Linköping

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City in Östergötland, Sweden

title: "Linköping" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["linköping", "county-seats-in-sweden", "municipal-seats-of-östergötland-county", "swedish-municipal-seats", "populated-places-in-linköping-municipality", "market-towns-in-sweden", "cities-in-sweden"] description: "City in Östergötland, Sweden" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linköping" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary City in Östergötland, Sweden ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
official_nameLinköping
image_skyline{{multiple image
perrow1/2
borderinfobox
total_width280
image1Stora torget, Linköping, juli 2005.jpg
caption1Main street in Linköping city
image2LinDom-stitched.jpg
caption2Linköping Cathedral
image3Campus valla linköping above.jpg
caption3Linköping University
nicknameFlygstaden (The flight city)
mottoLinköping – where ideas come to life
pushpin_mapSweden Östergötland#Sweden
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameSweden Sweden
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_type3Municipality
subdivision_name1Östergötland
subdivision_name2Östergötland County
subdivision_name3Linköping Municipality
established_titleFounded
established_date12th century
area_footnotes
area_total_km242.16
elevation_m45
population_total166673
population_as_of31 December 2022
population_footnotes
population_density_km2auto
population_metro158841
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_code58x xx
area_code(+46) 13
website
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
timezone_DSTCEST
utc_offset_DST+2
::

| official_name = Linköping | image_skyline = {{multiple image |perrow = 1/2 |border = infobox |total_width = 280 |image1 = Stora torget, Linköping, juli 2005.jpg |caption1 = Main street in Linköping city |image2 = LinDom-stitched.jpg |caption2 = Linköping Cathedral |image3 = Campus valla linköping above.jpg |caption3 = Linköping University |image4 = |caption4 = |image5 = |caption5 = |image6 = |caption6 = | nickname = Flygstaden (The flight city) | motto = Linköping – where ideas come to life | pushpin_map = Sweden Östergötland#Sweden | pushpin_label_position = | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Sweden Sweden | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_type3 = Municipality | subdivision_name1 = Östergötland | subdivision_name2 = Östergötland County | subdivision_name3 = Linköping Municipality | established_title = Founded | established_date = 12th century | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 42.16 | elevation_m = 45 | population_total = 166673 | population_as_of = 31 December 2022 | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_metro = 158841 | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 58x xx | area_code = (+46) 13 | website = | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | timezone_DST = CEST | utc_offset_DST = +2 | name = Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church of Sweden) and is well known for its cathedral. Linköping is the center of an old cultural region and celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1987. Dominating the city's skyline from afar is the steeple of the cathedral (Domkyrkan).

Nowadays, Linköping is known for its university and its high-technology industry. Linköping wants to create a sustainable development of the city and therefore plans to become a carbon-neutral community by 2025. Located on the Östergötland Plain, Linköping is closely linked to Norrköping, roughly 40 km to the east, near the sea.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Lkpgdomkyrka-ne.jpg" caption="[[Linköping Cathedral]] seen from the east"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Suecia_3-004_;_Linköping.jpg" caption="Linköping seen from West, in the ''[[Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna]]''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Hunnebergsgatan_i_Linköping.JPG" caption="Hunnebergsgatan: an old street with preserved older buildings."] ::

The city is possibly named after the Lionga ting assembly which according to Medieval Scandinavian laws was the most important thing in Östergötland. Exact location of the Lionga ting is not known, but it was along the Eriksgata. The term "-köping" means there was a market there.

Historically, Linköping is famed for being an early diocese, 1082, second in Sweden (within its pre-1658 boundaries) only to Skara. The diocese is first mentioned in 1104 in the so-called "List of Florence" (Lionga. Kaupinga). The monastery of Vreta Kloster near Roxen north of Linköping was established in 1128, and the oldest parts of the cathedral are also from the 12th century (although it has been changed many times since then, the eye-catching tower with copper roofing being a 19th-century product). On several occasions attempts to achieve a separate Swedish archdiocese were based in Linköping, although, when they finally were successful in 1164, Uppsala was chosen instead.

The coronation of Valdemar Birgersson took place in the cathedral in 1251. In the reign of Gustavus Vasa several important diets were held in the town.

