Everything about J Mtland totally explained
, or
Jamtland [ˈjamtˌlanː] in
Jamtlandic, is a historical
province or
landskap in the center of
Sweden. It borders to
Härjedalen and
Medelpad in the south,
Ångermanland in the east,
Lapland in the north and
Trøndelag and
Norway in the west. Jämtland covers an area of 34 009
square kilometres, 8.3
per cent of Sweden's total area and is the second largest province in Sweden.
Jämtland was originally an autonomous
peasant republic, its own
nation, in its true meaning. Jämtland was conquered by
Norway in 1178 and stayed Norwegian for over 450 years until it was ceded to Sweden in 1645. The province has since been Swedish for roughly 350 years, though the population didn't gain Swedish citizenship until 1699. The province's identity is manifested with the concept of a republic within the kingdom of Sweden, though this is only done semi-seriously.
Carl XVI Gustaf became the
Duke of Jämtland after his christening, a nominal title he still retains, even though he now is the
King of Sweden.
Historically,
socially and
politically Jämtland's been a special territory between Norway and Sweden. This in itself is symbolized in the province's coat of arm where Jämtland, the silver moose, is threatened from the east and from the west. During the unrest period in Jämtland's history (1563-1677) it shifted alignment between the two states no less than 13 times. During history Jämtland has been linked to the land west and east of itself, which has been in complete contrast to the competitive Dano-Norwegian and Swedish state's interest. These historical and cultural bonds to Trøndelag and Härjedalen have expressed themselves in the name
Øst-Trøndelag, in addition to the fact that the Jamts historically never considered themselves to be
Norrlanders.
Etymology
Jämtland has gotten its name from its inhabitants - the Jamts. The name can be traced back to the world's northernmost
runestone, the
Frösö Runestone from the 11th century, where it's found as
ea(m)talant (
Jamtaland). The
root of Jamt (
Old West Norse:
jamti), and thus Jämtland, derives from the
Proto-Germanic word stem emat- meaning persistent, efficient, enduring and hardworking and
Jamptalande with a
p. Later a
sound change occurred in East Scandinavian from
a into
e, the so called
i-mutation. This led to new forms such as
Jempteland. The sound change eventually spread northwards although it never made itself apparent in the province's own dialects where the
a was preserved. The genitive case (now both a and e, depending on the area) was ultimately dropped everywhere, leading to a reduction of the three
consonant mpt. In Swedish and Danish the p was dropped, which resulted in the form
Jemtland. This didn't happen in Jamtlandic where the
t was lost which resulted in the form
Jamplann (when
nd was
assimilated into
nn). This form was commonly used in regional speech until the 20th century when an altered version,
Jamtlann became prominent. In Swedish language the form Jemtland was still commonly used and when the letter
ä became "modärn" in the early 20th century the province's spelling changed into
Jämtland. This never happened in the
Danish language (and thus not in
Norwegian either), where the spelling with an
e remained.
The pronouncuation is despite the different spellings the same in all three countries. Though as already pointed out, the regional name differs from the rest.
History
Prehistory
The first humans came to Jämtland from the west across
Kölen approximately 7 000-6 000
BC, after the
last ice age. The climate was at the time much warmer than today and trees were growing at the top of today's mountains. The first humans were
hunters and gatherers. Several thousand
archaeological remains have been located in the province, predominately near old campsites, beaches and lakes. The oldest settlement found was located at
Foskvattnet, not far way from the so called
Fosna culture, this settlement has been dated to 6 600 BC. The hunter-gatherers were
nomads and constantly followed their
prey's movement. In Jämtland the moose was the dominant prey, which is clearly shown on
petroglyphs and rock paintings. Jämtland has over 20 000 documented
ancient monuments, the oldest one being an 8 000 year old
arrowhead found in
Offerdal.
Rock paintings found in Jämtland often collocates with various
trapping pits and well over 10 000 pits used for hunting have been located, which is much more than any other Scandinavian region. Trapping or hunting pits were placed in areas in close proximity of the hunted animal in question, usually in known places where the animals moved. Because of this there are several places where pits have been dug separately in lines stretching on for miles throughout the landscape. Even today there are several
place names in Jämtland that display the significance these pits had to the tribes.
When the climate turned colder again the
fauna also changed, the
Norway Spruce came to the province 500 BC from the north, and later spread into Norway.
Image:Fångstgrop Hoting 070715.JPG|Trapping pit
Image:Fångsjön hällmålning älg 010423.JPG|A moose painted with red ochre near Fångsjön
Image:Fangsjon.jpg|Fångsjön rock art site, dated to 2500-2000 before Christ
Image:Skorbrant, Stromsund, 15 juni 2005.JPG|Burned rocks in northern Jämtland
A Jamtish
neolithic culture emerged during late
Roman Iron Age in
Storsjöbygden, though the hunter-gatherers had come in contact with this lifestyle long before they settled down themselves. Though since the hunts were rich and successful in Jämtland it took a long time before a change occurred.
