Sandviken, Gästrikland, Exploring Sweden

Sandviken, Gästrikland – Exploring Sweden

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  • Lästid:8 minuters läsning
  • Inlägget ändrades senast:2023-06-20
  • Inläggskategori:English / Sweden / Travel
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Sandviken is with its population of around 25 000 inhabitants the second largest town in the province of Gästrikland. The town has lived with its ironworks for its whole lifetime, and both its history and current appearance are closely linked with the steel production.


A Short History of Sandviken

Sandviken as a larger settlement began to grow first after the year 1862. This was the year that Göran Fredrik Göransson established an ironworks in the Högbo Parish. The company was initially known as Högbo Stål & Jernwerks AB, but has since grown to what we today know as Sandvik AB.

At the turn of the century Sandviken had grown to be a locality with around 6000 inhabitants and of these around 2000 worked with the steel manufacturing. Sandviken became a köping in 1927, this is a Swedish type of market town. The town received its town privileges in 1942 when Sandviken was joined by Högbo municipality to form the town of Sandviken.


Things to Do and See in Sandviken

There are several sights in and around Sandviken that give an insight into the town’s industrial past and present. What else can you find in Sandviken?

Sandvikens AIK Bandy and Göransson Arena

Sandvikens AIK’s bandy section was established in 1922. Bandy is a winter sport that is something of a combination of ice hockey and field hockey. The sport is most common in Finland, Russia and Sweden. Sandviken has had one of Sweden’s more successful teams since the league started in 1931. Sandvikens AIK has won 9 championships, the last one in 2014.

Sandvikens AIK plays at Göransson Arena, named after the same Göransson that founded the ironworks in the town. The arena has a capacity of 4 000 during the bandy games and around 10 000 during concerts.

Högbo Bruk

Högbo is located a short drive north of central Sandviken. This is an ironworks dating back to the 17th century and was later partly owned by the same Göran Fredrik Göransson that we mentioned earlier. The area is today something like an open-air museum and offers both accommodations as well as several summer activities.

Smedsgårdens Bruksmuseum

Smedsgårdens Bruksmuseum is a museum displaying the different kinds of accommodations that have been available during the years of the ironworks in the town. It is located in the old neighborhood of Gamla Bruket.

Lake Storsjön

The name of the lake actually means the great lake, but it should not be confused with the 5th largest lake that is located in Jämtland with Östersund at its shores. The lake has several public beaches, two of which are Sörtuttsbadet and Hedåsbadet.

There is also a long tradition of steamers on Lake Storsjön, The M/S Emma was built in Gävle and came to Storjön in 1904. It is today offering tours on the lake.


How to get to Sandviken

  • Flights: Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN) is located 157 kilometers away and offers flights around the globe.
  • Car: Sandviken is located along E16 between Falun and Gävle.
  • Train: There are long distance trains connecting Rättvik with Borlänge, Gävle, and Hallsberg.
  • Bus: There are regional buses connecting Sandviken with the surrounding area.

The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:

  • Stockholm – 271 kilometers (3 h 12 min)
  • Gothenburg – 480 kilometers (5 h 59 min)
  • Malmö – 713 kilometers (8 h 12 min)
  • Linköping – 337 kilometers (4 h 32 min)
  • Kiruna – 1132 kilometers (13 h 23 min)

Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden

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