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| Missing image Skövde_in_Sweden.png See also:Municipalities of Sweden | Coat of arms Missing image Blank.png | |
| Seat | Skövde | |
| County | Västra Götaland County | |
| Province | Westrogothia | |
| Area Rank | 677.7 km² 145th of 290 | |
| Population Rank | 49,856 (2005) 44th of 290 | |
| Density | 73/km² | |
Skövde Municipality is a Municipality in western Sweden where the city Skövde is the main city and seat of government.
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Geography
Skövde is situated between the two largest lakes in Sweden, Vänern and Vättern. The main line railway was located through Skövde in the 1890's, which boosted the population and development.
History
Skövde traces its history back to the medieval age. On its city arms is the image of Saint Helena who allegedly was a pious woman from Skövde. She was born about 1101 and got married and had children. After the death of her husband she gave her belongings to the poor and undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She returned and settled on a farm were she dedicated herself to spiritual and kind actions. The church in Skövde, now called S:t Helena Church, was largely built because of generous donations from Helena.
However, she had a daughter who had gotten married to a malicious man, and he beat and abused his wife. Finally, the servants at the farm of Helena united and killed the husband. The relatives of the deceased husband blamed Helena for the murder, and to avenge his death they killed Helena while she was on her way to church.
She was canonized in 1165 by the Pope Alexander III and the first archbishop of Sweden, Stefan.
Today
Volvo has a large industry there with more than 3,000 workers.
Notable natives
- Kristina Lugn, poet
- Robert Gustafsson, performer
- Jörgen Wolster
- Karl Larsson, artist
- Tim Skold, musician
- Zenon Prota, Hiphop artist
- Christer Ulfbåge, sports commentator