Österlen

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Region of Scania, Sweden

title: "Österlen" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["geography-of-skåne-county"] description: "Region of Scania, Sweden" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Österlen" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Region of Scania, Sweden ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Österlen_map.png" caption="Historic map of Österlen"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Flag_of_Österlen.svg" caption="Unofficial flag of Österlen in popular use"] ::

Österlen ()) is a region in the southeast of the Swedish province of Scania (Skåne).{{cite web|url= https://visitskane.com/cities-locations/southeast|title= Österlen|publisher=Visit Skåne |accessdate=December 1, 2018}} Historically, the region was shared between the counties of Kristianstad and Malmöhus for a small part in the southwest, until Skåne County was created in 1997. Österlen includes the municipalities of Simrishamn and Tomelilla and a rural part of Ystad.

The towns of Simrishamn and Tomelilla are of very similar sizes, but the Simrishamn municipal population is somewhat larger. Österlen has approximately in between 35,000 and 40,000 permanent inhabitants but plenty of seasonal vacation homes means that the population soars during summer months.

The area is a tourist destination known for its natural environment, historic buildings, fishing hamlets, small towns and farmland.

Geography

Municipalities

Coastal settlements

Inland settlements

History

The name derives from its location 'the way eastwards' (ancient route from Ystad, heading north-east); (len is short for leden, i.e. route). In the past, the area west of Ystad was called "Västerlen" (the way westwards) but that term is no longer in use. In the 17th century, when Österlen and the whole of Scania (Skåne) were Danish, the Österlen area was called 'Östreslätt', which means 'the eastern plains' and comprised the area from Ystad to Simrishamn and probably the lands northwards until the woodland belt began. We have no 17th-century evidence of the usage of the word 'Österlen' as of today. The descriptive term Österlen is associated with the writings of Nils Lovén (1796–1858) who was a clergyman and university professor as well as an author and the ethnologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius who claimed that it was a well-known fact that people from Österlen and people from Västerlen were always at loggerheads and were of very different natures. Bruzelius also considered the usage of the term "Österlen" as "ancient.". Allmogelifwet i Ingelstads härad i Skåne under slutet af förra och början af detta århundrade: kulturbild, Malmö 1876 |author= Åke K G Lundquist |accessdate=December 1, 2018}}

Use of the term Österlen was popularized during the 1920s by author Fritiof Nilsson Piraten (1895–1972), poet Pehr Theodor Tufvesson (1884–1947) and newspaper journalist John Oskar Osterman (1871–1942). Many songs and poems have been written about Österlen. One of the most popular songs is Om himlen och Österlen, composed by Scanian singer-songwriter Michael Saxell. |access-date=December 1, 2018}}

Österlen was defined in 1929 as including Albo härad, Ingelstad härad and Järrestad härad in the southeastern part of the Scania. Today the term is associated with Tomelilla Municipality, Ystad Municipality and Simrishamn Municipality. Österlen encompasses the cities of Simrishamn and Tomelilla as well as including Stenshuvud National Park.{{cite web|url= http://www.naturvardsverket.se/en/In-English/Menu/Enjoying-nature/National-parks-and-other-places-worth-visiting/National-Parks-in-Sweden/Stenshuvud-National-Park/|title= Stenshuvud National Park |publisher= naturvardsverket.se |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090404120141/http://www.naturvardsverket.se/en/In-English/Menu/Enjoying-nature/National-parks-and-other-places-worth-visiting/National-Parks-in-Sweden/Stenshuvud-National-Park/ |accessdate=December 1, 2018|archive-date= April 4, 2009 }} The map that is published here is not historically correct in that Ingelstad härad/hundred included all the territory to the city of Ystad itself. There were temporary redrawings of this and other borders but from the beginning of the hundred system, Ingelstad went to the city of Ystad, and locations like Nybro and Köpinge are included in our first descriptions of Österlen.

Climate

Österlen has a maritime climate with a moderate coastline and a slightly warmer interior during summers. There is a weather station in Skillinge 10 km south of Simrishamn and until 2021 there was a station in Bollerup just south of Tomelilla. Österlen has a drier climate than elsewhere in Southern Sweden, although it has no active weather station measuring sunshine. Even so, the cool temperatures of the Baltic Sea keeps the immediate coastline on average a couple of degrees cooler during July days than in places further north in the country. This is due to the dominance of water in the surroundings, whereas the Mälar valley around Stockholm is surrounded by more land.