The
neolithic revolution happened quickly once initiated since the
Trønders had been farmers for a long time and some of the Jamts had already begun
herding. The Jamtish farmers grew first and foremost
barley, though
palynological study bear witness of for example
hemp. At the end of the 4th century a
fortress,
Mjälleborgen, was established on Frösön in order to control the excessive iron production and
trade that took place. At the same time
Kurgans starts appearing in the Jamtish landscape, just like in
Bertnem in Trøndelag and
Högom in Medelpad. The western influence from Trøndelag through Jämtland to Norrland was at the time extensive.
The expansion of settlement was somewhat halted in the 7th century and Mjälleborgen was abandoned in the 8th century. A
migration among the people occurred at the same time and the people concentrated themselves around Storsjön with villages such as
Frösön,
Brunflo,
Rödön,
Hackås,
Lockne and
Näs being larger communities. Storsjöbygden became an
oasis in the middle of the Scandinavian inland, surrounded by dense forest.
Horses were the only reliable mean of communications and a necessity.
Medieval period
During the
viking age the settlement in the province grew. This may be seen as a confirmation to the sagas written by
Snorri Sturluson, where he narrates about the vikings who fled from Harald Fairhair and Norway and took residence in Jämtland, just like many Norwegians at the same time fled and colonized Iceland. When a
climate change (which later resulted in the
Medieval Warm Period) took place Frösön acquired the position as regional centre. The warmer climate made the
agriculture flourish, the stock-raising and the special inland Scandinavian
herding or "livestock drifting",
buföring, was developed further. This is especially true for the southern parts of Jämtland when the so called "
fell cow" was introduced. The hunt for moose and other wild animals increased during this period.
Religiously the Jamts had abandoned the
indigenous Germanic tribal religion in favour of the Norse faith.
Among the worshiped
gods in
Norse mythology Jämtland was dominated by the older
Vanir gods (
Freyr,
Njord,
Ullr etc.). Though the
Æsirs were also worshiped. As the population continued to grew the Jamts established an
assembly, just like other Germanic tribes.
Jamtamót came into existence shortly after the world's oldest parliament, the Icelandic
Althing, was instituted in 930 BC. Jamtamót is unique in Scandinavia since it's the only one referred to as
mót (a
Gothic word) instead of
þing, even though they've the same meaning.
Jämtland was
Christianized in the middle of the 11th century when the
Frösö Runestone was risen (the only one in the world that tells about the christening of a country), shortly after
Olaf II of Norway died in the
Battle of Stiklestad just west of Jämtland. After this process Jämtland turned into a Christian country and the first church,
Västerhus chapel was built shortly after the rune stone was raised.
According to Sturlason's Sagas the Jamts sometimes paid taxes to Norwegian kings such as
Håkon Adalsteinsfostre and
Øystein Magnusson for protection. The Sagas also mentions that the Jamts at one occasion also paid taxes to a king in
Svealand. Though the Sagas reliability on the matter has been defined as low. In the oldest written source for Norway,
Historia Norwegiæ, it's however clearly stated that Norway borders in the north-east to Jämtland.
During the
civil war era in Norway Jämtland was defeated by king
Sverre of Norway after losing the
Battle at the ice of Storsjön. This was the last war fought by the Jamts under their own elected leaders. The consequences of this defeat was less
autonomy. Though Jämtland never became a fully integrated part of Norway and had the same status in the Norwegian Empire as the Atlantic isles like
Shetland and
Orkney, even though Jämtland was connected by land with the rest of Norway. This is clearly shown when
Haakon V of Norway refers to Jämtland as his "eastern realm —
öystræ rikinu".
Turbulent times
After Norway was forced into a
personal union with
Denmark (
Denmark-Norway) in 1536 Jämtland came to be governed from
Copenhagen. Sweden's separation from the
Kalmar Union transferred Jämtland from a central Scandinavian region into a border region between two aggressive states. Just like
Gotland Jämtland politically belonged to Denmark-Norway and religiously to Sweden. When the
reformation (
Catholicism survived in some places into the 17th century) was forced upon the population when the kings took control of the church Jämtland had two kings above itself. This eventually led to conflict, first in 1563 during the
Nordic Seven Years' War (after which Jämtland was put under the
diocese of Nidaros), then in 1611 during the
Kalmar War when villages were burned to the ground and plundered, churches were destroyed and the population was assaulted. After this incident the Jamts were severely punished by the Danish king, who confiscated much land from the Jamts for having sworn the Swedish king an
oath of allegiance, incidentally before the misconducts started. These conflicts continued, Jämtland was occupied yet again in 1644 during the
Hannibal War, though the Swedes were quickly driven out by Norwegians and locals. Sweden did however win that war in the south and received Jämtland as a part of the
Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645.
After this Denmark-Norway tried to regain the province, first in 1657 (
Dano Swedish war of 1657) where the Norwegians were hailed as liberators. Then for a longer period in 1677 with the
conquest of Jemtland. The Jamts conducted
snapphane activities towards the Swedish army and during this time a Jamt from
Lockne, the first known Jamtish poet, wrote a scurrilous song that was sung throughout the province during the war. The last segment of the song was the most derisive one (direct English translation to the right):
» Vii hafva nu lefft uti 30 åhrs tijdh
:allt under Sveriges chrona » uti strijdh och tyrani ingen persohn att skona.