Religious centers tend to become educational centers, and Linköping was no exception. A cathedral school can be traced from 1266. In 1627 the current Linköping cathedral school was established, making it the third oldest gymnasium in Sweden.

Also, Linköping was the site for the final settlement of the dispute between king Sigismund III Vasa and his uncle Duke Charles, the latter prevailing in the battle of Stångebro (the main bridge in Linköping) on 25 September 1598. This ultimately led to the rise to the throne of Charles (de facto at the 1600 Riksdag of the Estates meeting in Linköping and formally four years later) and the end of the short-lived Swedish-Polish personal union, as well as the execution of five of Charles's political opponents on the main square of Linköping on 20 March 1600.

Linköping was a small town until 1937, when the Saab aircraft industry was formed, starting a period of rapid expansion. Linköping University was established in the 1960s. Today the city is a center of high-technology and software industry.

In 2022, a rare Viking grave was found in Linköping that seemed to mark the Viking transition from paganism to Christianity.

Climate

Linköping has a humid continental climate (Dfb), though with maritime influences, retaining the large differences between seasons but being comparatively mild when measured against other areas of the world on similar latitudes. Linköping tends to be slightly cooler in summer than nearby areas in the Mälar valley, but still was the weather station in Sweden among the officially listed for monthly statistics, that until 2018 had come the closest to a subtropical month, with July 1914 having a mean temperature of 21.8 C, with the subtropical border being at 22 C for the warmest month. Normally summer highs average in the low 20s and winter temperatures commonly hover just above the freezing point during the day, then falls below it at night.

|location = Linköping-Malmslätt (2002–2022 averages; extremes since 1901) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 11.7 |Feb record high C = 14.3 |Mar record high C = 18.7 |Apr record high C = 26.9 |May record high C = 30.5 |Jun record high C = 34.5 |Jul record high C = 36.9 |Aug record high C = 34.6 |Sep record high C = 28.2 |Oct record high C = 21.6 |Nov record high C = 15.0 |Dec record high C = 12.5 |year record high C = 36.9 |Jan avg record high C = 7.5 |Feb avg record high C = 7.7 |Mar avg record high C = 13.6 |Apr avg record high C = 19.1 |May avg record high C = 24.4 |Jun avg record high C = 28.0 |Jul avg record high C = 29.1 |Aug avg record high C = 28.1 |Sep avg record high C = 22.8 |Oct avg record high C = 16.5 |Nov avg record high C = 12.0 |Dec avg record high C = 8.3 |year avg record high C = 30.5 |Jan high C = 0.9 |Feb high C = 1.4 |Mar high C = 5.6 |Apr high C = 11.6 |May high C = 16.7 |Jun high C = 20.8 |Jul high C = 22.9 |Aug high C = 21.7 |Sep high C = 17.0 |Oct high C = 10.7 |Nov high C = 5.7 |Dec high C = 2.5 |year high C = |Jan mean C = -1.8 |Feb mean C = -1.7 |Mar mean C = 1.4 |Apr mean C = 6.1 |May mean C = 11.0 |Jun mean C = 15.1 |Jul mean C = 17.5 |Aug mean C = 16.5 |Sep mean C = 12.5 |Oct mean C = 7.2 |Nov mean C = 3.2 |Dec mean C = -0.2 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -4.6 |Feb low C = -4.7 |Mar low C = -2.9 |Apr low C = 0.5 |May low C = 5.3 |Jun low C = 9.4 |Jul low C = 12.0 |Aug low C = 11.3 |Sep low C = 7.9 |Oct low C = 3.7 |Nov low C = 0.7 |Dec low C = -2.8 |year low C = |Jan avg record low C = -16.9 |Feb avg record low C = -14.8 |Mar avg record low C = -11.8 |Apr avg record low C = -5.9 |May avg record low C = -1.9 |Jun avg record low C = 3.7 |Jul avg record low C = 7.2 |Aug avg record low C = 5.4 |Sep avg record low C = 0.2 |Oct avg record low C = -4.4 |Nov avg record low C = -8.1 |Dec avg record low C = -13.2 |year avg record low C = -19.4 |Jan record low C = -32.0 |Feb record low C = -30.4 |Mar record low C = -27.0 |Apr record low C = -16.0 |May record low C = -5.2 |Jun record low C = -1.4 |Jul record low C = 3.0 |Aug record low C = 1.2 |Sep record low C = -4.3 |Oct record low C = -11.1 |Nov record low C = -18.3 |Dec record low C = -27.6 |year record low C = -32.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 30.7 |Feb precipitation mm = 29.8 |Mar precipitation mm = 27.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 31.3 |May precipitation mm = 58.4 |Jun precipitation mm = 71.6 |Jul precipitation mm = 84.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 92.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 41.6 |Oct precipitation mm = 56.4 |Nov precipitation mm = 44.4 |Dec precipitation mm = 37.0 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = SMHI Open Data |source 2 = SMHI Monthly Data 2002–2022 |date=January 2023}}

