exhibitions, trade fairs and dance galas. Swimming baths, football and ice hockey stadiums, riding schools, golf courses, tennis halls, bandy pitches - whatever sport you enjoy watching or playing, the chances are you will find it in Sundsvall. And the people of Sundsvall are fortunate too, in having such beautiful countryside so close to the city itself. In 1997 Sundsvall hosted the European Youth Olympic Winter Days" where 1000 youngsters from 41 European countries participated. Spotlight on CultureCulture enjoys a special place in Sundsvall, which has been voted "Cultural Municipality of the Year". Our civic Cultural Centre, Kulturmagasinet, has been awarded the Europa Nostra Prize, and is celebrated as something of a common room" for the people of Sundsvall, a place where they can meet to read, study, discuss art, watch films, paint, eat and relax together. The Tonhallen Concert Hall is home to the Sundsvall Chamber Orchestra, and the city also has two theatres offering a wide and varied programme of productions. The central parts of Sundsvall are a cultural treasure trove. In 1888 a fire devastated virtually all of the town. Fortunately, however, after the fire the wealthy timber barons and merchants who lived here vied with one another to build the most splendid home. Wooden houses were forbidden and the result was a truly remarkable city centre on a par with any other city in the world. Living in Sundsvall Sundsvall has homes for all tastes; amid relics from more ancient times and wooden houses that escaped the fire which swept through the city centre in the last century, private homes clamber up the twin hills that shape the heart of the city. Here, as elsewhere in the city, the suburbs and the surrounding villages, down by the seashore or up in the hills, are detached houses, town homes and apartments. But wherever you live in Sundsvall one thing is certain: you will never be far away from the services, the open spaces and the entertainment you want. Social services We believe that children must be properly catered for in kindergartens and after-school recreation centres. We also believe that parents who need a nursery place for their children must be given one, and happily, this is a target that Sundsvall has already met. For the elderly and the disabled there are several excellent blocks of service apartments, sheltered homes and nursing homes many of them new or renovated. And Sundsvall is well served too by a regional hospital with a number of specialist departments. Read more about social services Commercial &
Industrial Development: Tel: (+46) 60 - 16 95 40 City of Sundsvall Tel: (+46) 60 - 19 10 00 |