Tiig vari priss o Gudh, vår vän, » som gaf oss danske kungen igen
med gledie.
|
We have now lived for 30 years time
certainly under the Swedish crown
through battle and tyranny no person to spare
You be praised oh God, our friend
who gave us the Danish king again
with joy.
|
The conquest failed and Jämtland was once again in Swedish hands, a Swedification process begun. The
Diocese of Härnösand was instituted at the Swedish coast, schools were established (to direct the Jamts away from Trondheim) etc. though the population didn't receive Swedish citizenship until 1699, the Jamts were thus the last people from an acquired territory in Sweden to become Swedish.
The Jamtish people maintained some
self-governance. The Jamtamót had been transformed into a Danish
landsting in the early 16th century. Even though it was banned in the end of the very same century it continued to be held by the people, in secret. After the transition to Sweden some parts were transmitted into a Swedish
landsjämnadsting.
Sweden's intentions in the province were first and foremost focused on defense, which led to an enormous burden for the Jamtish farmers to bear. The Jamts managed to enforce a treaty in 1688 which stated that Jamts were under no circumstances obligated to defend anything but their own province. This treaty was eventually broken by king
Charles XII and Jamts participated in
Carl Gustaf Armfeldt's Norwegian campaign during the
Great Northern War. The campaign was unsuccessful and when Charles XII died in southern Norway Armfeldt marched back to Jämtland. On
New Year's Eve 1718 a massive
blizzard arose and over 3 000
Caroleans succumbed in Jämtland's mountains mostly due to poor clothing. The time that followed "the
Age of Liberty" brought changes to the province's agriculture, with significances such as the
potato and better
granaries. The
standard of living was greatly improved during this period.
Modern period
In order to end the free trade conducted by "faring-men" or "faring-farmers" (
fælmännan or
fælbönnran in dialect) Jämtland's first and only city,
Östersund, was founded by
Gustaf III 1786, though plans had existed since the province was seceded. It took almost one hundred years after this before the province began industrializing when the railroad
Mittbanan-
Meråkerbanen was established between
Sundsvall, Östersund and Trondheim. This evolved the
logging process and also led to more people migrating to Jämtland, not to mention all the tourists who came for the "fresh air". In the late 19th century the province was struck by
popular movements. In Jämtland the "
free minded"
Good Templar movement (a part of the
temperance movement) came to dominate completely, in fact, the movement drew its strongest support (in relation to the population) in Jämtland in the entire world, and it was also here, in Östersund, that the world's largest order house was built.
Jamtamót
Jamtamót (literally "Jamts' meeting") was the independent assembly located on Bynäset (a
promontory) on Frösön in Jämtland established in the 10th century. Jamtamót was an annual thing held each year around
March 12 and every Jamt was entitled to participate during the meeting, which naturally led to the meeting being well attended, in relation to the province's population that is. Jamtamót was the highest institution in Jämtland during the time it operated. At Jamtamót
disputes were resolved and
justice was served. Apart from this the meeting also worked as some sort of
government since it also decided upon taxes. As already mentioned some parts of the Jamtamót was transferred into a landsjämnadsting. The landsjämnadsting in Jämtland functioned until
landsting was instituted in the rest of Sweden, modeled by the landsjämnadsting of Jämtland which was the only assembly left at the time. The current
County Council may thus trace its lineage back to the medieval Germanic thing.
Subdivision and law
Jämtland was originally divided into four parts, so called
farthings (
fjalingan or
fjålingan in Jamtish), just like Iceland (
fjórðungr in
Icelandic). This division is similar to the
hundred subdivision the rest of Scandinavia had. Just like on Iceland these farthings were named after
cardinal directions. Exactly how the borders for each farthing went is unknown though it has been suggested that they all reached Storsjön in the center of the province. The eastern farthing at
Brunflo, the western from
Trångsviken to the
Rödö peninsula and the south farthing from
Oviken and
Hackås and southwards. The northern farthing is assumed to have covered all the northern parts in addition to all the islands in Storsjön (like Frösön,
Norderön,
Andersön etc.) and
Mörsil plus
Hallen parish all the way to
Oviksfjällen.
The farthings were lesser administrative regions, more or less
juridical districts with their own assemblies, all parallel with the common assembly on Frösön. The old
law used in Jämtland is the so called
Jamtish Law, referred to in old documents as for example
Jamptskum laughom. Old documents also makes reference to a specific law book —
Jamskre loghbok. The law book has never been recovered and it's assumed to have been destroyed in the 16th century, or never having existed at all. Nevertheless the Jamtish law was either the same, or strongly influenced by the
Frostating law applied on Trøndelag.
When
Magnus the law-mender became the king of Norway he instituted a national law for Norway in 1276, however Jämtland wasn't applied by this law. Jämtland came under this law either in 1365 or in the middle of the 16th century. The divisions by farthings were replaced in the 16th century by, shortly after Jämtland got its own Norwegian law thing.
» ::::::
Court Districts in Jämtland
There's also an historical subdivision of Jämtland in Jamtlandic. One area is referred to as
Nol i bygdom "the north countryside" and consist of
Lit-
Hammerdal and the area further north.
