Piteå

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Place in Norrbotten, Sweden

title: "Piteå" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["piteå", "populated-places-in-piteå-municipality", "norrbotten", "coastal-cities-and-towns-in-sweden", "municipal-seats-of-norrbotten-county", "swedish-municipal-seats", "populated-places-established-in-1621", "1621-establishments-in-sweden", "cities-in-sweden"] description: "Place in Norrbotten, Sweden" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piteå" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Place in Norrbotten, Sweden ::

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

Field	Value
official_name	Piteå
image_skyline	Pitea_central.jpg
image_caption	One of the two town squares
pushpin_map	Sweden Norrbotten#Sweden
pushpin_label_position	left
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Sweden
subdivision_type3	Municipality
subdivision_name3	Piteå Municipality
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Norrbotten County
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Norrbotten
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	24.74
population_as_of	2018
population_footnotes
population_total	23,350
population_density_km2	926
timezone	CET
utc_offset	+1
timezone_DST	CEST
utc_offset_DST	+2
coordinates
website
::

Piteå (; ; ) is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Piteå is Sweden's 58th largest city, with a population of 23,326.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Öholmabron.jpg" caption="Öholmabridge between Piteå and [[Bergsviken"] ::

Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River (), at the shore of the Bay of Bothnia. The central part is located on an islet called Häggholmen, which due to post-glacial rebound almost has become a part of the mainland; the land in northern Sweden rises at a rate of up to 9 mm per year.

Piteå's coastal location, with numerous islands and inlets, is one of the reasons it is a popular place for tourism both in summer and winter. It features a beach resort area called Pite Havsbad, around which there is a spa, a long sandy beach, a restaurant and a golf course. The area is also suitable for fishing and outdoor activities. In the winter, snow activities such as skiing and winter bathing are common. The water temperatures reportedly being Sweden's warmest during three consecutive summers in the 1950s, the beach then became known as "Norrbotten's Riviera".

Climate

Piteå has a climate that is classified as subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), bordering to a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb).

The warmest months in Piteå are June, July, and August, with high temperatures of 17 to. The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures of -22 to.