Demography

In 2000, 10.9 per cent of the population in Linköping municipality had a foreign background. Since then, the share has gradually increased and in 2019 its share amounted to 23.1 percent. Top 5 largest immigrant communities are:

  1. Iraq Iraq – 3850

  2. Somalia Somalia - 2345

  3. Eritrea Eritrea - 1129

  4. Iran Iran - 988

  5. Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina - 667

Culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Linköping-tekniska_verken.jpg" caption="Tekniska Verken]], at Stångebro"] ::

Linköping offers a wealth of leisure activities to people of all ages. Residents and visitors are able to enjoy art, theatre, history, concerts, markets, festivals and sporting events.

Special sights of interests are: the locks of Berg on the Göta Canal, the locks of the Kinda Canal, Gamla Linköping, Valla skogen and Valla fritidsområde (Old Linköping, Valla Wood, and the Valla recreational area), Flygvapen museum (the Air Force Museum), Linköping's domkyrka (the cathedral), Slotts- och domkyrkomuseet (the Castle and Cathedral Museum) and Östergötlands Länsmuseum (the Östergötland County Museum). Konsthallen Passagen is an art gallery located in the main square.

Tornby, to the north of the city centre, is a shopping area with retail outlets.

The city and its environs offer all sorts of green landscapes to see and experience. Two examples are a park named after the group responsible for it, Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society), and the Tinnerö area with its oak woodland. Local bodies of water include the lakes Roxen, Rängen and Järnlunden, the River Stångån/Kinda Canal and the Göta Canal with the Berg locks. These areas can be accessed by foot, bicycle, or boat.

Linköping is the home of the Linköping Symphony Orchestra. The city is one of the sites of the Östergötland Music Days each summer, and the host of the Student Orchestra Festival in May every other year. One of the most notable choirs in Linköping is the Linköping University Male Voice Choir.

Linköping is also the home of theatrical heavy metal band Ghost and rock band the Pusjkins (sv).

The area around the main square was re-planned in the 1960s, and many old houses were destroyed. Some, however, were moved to Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping), in the city's western part, neighbouring the university's main campus. It is a living museum environment and a popular site with both residents and tourists.

NärCon, the largest anime and gaming convention in the Nordic countries, is held in Linköping.

Sport

Teams from Linköping are prominent in floorball, volleyball (Linköpings VC) and ice hockey (Linköpings HC; see above, or "Cluben" as some fans refer to it). The hockey team allied itself with Linköping's women's football team and created Linköpings FC, which plays in the highest division. The team won the Swedish Cup in 2006 and 2014. The world's largest floorball club Linköping Innebandy resides in the indoor sports arena in the city centre. The city continues to lack a first-class men's team in football with several teams competing in the lower leagues. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Cloetta_Center,_Linköping,_juli_2005.jpg" caption="LHC]]'s home stadium"] ::

Other sports clubs include:

Orienteering

Linköping hosted the 1968 World Orienteering Championships.

Speedway

The city has a close association with motorcycle speedway, hosting the team known as Filbyterna from 1948 to 2010. The first venue was at the old Linköping Motorstadion or Gamla Motorstadion in Ryd (the site where Linköpings Rugbyklubb play). When this speedway track was demolished in 1972, the team moved to the Sviestad Motorstadion in 1973 until their closure in 2010. The stadium continues to host events and held the World Championship round called the Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden from 1995 to 2000 and the 2022 Swedish Individual Speedway Championship.