Sö i bygdom "the south contryside" or
Sunna sjön consists of the area just south of Storsjön;
Oviken,
Berg,
Sunne and
Hallen.
Öst i bygdom (also
ast, äst, ust, åst etc. instead of "öst") for eastern Jämtland, mainly
Ragunda,
Revsund and
Brunflo.
Opp i lännan "up in the lands" refers to western Jämtland,
Undersåker and
Offerdal.
Fram på lännan "the front", "central lands" or
in på lännan "in on the lands" consists of the area around Storsjön like Frösön,
Rödön etc. A person from this area is called a
framlänning "front lander".
Churches
After the conversion to
Christianity several
parishes (so called
socknar, related to "seek") were established in Jämtland, these are now replaced by over 40
församlingar, meaning "assemblage". These are organized by so called
kontrakt "contracts", collaboration units within the
Swedish church's each
diocese. Jämtland is a part of the
Härnösand diocese, established two years after Jämtland was seceded to Sweden. In Jämtland there are five contracts;
Bräcke-Ragunda,
Krokom-Åre,
Strömsund and
Östersunds kontrakt, along with
Berg-Härjedalen. Though only half of the parishes in the last one are actually located in Jämtland, the rest are located in Härjedalen.
When the first churches were established in Jämtland during the medieval period they were done so by a small number of farmers. Estimations show that there were seldom more than 30 to 40 farmers in each parish. In some cases, like in
Kyrkås,
Marby and
Norderö parish the farmers were probably 20 or less. These original parishioners built churches that's lasted for centuries, many are still existing and functioning today. This is quite remarkable given that they built these churches in stones, much larger than their ordinary timber houses and in a material the parishioners weren't accustomed to (given that they only used timber). The churches became a matter of concern for every parishioner, the centre in each parish. Everybody had to help build them and their descendants had to maintain them, this carried on for generations. Families have decorated the churches throughout history with various ornaments and art such as valuable inventories,
wood carvings,
paintings (predominately biblical illustrations),
textiles,
silver and
tin along with various
handicrafts. Almost the entire older
popular culture in Jämtland is tied to the churches. Making them the core of Jämtland's cultural heritage.
The churches have symbolized a connection between Jämtland's population through generations and this is still the case for many today. People are joined together through cheerful moments such as
christening,
Holy Matrimony,
confirmation, through
crisis and mournful times like
funerals. In Jämtland-Härjedalen the
free church movement didn't become near as wide spread as in the rest of Sweden. Because of this Jämtland and Härjedalen have a large number of members in the Swedish church since nine out of ten in fact are members. Though regular church attendance is much lower nowadays compared to what it once was, back then every parishioner gathered on the Sabbath when no one was allowed to work (except on rare occasions).
Within each parish distinctive customs,
bunads and dialects developed because of this, especially the dialects are known to differ from parish to parish in Jämtland.
Jämtland also had a great deal of
equality between each parishioner, Jämtland lacked a
nobility and there are no noble family coats of arms nor authorial marks in the churches, which is very common in the rest of Sweden. Jämtland also lacked a specific "bench order" (an order based on rank that defined where you were allowed to sit in the church), something that other churches had. In Jämtland the principle "among farmers no other rank except age and life-time" applied.
Each parish also had an assembly, where every parishioner was present and decisions were only taken unanimously. If they weren't able to come to a mutual understanding the matter had to rest and be resumed later until everybody agreed. In the community houses the village's prominent people, so called
byalag, gathered to decide on mutual concerns such as
split-rail fences,
ditch construction and agricultural related stuff. The central figure in each district was the
priest. He dealt with most matters since he was in contact with every parishioner. He meddled in conflicts and gave advice and comfort in various situations. Besides preaching and informing the priest was also a farmer himself, often a forerunner in the field. The priest didn't always go the authority's errand, sometimes he tried to help his fellow parishioners fend off extra taxes and military services.
Gallery
Image:Kastalostersund.jpg|The medieval fortification next to Brunflo's church
Image:Altaruppsats.jpg|The altar in Lit's church
Image:Ovikens nya kyrka2.jpg|Interior from Oviken's new church
Image:Old church in Åsarna.jpg|Old church of Åsarne
Image:Åre gamla kyrka.jpg|Old church in Åre
Image:Laxsjö kyrka, huvudklocka.jpg|The large Laxsjö church bell
Image:Ovikens gamla kyrka.jpg|Old church of Oviken
Image:Ösd stora kyrka från österängsparken.jpg|The large church in Östersund
Sami people
In Jämtland there are also Sami people. The Sami in Jämtland are Southern Sami people and speak
Southern Sami (or
åarjelsaemien giele, as it's known in Southern Sami) a
language mutually unintelligible with the other Sami languages. The Sami in Jämtland have historically been referred to as "Lapps" and sometimes by using the vague word "Finns" (supposedly related to English "find", see
Fenni), though they prefer to call themselves Sami - people of the sun and wind. There have been Sami peoples in Jämtland for several hundred years, exactly how many is however disputed. The northernmost part of Jämtland,
Frostviken, is an originally Sami area, historically referred to as a
Finnmark. Though the ancestors to the Sami people who live south of this area today probably didn't come to the area before the 16th century when the large scale
reindeer herding began, leading to a nomadic lifestyle among the Sami people. This also led to several conflicts in court between Sami people in Jämtland and the
land owners. At the dawn of the 20th century the Swedish state had an official policy which stated that "Lapp should be Lapp" and that they all should live a "traditional" Sami life and not integrate in the society. This has now changed and only a minority are in fact reindeer-herders. The Sami people in Jämtland are closely connected to their brethren living in Trøndelag and a distinctive feature of the Southern Sami culture is the
yoik called
vuoille.
