Vilhelmina Municipality

Vilhelmina Municipality
Vilhelmina kommun
Municipality

image of a lake near Vilhelmina

Looking across Volgsjön on a summer morning.

Coat of arms
Country Sweden
County Västerbotten County
Seat Vilhelmina
Area[1]
 • Total 8,740.5 km2 (3,374.7 sq mi)
 • Land 8,047.87 km2 (3,107.30 sq mi)
 • Water 692.63 km2 (267.43 sq mi)
  Area as of January 1, 2014.
Population (June 30, 2016)[2]
 • Total 6,815
 • Density 0.78/km2 (2.0/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code SE
Province Lapland
Municipal code 2462
Website www.vilhelmina.se


Vilhelmina Municipality (Swedish: Vilhelmina kommun) is a municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Vilhelmina.

History

In 1804 the parish of Volgsjö was renamed Vilhelmina in honour of Queen Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Sweden.

In 1947 the locality Vilhelmina was detached from the rural municipality with the same name, forming the market town (köping) of Vilhelmina. The two entities were reunited in 1965.

Geography

Like the northern parts of Sweden (colloquial Norrland), it is scarsely populated due to its inhospitable conditions and cold climate, but is superb for those who like wildlife and untouched nature.

The village of Malgovik, about 20 km north of Vilhelmina, holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Sweden. It was set on December 13, 1941 when the temperature dropped down to -53°C.

Localities

There is only one locality (or urban area) in Vilhelmina Municipality:[3]

# Locality Population
1 Vilhelmina 3,633

Culture

Every July the town of Vilhelmina holds a festival called Hembygdsdagarna Vilhelmina. In addition to popular and folk music performances, tradition holds that a local engaged couple is selected each year to get married during the festival. The bride and groom lead a parade of fiddlers and other traditionally dressed Swedes through town to the church where the marriage is performed in front of all who wish to attend. They are not always able to find a couple willing to get married, however, so some years they hold the parade without an engaged couple, and hold a public church service instead of a wedding.

References

  1. ↑ "Statistiska centralbyrån, Kommunarealer den 1 januari 2014" (Microsoft Excel) (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  2. ↑ "Folkmängd i riket, län och kommuner 30 juni 2016" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ Statistics Sweden as of December 31, 2005
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Coordinates: 64°37′N 16°39′E / 64.617°N 16.650°E / 64.617; 16.650

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