Blekinge

Blekinge, or Blechingia, is a traditional province or landskap in the south of Sweden. It borders to Småland, Skåne and to the Baltic Sea. There is also a County of Blekinge.

Blekinge Land Götaland County Blekinge Area 2,900 km² Provincial flower - Swedish - Latin Mullein[?] Kungsljus Verbaskum Tapsus Provincial tree Oak Provincial animal Stag Beetle Provincial bird Nuthatch Provincial fish Cod

County

The County of Blekinge has virtually the same boundaries as the province of Blekinge.

History

Chartered cities before 1971:

• Karlshamn (1664)
• Karlskrona (1680)
• Ronneby (1387)
• Sölvesborg (1445)

Historically the Province of Blekinge belonged to the Danish Crown, as a part of Skåneland, togeather with provinces Skåne and Halland, which made up the eastern part of the Danish kingdom. Blekinge became a Swedish province in 1658 due to the Treaty of Roskilde.

Geography

Blekinge has a scenic archipelago and it is sometimes called the "Garden of Sweden".

Culture

The town of Karlskrona was for almost 300 years the principal Naval Base in Sweden, and in 1998 it be came a site of the UNESCO World heritage program.

Heraldry

Blekinge was granted its arms at the funural of Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1660, based on an seal from the 15th century. The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Azure, an Oak Tree eradicated Or ensigned with three Crowns palewise of the same."

External Links

• Blekinge (http://www.blekingeturism.com/) - Tourist site