Heraldry
The arm is represented with a
ducal coronet.
Blazon:
» Azure moose passant argent armed gules attacked from behind by a falcon volant and from in front by a dog rampant to the sinister or.
English translation:
» On a blue background, a silver moose walks with a reared falcon on its back and a hound on its haunches, facing the left. Both animals are fashioned in gold.
The coat of arms of Jämtland derives from the third Jamtish seal, given to Jämtland in 1635 by the Danish king. It has been disputed what the beasts on each side of the moose, Jämtland, are in this third seal. Is it a wolf or a domesticated dog? An
eagle, a
raven or a
falcon? The Swedish authority decided in 1884 (when
Sweden and Norway were in a union) that it indeed was a wolf and an eagle. Though this decision was revised in 1935 and it's since been claimed to be portraying a hunting scene with a trained falcon and a dog.
Jämtland's first seal was the one depicted above from the medieval period. It was abolished after the Nordic Seven Years' War and the second seal of Jämtland was used between 1575-1614. This seal contained two Olav-axes and was also abolished after a Swedish occupation, the one during the Kalmar War. When Jämtland became Swedish it wasn't suitable to use one of the older seals with such a strong Norwegian influence as a basis for a new Swedish coat of arms. So the latest seal was used instead, even though it was in fact of Danish origin.
Current administration
Just like every other historical province of Sweden Jämtland serves no administrative purposes. Jämtland makes up three quarters of the
Swedish administrative province Jämtland County, though a small uninhabited part in northern Jämtland is a part of
Västerbotten County and the area around
Överturingen is a part of
Västernorrland County. The landsting,
County Council, is an elected assembly and the successor of Jamtamót. This County Council was the role model for the rest of the Swedish County Councils when they were established in 1863.
The province is also divided into primarily seven
municipalities;
Berg Municipality,
Bräcke Municipality,
Krokom Municipality,
Ragunda Municipality,
Strömsund Municipality,
Åre Municipality and
Östersund Municipality. The uninhabited part in northern Jämtland belongs to
Dorotea Municipality and the area around Överturingen is a part of
Ånge Municipality.
Though, even if these municipalities and the county are serving as administrative regions most Jamts still identify themselves with the parishes and with Jämtland as a province.
Geography
Jämtland is a large land-locked province in the heart of the
Scandinavian peninsula in
northern Europe. Jämtland stretches 315 kilometers in north-south direction and 250 kilometers in east-west direction and is equal in size with for example
Ireland. Jämtland's western border is made out by
Kölen which stretches throughout the province from north to south with branches into the landscape's southeastern parts. The fell
massif is broken at some places by large valleys stretching all the way to the
Norwegian Sea. These valleys have been used for centuries as paths connecting Jämtland to the west. The valleys were particularly trafficated during
pilgrimages to
Nidaros, the 4th most visited pilgrimage site during the medieval period. In fact no less than three pilgrim roads went through Jämtland.
The entire province is more or less a
highland region with the highest peak being
Storsylen, a peak in the
Sylan mountain range with an
altitude of 1 728 meters above sea level. Though this isn't the highest peak in the mountain range, since that peak is in fact located on the other side of the border. Another large peak in Jämtland worthy of mention is
Åreskutan (1 420 meters above sea level).
The lowest point in the province is as low as 35 meters above sea level and is located in the eastern part of Jämtland.
Approximately 8 per cent of Jämtland's area is covered by water and the province has two larger
streams,
Ljungan and
Indalsälven (also known as
Jämtlandsälven). Both of which emanates from the Scandinavian Mountains and drains several lakes on their way eastwards to lower altitudes.
Climate
Jämtland has a
temperate climate and belongs to the
temperate zone's northernmost area. The climate in Jämtland is both
humid continental and
subarctic, depending on the location. The climate is greatly affected by the
Norwegian Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean, due to several
mountain passes in Scandinavian mountain range.
In western Jämtland mild winters with excessive
precipitation are common. This is because of the warm winds brought to the area by the
Gulf Stream. The average precipitation in the Jamtish Fells is roughly 1 000
millimetres per year, with
Skäckerfjällen as extreme with about 1 500 mm. The precipitation rates in the middle of the province are much more moderate. In fact the central and eastern parts of Jämtland have precipitation shortages, in Storsjöbygden the annual averages is as low as 500 mm. Due to the warm winds the temperature during the winters reaches its maximum in the fell region with about -7-8
°C in
Storlien and the environs. The coldest winter temperatures are found in the province's outskirts like
Börtnan with roughly -11 °C. Maximum temperatures in the summer months average from the 14 °C in Jämtland's eastern parts to around 11 °C in the fell region. Though on certain mountain peaks the averages are usually as low as 5 °C.
