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| Missing image Östersund_in_Sweden.png See also:Municipalities of Sweden | Coat of arms Missing image Coat_of_Arms | |
| Seat | Östersund | |
| County | Jämtland County | |
| Province | Jämtland | |
| Area Rank | 2,220 km² 38th of 290 | |
| Population Rank | 58,459 (2005) 35th of 290 | |
| Density | 26/km² | |
Östersund Municipality Template:Audio is a municipality in the middle of Sweden where the city Östersund is the seat with a population of 43,536.
Östersund is a town which borders the fifth largest lake in Sweden, Storsjön. It is also the location of Sweden's most northerly rune stone, and has a museum by the name Jamtli, which has both an enclosed exhibition area and an outdoor area which contains old buildings from Jämtland County (similar to Skansen in Stockholm). The museum contains some very interesting tapestries from ?1050 AD. Östersund is one of the main campus sites of Mid Sweden University.
The city was founded in 1786 and was given its charter by King Gustav III of Sweden. Slowly developing in its first 100 years, the city expanded rapidly after the arrival of a railway in 1879. For a long time a city built on county administration and a strong military presence, however, the armed forces are on their way out. In 1997 the 4th Swedish artillery regiment was dissolved, and during the fall of 2004 the Swedish government decided to close down the military academy, the 5th infantry regiment and the Frösö air base as well, leaving nothing behind.
Östersund, in association with the neighboring municipality of Åre, will be the candidate of Sweden for the organization of the XXIInd Olympic Winter Games, the 2014 Winter Olympics. This will be the fourth attempt of this city (after 1994, 1998 and 2002).
See also
- Biathlon World Championships (1970, 2008)
External links
- Östersund (http://www.ostersund.se) - Official sitede:Östersund