Blekinge

Blekinge, or Blechingia, is a traditional province or landskap in the south of Sweden. It borders to Småland, Skåne and to the Baltic Sea. There is also a County of Blekinge.

County For current affairs see: County of Blekinge

The County of Blekinge has virtually the same boundaries as the province of Blekinge.

History Main article: History of Blekinge[?]

Chartered cities before 1971:

• Karlshamn (1664)
• Karlskrona (1680)
• Ronneby (1387)
• Sölvesborg (1445)

Historically the Province of Blekinge belonged to the Danish Crown, as a part of Skåneland, togeather with provinces Skåne and Halland, which made up the eastern part of the Danish kingdom. Blekinge became a Swedish province in 1658 due to the Treaty of Roskilde.

Geography Main article: Geography of Blekinge[?]

Blekinge has a scenic archipelago and it is sometimes called the "Garden of Sweden".

Culture Main article: Culture of Halland[?]

The town of Karlskrona was for almost 300 years the principal Naval Base in Sweden, and in 1998 it be came a site of the UNESCO World heritage program.

Heraldry Main article: Heraldry of Blekinge[?]

Blekinge was granted its arms at the funural of Charles X Gustav of Sweden in 1660, based on an seal from the 15th century. The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Azure, an Oak Tree eradicated Or ensigned with three Crowns palewise of the same."

External Links

• Blekinge (http://www.blekingeturism.com/) - Tourist site