The highest (34.0 °C) and lowest (-45.8 °C) temperatures ever recorded in Jämtland were found in its easternmost parts near
Hammarstrand in 1947 and 1950.
Blizzards are common in Jämtland, and especially in the fell region. The most notable blizzard is the one that arose on
New Year's Eve 1718 (see above). The heaviest winds in Jämtland may gust to 55 metres/s.
Flora and fauna
The Jamtish
flora is heavily characterized by
temperate coniferous forest,
taiga, a forest inhabited by
Norway spruce and
pine trees. Among the two the Norway spruce is more common. The Norway spruce actually grows most densely in Jämtland together with the southern parts of
Lapland. Here roughly 60 per cent of the forests consist of spruces.
In Jämtland over 2 300 mineral-rich
marshes (
wetlands) containing a very high
pH level have been located. These marshes cover an area of 550 square kilometers. 400 of these marshes are also very rich in
chalk and because of the chalk-rich soil Jämtland displays the largest concentration of these type of marshes on the entire European continent. The chalk-rich soil has attracted several chalk-dependent plants, such as
orchids, in Jämtland there are 19 different kinds of orchids.
Each province in Sweden has symbols associated with them and Jämtland's provincial
flower is an extremely rare orchid, the
Gymnadenia nigra, an orchid that's only common in the province and a few other places in central Scandinavia. Several kinds of
berries are found in Jämtland like for example
bilberry (
blåbär),
lingonberry (
lyngbär) and
cloudberry (referred to as
mylhta in Jämtland).
Due to the diversified
natural environment in Jämtland it displays a great deal of different
animals. The animal most commonly associated with Jämtland is (as already hinted) the
moose. It is Jämtland's provincial animal and is referred to in dialect as simply
djur, "animal". Moose may be found throughout Jämtland but to a lesser extent in the mountainous area in the province's eastern parts and in the north.
However northern Jämtland is one of the most densely populated
brown bear habitat in Sweden. The brown bear (
bjenn in Jamtish) is also more or less common throughout Jämtland.
Another large predator in Jämtland is the
cat gaupa,
Eurasian lynx, or more specific the Scandinavian lynx. Just like the brown bear and the moose it may be found all over the province.
Filfras (the
glutton) is the dialectal name for
wolverine, an endangered
carnivorous mammal found in Jämtland's mountainous region along with the
arctic fox, whereas the latter has become much more less frequent, in contrast to the former which is regaining strength. Jämtland has had populations of
wolves (
skrågg,
gråbein) from time to time after it practically went extinct in Scandinavia during the 20th century. A pair of wolves managed to reproduce in
Gillhov during the early 1990s in the province (whose reproduction started a population growth for wolves in Scandinavia). There are however currently no wolves with an established
territory in Jämtland. There's also one large
raptor in Jämtland, the
golden eagle.
The last native
beaver in Sweden was shot in northern Jämtland 1871 at
Bjurälven (
bjur or
björ is the Jamtish word for beaver). It was also in Jämtland that the beaver was reintroduced in Sweden from Norway in 1922. The current beaver population is quite large and common. Among the smaller mammals inhabiting Jämtland that are rare in the rest of Scandinavia are for example the
taiga shrew and the
northern birch mouse. The
læmel,
Norway lemming is also present in Jämtland and the latest major population boom usual for this species occurred in 2001.
Jämtland is inhabited by several mammals from the
weasel family. Besides the already mentioned wolverine the
oter,
otter, is widespread in the province and common near several streams,
least/
snow weasel exists, along with planted, released and escaped
minks. The province is also home to the
pine marten and the
ermine. These mammals have often been hunted for their valuable fur, for Jämtland this is especially true for the ermine. At one occasion it was actually used in an attempt to bribe a county chieftain in order to pursue him to avert what was to become the Nordic Seven Years' War.
Among the
deers the moose is as already stated common. Other deers are
roe deer,
red deer and
reindeer, in the shape of Sami herds or wilded originally tame reindeers.
The provincial
fish is the
brown trout which is found together with
common whitefish,
grayling,
European perch,
arctic char,
burbot and the carnivorous
northern pike.
Fors parish in eastern Jämtland was once extremely rich of
salmon and it was quite common in Jämtlandsälven
before the
river engineering process started. It has however been planted into lake Storsjön as of late.
Roughly 250 types of
birds have been observed in Jämtland. The species presence greatly varies, in the fells
bluethroat,
long-tailed skua,
Eurasian dotterel,
ptarmigan,
Lapland and
Snow bunting are found. The forested region is inhabited by species such as
hazel hen,
black grouse,
capercaillie,
Siberian jay,
three-toed woodpecker and
rustic bunting. Several different types of
owls dwells in the province and the provincial owl is the
northern hawk owl.