|width = auto |location = Piteå (2002–2022 averages), extremes since 1901 |collapsed = yes |metric first = Yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 10.3 |Feb record high C = 10.5 |Mar record high C = 14.1 |Apr record high C = 21.5 |May record high C = 29.5 |Jun record high C = 32.0 |Jul record high C = 34.9 |Aug record high C = 32.0 |Sep record high C = 24.5 |Oct record high C = 20.8 |Nov record high C = 13.0 |Dec record high C = 8.5 |year record high C = 34.9 |Jan avg record high C = 4.5 |Feb avg record high C = 6.0 |Mar avg record high C = 9.9 |Apr avg record high C = 14.2 |May avg record high C = 22.5 |Jun avg record high C = 25.4 |Jul avg record high C = 27.2 |Aug avg record high C = 25.8 |Sep avg record high C = 20.4 |Oct avg record high C = 13.8 |Nov avg record high C = 7.6 |Dec avg record high C = 5.1 |year avg record high C = 28.4 |Jan high C = -4.9 |Feb high C = -3.9 |Mar high C = 1.5 |Apr high C = 6.7 |May high C = 13.0 |Jun high C = 18.0 |Jul high C = 20.9 |Aug high C = 19.1 |Sep high C = 13.9 |Oct high C = 6.4 |Nov high C = 0.4 |Dec high C = -2.5 |year high C = |Jan mean C = -8.7 |Feb mean C = -8.1 |Mar mean C = -3.0 |Apr mean C = 2.1 |May mean C = 7.9 |Jun mean C = 13.3 |Jul mean C = 16.2 |Aug mean C = 14.6 |Sep mean C = 9.8 |Oct mean C = 3.1 |Nov mean C = -2.4 |Dec mean C = -6.0 |year mean C = |Jan low C = -12.5 |Feb low C = -12.3 |Mar low C = -7.5 |Apr low C = -2.5 |May low C = 2.8 |Jun low C = 8.5 |Jul low C = 11.5 |Aug low C = 10.0 |Sep low C = 5.6 |Oct low C = -0.2 |Nov low C = -5.2 |Dec low C = -9.4 |year low C = |Jan avg record low C = -26.5 |Feb avg record low C = -26.0 |Mar avg record low C = -20.7 |Apr avg record low C = -10.2 |May avg record low C = -3.6 |Jun avg record low C = 1.6 |Jul avg record low C = 5.6 |Aug avg record low C = 3.0 |Sep avg record low C = -1.7 |Oct avg record low C = -9.5 |Nov avg record low C = -15.8 |Dec avg record low C = -21.8 |year avg record low C = -29.3 |Jan record low C = -41.5 |Feb record low C = -38.5 |Mar record low C = -33.3 |Apr record low C = -22.5 |May record low C = -10.5 |Jun record low C = -1.3 |Jul record low C = 2.5 |Aug record low C = -1.0 |Sep record low C = -6.1 |Oct record low C = -21.4 |Nov record low C = -31.6 |Dec record low C = -35.5 |year record low C = -41.5 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 58.7 |Feb precipitation mm = 41.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 30.8 |Apr precipitation mm = 33.7 |May precipitation mm = 43.9 |Jun precipitation mm = 61.3 |Jul precipitation mm = 64.7 |Aug precipitation mm = 73.5 |Sep precipitation mm = 63.5 |Oct precipitation mm = 66.2 |Nov precipitation mm = 55.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 65.0 |year precipitation mm = |Jan snow depth cm = 47 |Feb snow depth cm = 61 |Mar snow depth cm = 57 |Apr snow depth cm = 38 |May snow depth cm = 2 |Jun snow depth cm = 0 |Jul snow depth cm = 0 |Aug snow depth cm = 0 |Sep snow depth cm = 0 |Oct snow depth cm = 5 |Nov snow depth cm = 13 |Dec snow depth cm = 30 |year snow depth cm = 65 |source 1 = SMHI Open Data{{cite web | url = https://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/ladda-ner-meteorologiska-observationer/#param=airtemperatureInstant,stations=all |work= Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute | language = sv | title = Ladda ner meteorologiska observationer }} |source 2 = SMHI Monthly Data 2002–2022 |date=February 2023}}

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Suecia_2-072_;_Piteå_Civitas_Nova.jpg" caption="The new town of Piteå, engraving made sometime between 1690 and 1710"] ::

Piteå received its city privileges on 12 May 1621. The name Piteå comes from the Piteälven (Pite River, one of the four major rivers in Norrland). The town was originally situated slightly north of its current location, in present-day Öjebyn. In July 1666, the entire town burnt down, and over the following few years it was rebuilt on Häggholmen, a small island which forms the nucleus of present-day Piteå. In 1721, the new town was burnt down by Russian troops during the Russian Pillage of 1719-1721, and the only building that remained was the church, which is still standing.

The town square, where the town hall is located, has kept its structure from the 17th century. It is one of only two squares in Sweden with closed corners; the other one is in Uppsala.

Piteå's population has increased rapidly since the 19th century. In the years 1870–1920, Piteå had a population of only 2,500 people. Part of the early population increase is attributed to the 1911 opening of the Älvsbyn-Piteå railway branch, as well as industrial establishments and the harbour.

Piteå has traditionally had a strong forestry industry; papermills, sawmills, and its harbour are of some importance.

Culture

Piteå is known for its pitepalt, a food dish consisting of potato dumplings with chopped pork filling. The area is also known for its dialect, called Pitemål, which however is mainly spoken by elders in surrounding villages.