Especially during summer, seasonal lag is strong on the local coastline. This means that August averages the warmest summer nights and that September is a lot warmer than May as the sea water gradually warms. During winter, this maritime proximity of Österlen reverses the climate patterns and leads to average highs above 3 C on the coastline and frosts usually being weak even while frequent. Records for Skillinge began in 1995 and as such do not contain likely historical extremes, whereas Bollerup had the station open from 1945 to 2021.

|location = Skillinge (2002–2021 averages, extremes since 1995) |collapsed = |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 11.2 |Feb record high C = 13.4 |Mar record high C = 19.5 |Apr record high C = 21.9 |May record high C = 25.6 |Jun record high C = 31.1 |Jul record high C = 30.5 |Aug record high C = 32.0 |Sep record high C = 26.9 |Oct record high C = 20.9 |Nov record high C = 16.8 |Dec record high C = 12.0 |year record high C = |Jan avg record high C = 7.7 |Feb avg record high C = 8.0 |Mar avg record high C = 12.3 |Apr avg record high C = 16.7 |May avg record high C = 21.4 |Jun avg record high C = 25.7 |Jul avg record high C = 26.4 |Aug avg record high C = 25.8 |Sep avg record high C = 22.6 |Oct avg record high C = 16.9 |Nov avg record high C = 12.4 |Dec avg record high C = 9.0 |year avg record high C = 28.3 |Jan high C = 3.3 |Feb high C = 3.3 |Mar high C = 5.8 |Apr high C = 9.7 |May high C = 14.3 |Jun high C = 19.1 |Jul high C = 21.5 |Aug high C = 21.0 |Sep high C = 17.6 |Oct high C = 12.4 |Nov high C = 8.3 |Dec high C = 5.1 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 1.3 |Feb mean C = 1.2 |Mar mean C = 3.1 |Apr mean C = 6.4 |May mean C = 10.6 |Jun mean C = 15.0 |Jul mean C = 17.5 |Aug mean C = 17.5 |Sep mean C = 14.4 |Oct mean C = 9.9 |Nov mean C = 6.3 |Dec mean C = 3.1 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -0.8 |Feb low C = -0.9 |Mar low C = 0.3 |Apr low C = 3.0 |May low C = 6.9 |Jun low C = 10.9 |Jul low C = 13.5 |Aug low C = 14.0 |Sep low C = 11.1 |Oct low C = 7.3 |Nov low C = 4.2 |Dec low C = 1.0 |year low C = |Jan avg record low C = -9.6 |Feb avg record low C = -7.1 |Mar avg record low C = -5.7 |Apr avg record low C = -2.0 |May avg record low C = 0.9 |Jun avg record low C = 5.7 |Jul avg record low C = 9.0 |Aug avg record low C = 8.5 |Sep avg record low C = 5.4 |Oct avg record low C = 0.3 |Nov avg record low C = -3.0 |Dec avg record low C = -6.3 |year avg record low C = -11.1 |Jan record low C = -16.8 |Feb record low C = -14.6 |Mar record low C = -16.1 |Apr record low C = -4.8 |May record low C = -1.5 |Jun record low C = 2.1 |Jul record low C = 7.0 |Aug record low C = 6.0 |Sep record low C = 2.9 |Oct record low C = -5.9 |Nov record low C = -7.1 |Dec record low C = -17.7 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 52.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 33.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 31.2 |Apr precipitation mm = 22.8 |May precipitation mm = 36.0 |Jun precipitation mm = 43.8 |Jul precipitation mm = 57.1 |Aug precipitation mm = 61.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 42.3 |Oct precipitation mm = 67.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 59.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 52.9 |year precipitation mm = |unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation days = |Feb precipitation days = |Mar precipitation days = |Apr precipitation days = |May precipitation days = |Jun precipitation days = |Jul precipitation days = |Aug precipitation days = |Sep precipitation days = |Oct precipitation days = |Nov precipitation days = |Dec precipitation days = |year precipitation days = |Jan snow depth cm = |Feb snow depth cm = |Mar snow depth cm = |Apr snow depth cm = |May snow depth cm = |Jun snow depth cm = |Jul snow depth cm = |Aug snow depth cm = |Sep snow depth cm = |Oct snow depth cm = |Nov snow depth cm = |Dec snow depth cm = |year snow depth cm = |source 1 = SMHI Open Data for Skillinge A, precipitation{{cite web | url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=precipitationMonthlySum,stations=all,stationid=54290 | title = Open Data for Skillinge A | language = sv | publisher = Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute | accessdate = 28 April 2022}} |source 2 = SMHI Open Data for Skillinge A, temperature{{cite web | url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=airTemperatureMinAndMaxOnceEveryDay,stations=all,stationid=54290 | publisher = Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute | language = sv | title = Open Data for Skillinge A| accessdate = 28 April 2022}} |date = 28 April 2022}}

