- This is also to express my solidarity with the Swedish population who suffered from violent wildfires this month -
Hudiksvall, at the entrance into the gulf of Bothnia, would probably not be the Ultima Thule that Pytheas reached. But being easily accessed by boat and in the shore of Arctic waters that freeze through winter months, enjoying long daylight in summer, and still being rich in History and heritage, Hudik has all that is needed to be Thule nowadays.
The east coast of Sweden borders the waters of the Gulf of Bothnia, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Those are very cold waters, iced during winter, and well known to the old Norse sailors.
Hudiksvall is nested deep into a fjord of the same name - Hudiksvallsfjarden, along the country's east coastal road.
Coordinates : 61° 44′ N, 17° 08′ W
(sub-arctic)
Population: ~16 000
The town was founded in 1582 by King John III. At the time, fishing and the trading of furs, skins, iron, copper and wood products were the main sources of income, and the city flourished through the 18th century.
The fish business was of great importance until the mid-1800s. During the 20th century, the processing plant has grown relatively slowly and lost its prevailance.
The city's later expansion is mainly due to the timber trade; Hudiksvall developed in the latter part of the 19th century to one of Sweden's leading export ports for timber.
Fisktorget, Fisherman's Square, is a good point to start in the center of old Hudik.
Close by is the Sundskanalen and Möljen, with red boathouses aligned on the two sides of a canal that used to allow boats from the inner lagoon Lillfjärden to the large fjord.
The canal now connects Lillfjärden lagoon to the sea. It is 500 meters long. In early times Lillfjärden was the harbour of Hudiksvall, but the connection to the sea was silted up and in 1615 the harbour moved to its present location. Fishermen continued to use the old harbour and until the 19th century they built boathouses along the canal where they landed and sold their catch. Today they are mostly used for shops, restaurants, and only a few for storage.
The warehouses complex was completed in 1800 to provide storage. Until 1938 it was also used as a Market Square. It is paved and decorated since 1995.
Hudiksvall is also known as Glada Hudik, a term that originated in the 19th century as word spread of its friendly hospitality and its lively social life.
Möljen is especially captivating, even bewitching, at twilight under snow.
In a summer day, it's the best place for a drink.
Also at Fisktorget, an old Phone Box still remains from the Swedish network, Rikstelefon:
But Hudiksvall has history and heritage scattered all around; let's start in the Old Church Street:
The Church of St. Jakob
Building works began in 1643, and were completed in 1672. During the Great Northern War, when the Russians burned cities along the northern coast of 1721, the church received a cannonball shot through the porch window. It was the biggest single disaster in Hudiksvall's history. The local people will never forget that.
The most tragic disaster in Hudiksvall's history: in 1721 the Russians attacked, and the city was burnt in the ground.
The Culture House is the place for most artistic events.
Storgatan, the main street in the shoppping area, opens with two iconic statues:
Throughout all the town, statues decorate the urban space helping to a more human and artistic atmosphere.
Other smaller residential streets display the typical nordic charm:
Lillfjärden Park
On the northeast side of the old inlet, now a lagoon, is the town's large public park.
At Kärleksstigen (Love Trail) in Lillfjärden Park stands the famous Povl Söndergaard's Statue of Modern Youth from 1935.
In the Lillfjarden Park there is also a very nordic beautiful Rosarium (at 61º N, remember !).
During the 16th century, after Hudiksvall was founded, Lillfjärden was the innermost part of Hudiksvallsfjärden, and the city's harbour and center. But larger boats could no longer get there and the city moved to the current location.
Today, Lillfjärden is a small lake that has been flooded by Hornån, whose final stretch to Möljen and Strömmingssundet since the 19th century is stoned and is called the "canal" but increasingly evolves into a flowing watercourse.
Still in the park, the small Theater, which was the first built in Hudiksvall.
The wooden theater was built in 1881.
The theater has retained most of its original interior and furnishings. The lounge is in pink, reddish-brown, with gold-plated wood.
The Railway Station
Sångartempel på Köpmanberget
After 16th century texts, at this elevated site people spanned the ocean after waiting ships. Five cannons defended the city from the Russians' ravages, though without great success... In the early 1900s, the city's craftsmen and merchants created a kind of public park, and in 1910, the Sångarförbund's singing temple opened on the hill. It was well-known architect Frej Berglund who designed the wooden pavillion.
Inside the dome, listening in silence, the singing voices from the past still resound...
The singing temple is owned and managed by the municipality of Hudiksvall.
Hudiksvall is a small but vibrant town, deserving to be visited for its pleasant and quiet ambiance as well as for architecture and history.
Recently this region of central Sweden has been devastated by wildfires, almost unbelievable at such latitudes. I wish to leave a word of solidarity, support and friendship to the nordic friends who suffered from the tragedy.