Politics and government

General elections were held in Sweden on 14 September 2014 to elect the Riksdag, all 21 county councils and 290 municipal assemblies. ::data[format=table]

Linköping votes as of 14 September 2014PartyRiksdag PercentageMunicipality PercentageTotal100%100%
Left Party4.7%5.8%
Social Democrats29.1%33.9%
Green Party8.2%8.2%
Centre Party6.1%5.6%
Moderate Party24.2%23.3%
Christian Democrats5.8%6.4%
Liberal People's Party7.0%7.7%
Sweden Democrats11.2%7.7%
other minor parties3.8%1.5%
::

The local Social Democrats (S; Social Demokraterna), Green Party (MP; Miljöpartiet) and the Liberal People's Party (L; Liberalerna, formerly FP; Folk Partiet) formed a coalition majority named "coalition for Linköping" with 40 out of 79 mandates, while the minority opposition in Linköping consist each separate by: the Moderate Party (M; Moderaterna), Centre Party (C; Center Partiet), Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna), Left Party (V; Vänsterpartiet) and the Sweden Democrats (SD; Sverige Demokraterna).

The Swedish Air Force Museum is located near the town.

Economy

One of the biggest employers in Linköping is Saab which among other products manufactures the SAAB Gripen fighter jet and where the SAAB 340 twin-engine commuter turboprop was produced at Linköping/Saab Airport, which is why it is called "The flight city". The city also has a strong presence in information technology with the headquarters of IFS AB, Sectra AB and Cambio Healthcare Systems AB, as well as the presence of Motorola, Ericsson, Infor, and many others. Toyota Industries Sweden AB has a presence in Linköping, as one of its subsidiaries, BT Industries, is located in nearby Mjölby.

Transport

The city is situated south of lake Roxen (which is part of the historically important water paths Motala ström and the Göta Canal) where the E4, Sweden's highway backbone, crosses the river Stångån (and Kinda kanal). It is situated on the main southern railway line connecting Stockholm with Malmö and Danish capital Copenhagen. Linköping/Saab Airport offers daily connections to Amsterdam. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Autonomous_bus_Linköping_2019.jpg" caption="An autonomous bus experiment around Linköping University"] ::

In 2019, the city started experimenting with two autonomous buses that run along a 2 km route around the university campus.

Education

The city is home to Linköping University and its associated hospital Linköping University Hospital. The Katedralskolan () is the third oldest gymnasium in the country.

Notable residents

City districts

Source in Swedish:

Jägarvallen

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Jägarvallen.jpg" caption="Jägarvallen"] ::

Jägarvallen is a city district in Linköping with a little over 140 households and almost 400 residents. It is located () on the outskirts of the city, between Ryd and Malmen airfield, and is crossed by an old stretch of the road to Mjölby. The eastern part of Jägarvallen is dominated by an industrial area, while the western end, closest Malmen airfield, has apartment buildings.

References

References

  1. (29 May 2012). "Localities 2010, area, population and density in localities 2005 and 2010 and change in area and population". [[Statistics Sweden]].
  2. "Befolkningsförändringarna i Linköpings kommun".
  3. {{cite EB1911
  4. (May 4, 2025). "Unusual Stones Lead Archaeologists to Viking-era Tomb--Two Coffins, Mysterious Fabric and Clues of a Pagan-Christian Transition". The Archaeologist.
  5. "July 2018 Air Temperature & Wind (all-time stats)". [[SMHI]].
  6. "Ladda ner meteorologiska observationer". [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]].
  7. (29 January 2023). "Års- och månadsstatistik". [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]].
  8. "Befolkning".
  9. "World Orienteering Championships 1968". [[International Orienteering Federation]].
  10. Bamford, Reg. (2004). "Speedway Yearbook". Tempus Publishing, Stroud.
  11. "Individual Swedish Championship".
  12. "RIKSDAGSVALEN I ÖSTERGÖTLAND 2006 - 2014".
  13. "184 LANDSTINGSVALEN 2006- 2014".
  14. "Politisk opposition". Linköpings kommun.
  15. "Take a bus ride into the future".
  16. "Linköpings stadsdelar".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

linköpingcounty-seats-in-swedenmunicipal-seats-of-östergötland-countyswedish-municipal-seatspopulated-places-in-linköping-municipalitymarket-towns-in-swedencities-in-sweden