Urban areas
There's only one
chartered city in Jämtland,
Östersund, founded 1786. Jämtland is a very sparsely populated region, more so than Sweden and Scandinavia as wholes. There are only 3,3 people per square kilometer and the population is unevenly distributed. In Jämtland County (including the province of Härjedalen) the number of people living outside an urban area is 34 per cent of the total population, making Jämtland one of the largest rural regions in Scandinavia. Most people in Jämtland live in
Storsjöbygden, the area around Storsjön in larger towns such as the already mentioned city Östersund with Frösön,
Krokom,
Ås,
Svenstavik,
Nälden and Jämtland's second largest town
Brunflo. The largest urban areas outside Storsjöbygden are primely the municipality seats
Strömsund,
Järpen,
Bräcke and
Hammarstrand. Along with towns such as
Åre,
Hammerdal and
Lit. Other urban areas worthy of mention are:
Economy
The first humans came to Jämtland after the last ice age and later switched to a more agricultural lifestyle. Though the agriculture couldn't sustain the population so it was combined with a great deal of trading, hunting and iron production. When the rise of industrialism begun, Jämtland was one of the few Swedish regions that never became fully industrialized. Instead Jämtland supplied the Norrlandic coast with raw materials, mainly
lumber. The focus in Jämtland's
economy was directed towards tourism after the construction of the railroad, starting with the "clean air tourists" who came to experience the fresh air, to see the snow clad fells, the waterfalls and the natural environment. Today the tourism in Jämtland is dominated by winter sports and especially alpine skiing in various facilities in
Åre,
Bydalen,
Storlien etc.
As Jämtland never industrialized the agricultural sector is larger compared to the rest of Sweden. In Jämtland County this sector employs 4,4 per cent of the labour force compared to 1,8 per cent for Sweden as whole. Just like the rest of Sweden the
public sector in Jämtland is large and the high
taxes fund the
public welfare.
Jämtland has large concentrations of
uranium and deposits of for example
gold,
zinc,
mica,
silver,
lead,
iron and
copper have been found. However, the only
mines of importance in Jämtland's history are the former copper mines in
Fröå and
Huså.
Jämtland is heavily dominated by many
small businesses and together with Härjedalen Jämtland has the second highest number of
company owners in Sweden (in relation to the population), the highest number of enterprising women and by far the most
cooperatives.
Östersund is the centre of trade and commerce in Jämtland.
Natives
Ann-Margret, actress, singer
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, composer
Ulf Dahlén, hockey player
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers hockey player
Allan Edwall, actor
Emma Härdelin, singer in bands Garmarna and Triakel
Culture
The culture of Jämtland has been greatly affected by the fact that Jämtland's never had an upper class, since the population have mostly consisted of free sovereign farmers with wide connections and a strong regional identity. This has been the case for many generations. When Christian IV of Denmark punished the Jamts severely after having sworn the Swedish king their allegiance (see above) by turning them into tenant farmers and abolished their seal, he told them to stay put on their farms. They didn't head this call but instead sought help from their own organized advisers and "the land's defense". A defense against the Danish state. An insolent that further outraged the Danish king. Though this was the tradition, Jämtland started out free and remained autonomous during its time as a Norwegian dependency. Because of Jämtland's historical background the local culture shows great similarities with the Norwegian farm culture.
Lifestyle
The culture in Jämtland has been marked by the stages in human development; the hunting-gathering stage, the semi-nomadic herding stage, the fully agricultural stage and the modern technological stage.
Remnants from the hunter-gathering stage is first and foremost hunting itself. Jämtland's population remained in this stage for a very long time due to the hunters ability to sustain the population. Today the moose hunt is regarded by many Jamts as the major holiday of the year. When the first humans came to Jämtland they brought dogs with them as helpers. The local dog, Jämthund, is a canine breed eponymous to Jämtland. Even if it isn't explicitly stated, popular perception holds that the dog depicted in the coat of arms is of that breed. The Jämthund is often described having a wolf-like appearance.
One of the first things Tacitus mentions in his work Germania is that the Germanic people treasure their animals above all else. Tacitus also concludes that the Germanic people found cultivation repulsive. Instead, he states, the Germanic people devote themselves to food and sleep and besides that they prefer to remain idle. All of this, to certain extents, applied to Jämtland. When the people of Jämtland settled down they relied mostly on pastoralism. Their animals were the source of wealth and they were therefore loved. This love for the livestock has manifested itself in the dialect, a male nipple is called bokkjen (the buck) and a female nipple is known as geita (the goat).
In Jämtland the Scandinavian inland herding or "livestock drifting", buföring, has always been more important than cultivation. In fact it was crucial to take care of the livestock and supply them with food, and rewarding. Every summer for several weeks, from May to September, gjetaran (herd boys) and butøusan (herd girls, bu is related to "booth") followed and guarded kreka, the critter, on their way to a grazing land on higher altitudes where several critter houses had been raised. The common animals taken out on these journeys were goats and kynnan (the fell cows) a white, brisk and headstrong cow race, lacking horns. It was a hard work and it depended on cooperation between males and females. This lifestyle lived on for thousand years and it was first in the 1950s it became obsolete. This tradition has however been resurrected as of late, mostly for touristic purposes.