|location = Bollerup; (2002–2020 averages; extremes since 1948) |collapsed = Yes |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 9.9 |Feb record high C = 13.5 |Mar record high C = 19.0 |Apr record high C = 25.1 |May record high C = 28.0 |Jun record high C = 31.2 |Jul record high C = 32.1 |Aug record high C = 33.1 |Sep record high C = 26.7 |Oct record high C = 22.3 |Nov record high C = 15.5 |Dec record high C = 10.9 |year record high C = |Jan avg record high C = 7.0 |Feb avg record high C = 7.7 |Mar avg record high C = 12.9 |Apr avg record high C = 18.7 |May avg record high C = 23.4 |Jun avg record high C = 26.9 |Jul avg record high C = 28.3 |Aug avg record high C = 28.0 |Sep avg record high C = 23.3 |Oct avg record high C = 17.3 |Nov avg record high C = 12.1 |Dec avg record high C = 8.3 |year avg record high C = 29.5 |Jan high C = 2.6 |Feb high C = 3.0 |Mar high C = 6.3 |Apr high C = 11.8 |May high C = 16.9 |Jun high C = 20.7 |Jul high C = 23.1 |Aug high C = 22.5 |Sep high C = 18.5 |Oct high C = 12.4 |Nov high C = 7.8 |Dec high C = 4.5 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 0.5 |Feb mean C = 0.7 |Mar mean C = 3.0 |Apr mean C = 7.2 |May mean C = 11.8 |Jun mean C = 15.5 |Jul mean C = 17.9 |Aug mean C = 17.8 |Sep mean C = 14.3 |Oct mean C = 8.4 |Nov mean C = 5.6 |Dec mean C = 2.5 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -1.6 |Feb low C = -1.6 |Mar low C = -0.4 |Apr low C = 2.6 |May low C = 6.7 |Jun low C = 10.2 |Jul low C = 12.7 |Aug low C = 13.1 |Sep low C = 10.1 |Oct low C = 6.3 |Nov low C = 3.4 |Dec low C = 0.5 |year low C = |Jan avg record low C = -10.8 |Feb avg record low C = -8.5 |Mar avg record low C = -6.6 |Apr avg record low C = -2.4 |May avg record low C = 1.0 |Jun avg record low C = 5.3 |Jul avg record low C = 8.1 |Aug avg record low C = 7.9 |Sep avg record low C = 4.3 |Oct avg record low C = -1.3 |Nov avg record low C = -3.8 |Dec avg record low C = -7.2 |year avg record low C = -13.0 |Jan record low C = -19.2 |Feb record low C = -18.8 |Mar record low C = -17.1 |Apr record low C = -8.6 |May record low C = -2.0 |Jun record low C = 1.2 |Jul record low C = 0.2 |Aug record low C = 0.4 |Sep record low C = -1.1 |Oct record low C = -6.0 |Nov record low C = -10.0 |Dec record low C = -20.1 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 65.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 47.6 |Mar precipitation mm = 37.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 27.7 |May precipitation mm = 38.7 |Jun precipitation mm = 54.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 59.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 70.3 |Sep precipitation mm = 50.0 |Oct precipitation mm = 83.9 |Nov precipitation mm = 70.1 |Dec precipitation mm = 69.0 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = SMHI Open Data{{cite web | url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=airTemperatureMinAndMaxOnceEveryDay,stations=all,stationid=54300 |title= SMHI Open Data | publisher = Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute | language = sv}} |source 2 = SMHI Open Data{{cite web | url = https://www.smhi.se/data/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer#param=precipitationMonthlySum,stations=all,stationid=54300 |title = SMHI Open Data | publisher = SMHI| language=sv |date = 11 April 2021}} |date=April 2021}}

Historical buildings and places

Historical buildings in Österlen include the medieval castle Glimmingehus, St. Nicholas Church in Simrishamn, known since the 12th century, and the medieval St. Olof Church. Ale's Stones near Kåseberga on the south coast and The King's Grave in Kivik are ancient historical monuments.

Cultural events and festivals

Cultural events and festivals such as the arts exhibition Konstrundan and the apple market in Kivik are arranged every year.

Gallery

Hotell Svea, Simrishamn.jpg| Hotell Svea Simmershavn kirke.JPG|Sankt Nicolai kyrka in Simrishamn Glimmingehus .jpg|Glimmingehus Simrishamns hamn 2014.jpg|Simrishamn harbour Kåseberga hamn - Flygbild.jpg|Kåseberga harbour Brösarps backar okt 2005.jpg|Brösarps backar Forsemölla nära Sträntemölla, Rörum, Österlen, Skåne.JPG|Forsemölla near Rörum Rorum.jpg|East coast beach Stortorget i Tomelilla - 2014.jpg|Stortorget in Tomelilla

References

References

  1. (1979). "Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter".
  2. [https://visitskane.com/cities-locations/southeast Southeast] Visit Skåne
  3. "Wallander's Ystad". visitsweden.com.
  4. "Om Piraten". piratensallskapet.se.
  5. roxetteblog.com. "Michael Saxell – a man behind Christoffer Lundquist's album".
  6. [http://aboutosterlen.com/history History] About Österlen

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