A thousand years of innovation and progress

It all began by the riverside more than a thousand years ago. More specifically at Stångebro, where it was possible to cross the water on foot. The area became a natural place for meetings and trade and eventually also a burgeoning community. Here was a plain of fertile soil, a powerful body of water, and an area crossed by several important roads.

Bishops and kings

During the Middle Ages, the site at Stångån gained the attention of the church and royal powers due to its strategic location. This led to the construction of stone churches, bishop's residences, monasteries and defences. Kings were crowned and buried in the area and the famous Eriksgatan ran straight through the emerging city. At Stångebro there was now a fixed bridge that was part of Sweden's medieval main road. The bridge later became the site of a bloody battle, but that's another story.

City of learning

The churches brought power and governance, but also necessary skills such as reading and writing. As early as the 1200s, Linköping was a city of learning with an internationally affiliated cathedral school and, in 1627, the higher general school system was founded. Since then, the tradition of learning and knowledge has been strong. It’s not surprising that our city has a successful university today.

Industries by the river

Linköping gradually became a livelier trading city, full of entrepreneurship and the power of ideas. Here too, the river Stångån was decisive. The rapids were ideal for watermills and businesses flourished along the waterway. By the end of the 1600s, there was a large mill in Tannefors that over time ran everything from sawmills and snuff mills to the Nordic region's first paper mill. The foundations of many modern industries were laid.

Canals, railways and planes

When the Kinda Canal was completed in 1871, development exploded. The boats on the Göta Canal could now go all the way to Linköping's new port, and from Kindabygden came ships with timber and wooden products. Linköping even exported goods abroad. The trade attracted businessmen, bankers and investors, which boosted the city's growth. In 1872, the main line was opened and a far-sighted Linköping company began manufacturing railway cars and locomotives. Soon, the business expanded to include aircraft as well. This part was acquired by Svenska Aeroplan AB in 1939, whose initials have since become part of Linköping's DNA.

The military leaves its mark

Many high-tech companies, like Saab, have historical ties with the armed forces. The military presence has affected our city, infrastructure, buildings and neighbourhoods ever since the 1500s. When the garrison began to take shape in the early 1900s, new jobs, innovations and the development of important social institutions followed. Among other things, a military hospital was built, which later became part of the county hospital. It is now a university hospital with world-leading research. In addition, beautiful natural areas such as the oak landscape Tinnerö have been preserved thanks to the fact that they were military training areas for a long time.

A life-friendly city

Historically, the people of Linköping have had to fight war, famine, fires and epidemics. They have worked and toiled, farmed and built. We have many people to thank for the life-friendly city Linköping is today. The people who traded at the riverside, the church that started schools, the mill owners who ran their businesses, the workers who dug the canal, the investors who built roads and jobs, the military who provided for our security... they’ve all contributed to today’s Linköping. The mediaeval dreams of a successful city in the middle of Sweden are echoed in the entrepreneurial spirit and ground-breaking innovations of today. It was a city of the future then and it is a city of the future today. Who knows where we will be in another thousand years?

Text: Lena Tedebro Palmér