When the population settled down the society greatly changed, first coexisting with the older societies, later absorbing them. Trade became much more important, a political institution elected by the people came into existence, the very same institution whose successor is the current County Council. Jämtland got its name and a somewhat hierarchical social structure emerged, though, as already pointed out, Jämtland never had an upper class. Strong families such as Skanke and Blix did exist though and on the countryside in Jämtland people still live in networks of relatives, families. Where they provide a second social security for many, in the rest of Sweden and in for example Östersund this has completely or almost entirely been replaced by public welfare.
Cuisine
Much of Jämtland's cuisine is remnant from the herding stage. Just like other Scandinavians it's common among Jamts to drink milk throughout their entire life. There are many different types of Jamtish dairy products, especially cheese, since it was by far the easiest way to conserve milk. Mesost is particularly associated with Jämtland and also for example a local variant of cottage cheese called grynost. In Jämtland there are several small dairies in the villages, most famous is the one in Skärvången. Other products associated with Jämtland are the soft whey butter, long fil, kjesfil, flautgröt "cream porridge", tunnbröd, a version of palt called kams, klobb etc.
The ancient practice of brewing Julöl (yule beer) persists even today with the microbrewery Jämtlands Bryggeri in Pilgrimstad.
Local projects such as the internet portal Food of Jamtland and the trading mark Smakriket Jämtland (the "taste realm" Jämtland) are two major contributors in marketing, preserving and developing the cuisine of Jämtland.
Some of the newest merchandises in Jämtland are a sparkling wine made of birch sap and a sausage called Jämtlandsfalu, wilderness juice, the snaps kallsup and tunnbröd chips.
Preservation
Today, the history of Jämtland is exhibited in the regional museum Jamtli in Östersund. The museum consists of an open-air section with historical buildings, as well as an indoor museum which houses exhibitions about the regions cultural history, from the stone age until modern times. Local history has been very popular in Jämtland for over 100 years, due to the extensive cultural home ground movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century. The movement founded Jamtli in order to preserve the cultural heritage.
Folklore
According to legend it's believed that Storsjön (literally the Great Lake) harbors a large lake creature, Storsjöodjuret. There are witness reports but the creature’s existence remains to be established conclusively. Regardless of any proven existence, Storsjöodjuret was officially placed under the protection of a degree issued in 1986 by the County Administrative Board in order to guarantee its safety from hunters and fortune seekers, the protection was lifted in November 2005. The first description of Storsjöodjuret was made in 1635;
The Nix, Näkkjen, is a common mythical creature, in Jämtland it refers to a male water spirit whose music was dangerous to women. Each year in the town of Hackås in southern Jämtland an annual traditional music contest Årets Näck is held where each contestant impersonates the Nix.
Provincial character
Historically each province in Sweden has been known for a specific provincial character or volksgeist.
The provincial character of Jämtland has often been portrayed as cheerful and the population have historically been known for their hospitality. Before the dawn of the railway it was common among farmers to leave their doors unlocked when the annual summer journey to the critter houses was due, often with the table set with food for travelers.
The faring traditions of Jämtland are also very characteristic. The Jamts were known to neglect the agriculture and instead take on long trading journeies all over Scandinavia to various markets such as the ancients ones in Levanger and Gregorius market on Frösön. This was regarded as cheer pleasure in itself and not as something they were obligated to do. In the middle of the 18th century Jämtland's population was roughly 20 000 and it was common that over 1 000 Jamts were present during Marsimartnan in Levanger, it's also claimed that the city was built solely on spikes from Jämtland before the fire in the 19th century. The journeys took place during the winters when the landscape was more accessible (when swamps, lakes and tarns froze to ice) and was conducted by males, which left the females in complete charge of the household and the property. The journeys were well-organized expeditions and no one traveled alone. These traditions has awarded the Jamt with traits such as enterprising and energetic. However the excessive interest in trade led to Jamts being deemed as profit seekers and somewhat dishonest when it came to business. The local expression bällt du luur'n (were you able to trick him) has become a signature mark for the Jamt. The precise meaning and background of this expression is unknown, though it has been suggested that it may be an historical anecdote in cunning, whereas a child wasn't seen as a man until he tricks his father in horse trading. Others state that the expression comes from the Jamts' attempts to avoid tariffs. These attempts were very successful which has greatly angered Swedish officials through time. These journeys eventually stopped once the railway came, though it's recently been renewed by locals. Some say that the heritage from this age lives on, given the high number of enterprises.
Republic of Jamtland
In the 1960s, an independence movement calling itself the "Republic of Jamtland" was created by humorist/actor/director Yngve Gamlin. Motivated on paper as an attempt to return the province to Jamtlandic control, the republic was given some form of recognition in 1967 when Mr. Gamlin was invited to an event for visiting statesmen hosted by Swedish prime minister Tage Erlander. Described in some sources as a form of criticism against centralized Swedish government and in others as a marketing ploy, it's likely that both played some part in its foundation (Republic officials typically describe it as "51 per cent serious"). The republic has a self-styled flag and national anthem (Jämtlandssången) and the independence movement hosts the annual Storsjöyran event in the capital, Östersund.
Further Information
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