Västerås

From semanticweb.org

Town in Sweden with a population of 107,000. Situated on the shore of Lake Mälaren. Västerås is the seat of Västerås Municipality, the capital of Västmanland County and an episcopal see.

Västerås is one of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe. The name originates from Västra Aros, which refers to the estuary of the river Svartån. The area has been populated since the Nordic Viking Age, before 1000 AD. At the beginning of the 11th century it was the second largest city in Sweden, and by the 12th century had become the seat of the bishop.

In the ensuing centuries a cathedral and a monastery were built. The first City Arms date from the end of the 13th century.

Rudbeckianska Gymnasiet, the oldest gymnasium (secondary school) in Sweden, was built in Västerås by Johannes Rudbeckius in 1623.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the growing of cucumbers was frequent, and Västerås received the nickname Gurkstaden (Cucumber City), which is still occasionally heard today, also Bikecity.

[edit] Today

Västerås is predominantly known as an industrial city, but is also a retailing and logistics city. Västerås wants to distinguish itself as Västerås - Mälarstaden, which means "Västerås -- the city by Lake Mälaren", in order to attract tourists and new inhabitants, as well as students to the local university college, Mälardalen University (approximately 16,000 enrolled students in Västerås and in the nearby Eskilstuna). To this effect, they are using a designed logo as a branding in some official contexts, replacing the coat of arms. Västerås has the largest lakeside port in Scandinavia on Lake Mälaren. Västerås also has a skyscraper cordially nicknamed "Skrapan" (English: The Scraper) which has Sweden's highest cocktail bar, the Sky Bar on the 24th floor. Västerås hosts Power Big Meet, an annual event where owners of typically high powered American cars can meet.