Piteå has a fast food drive-thru commonly used by snowmobilers. The restaurant was a McDonald's from February 2002 to November 2007. Several McDonald's restaurants in Norrbotten closed at the time, in the face of competition from Max Hamburgers. The restaurant is now part of the Frasses hamburger chain. The drive-thru has received international coverage, including on The Travel Channel in an episode called "Most Unique McDonald's".

Piteå has a sister city in the Caribbean: Gustavia, capital of Saint Barthélemy, the formerly Swedish possession that is now part of France.

The School of music of Luleå University of Technology is located in Piteå.

Cleantech

Piteå has emerged as an important center of cleantech production and research based on cellulose byproducts. Chemrec operates a black liquor gasifier and the world's first BioDME production facility, SunPine has pioneered a renewable diesel process technology using crude tall oil as feedstock, and ETC (Energy Technology Centre in Piteå) is a research and development center for renewable fuels with focus on combustion, gasification and biorefining processes.

Sport

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/VM-firande.jpg" caption="[[Lina Andersson]] (left) and [[Emelie Öhrstig]] celebrate in Piteå following the [[FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2005]]."] ::

The Piteå IF football team is playing in the fourth highest Swedish division, Division 2 for men; and the Piteå IF ladies team is for their first time playing in the highest league in football, Damallsvenskan.

Ice hockey is the big sport in town, even though Piteå HC only plays in the third-highest League (Division I) in Sweden. The club has provided many good players to the NHL and national team: examples are Tomas Holmström, Mikael Renberg, Mattias Öhlund, Lars Lindgren, Stefan Persson, Jan Sandström and Mats Lavander. Munksund-Skuthamns SK ladies team is, for their first time, playing in the highest league in Hockey, Riksserien. Rebecka Stenberg became the first woman from Piteå to play for the Swedish national team.

In cross-country skiing the town has a successful club called Piteå Elit, with skiers like Lina Andersson, Magdalena Pajala and Charlotte Kalla.

In competitive swimming, the town has a very successful team called Piteå Sim which is famous all over Norrland especially Norrbotten. One of the most famous swimmers in the club is 13-year-old Heidi Nilsson who got first place in the Junior, Senior and Ladies category in the Piteå Kanalsimmet 2018 which takes place every year on Valborgsmässoafton.

Other sports clubs located in Piteå include Storfors AIK, MSSK and the northern paintball team 'Team X-rated'.

Notable people

Christopher Jacob Boström — Swedish philosopher.
Nils Edén — Swedish historian and liberal politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1917-1920
Tomas Holmström — NHL player with the Detroit Red Wings
Lars Lindgren — retired former NHL player
Nils Lundqvist — defenseman with the Dallas Stars
Liza Marklund — Swedish journalist and crime writer.
Peter Mattei — Swedish baritone opera singer
Mattias Öhlund — NHL player with the Vancouver Canucks
Mikael Renberg — retired former NHL player
Anna Magnusson — Swedish biathlete
Daniel Solander — Explorer

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Piteå is twinned with:

RUS Kandalaksha, Russia (Paused due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
Iceland Grindavík, Iceland
FRA Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy, France

References

"Folkmängden per tätort. Vart femte år 1960 - 2017 (Population per urban area. Every five years 1960 - 2017)".
[https://www.expressen.se/allt-om-resor/resmal/europa/sverige/nordens-12-basta-strander/ "12 bästa stränderna i Sverige och Norden"] ''Expressen.se'', 25 July 2019 (in Swedish)
(5 February 2023). "Års- och månadsstatistik". [[Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute]].
"Piteå - temperatur max & min". [[SMHI]].
"Piteå - nederbörd månad". [[SMHI]].
(2003). "Svenskt ortnamnslexikon". Bureå.
(14 January 2008). "Want snow with that?". Kalmbach Publishing Co..
Ulrika Vallgårda Kristina Edblom. (23 November 2007). "Max vinnare i det stora burgerkriget". [[Aftonbladet]].
(8 January 2008). "Most Unique McDonald's in the World". McChrinicles.
"Vänorter - Internationellt engagemang".

::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. ::