Örebro received its Royal Charter and city privileges not later than 1404.
The location became a natural seat of commerce in the Scandinavian Middle Ages and is mentioned in print in the 13th century. Old buildings from the early days include the foundations of the city church, a building which has undergone several modifications. The natural center of the city is otherwise Örebro Castle, situated on an islet in the Svartån, and dividing the town into a northern and a southern part. This castle was constructed during the stewardship of Birger Jarl during the late 13th century and then modified and enlarged during the reign of King Gustav Vasa in the 1560s. The Örebro Synod was held here in 1529.
Although a trade town, Örebro remained small until the second half of the 19th century, when it grew rapidly as a center of the national shoe-manufacturing industry.
Demographics
Population development Örebro County
Population development in Örebro County 1970–2020[12]
Year
Population
1970
275,490
1975
273,923
1980
274,356
1985
270,211
1990
272,513
1995
276,417
2000
273,615
2005
274,121
2010
280,230
2015
291,012
2020
305,643
Population development Örebro Municipality
Population development in Örebro Municipality 1970–2020
The watertower Svampen (The Mushroom). A restaurant is located at the top of the building.
Örebro's old town, Wadköping, is located on the banks of the Svartån. It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions.
Rebel leader Engelbrekt in front of Örebro City Hall
Lindhska Bookstore in central Örebro
Centralpalatset, at the corner of Storgatan, one of Örebro's main streets
Örebro is the hometown of the punk-rock band Millencolin. They named one of their albums Pennybridge Pioneers, where Pennybridge stands for Örebro as a colloquial translation into English.
The influential and highly popular grind band Nasum were formed in Örebro.
Örebro is one of the public broadcaster SVT's 12 local news districts and has television premises located in the city.
Örebro has hosted a contemporary art exhibition called Open Art on four occasions: in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. In 2013, the exhibition featured works by 90 artists from Sweden and many other countries throughout the world.[13] The fifth edition of the exhibition is planned for the summer of 2015.[14]
Örebro University is one of Sweden's most recent, being upgraded from högskola (university college) in 1999. It currently has around 16,000 students and a staff of 1,100. The institution is regarded as one of the top 351–400 universities in the world.[15] The university is also named among the world's top 100 young universities (number 62) in the 2018 THE Young University Rankings.[16]
Gustavsvik, the largest water park in the Nordic countries, is located just a kilometer south of central Örebro. With more than 700,000 visitors per year, it is one of the most popular tourist and leisure establishments in Sweden. Only Liseberg, Gröna Lund and Skansen are more popular. In the summer the manor of Karlslund is a very popular place to visit.[citation needed]
Sports
Football
Örebro SK, the biggest football club in Örebro with the men's team having played many seasons in Allsvenskan, currently (2024) playing in Superettan.
KIF Örebro, the most successful women's football team, currently (2024) playing in Damallsvenskan.
Örebro SK Bandy has become national bandy champion five times. The home matches are played in Behrn Arena, one of sixteen (as of 2018)[21] indoor bandy arenas in Sweden.
Karlslunds IF is a multi-sports club specialising in American Football, Bandy, Baseball/Softball, Bowling, Football, Gymnastics, Skiing and Swimming.
Örebro, like the rest of the area close to Mälardalen, has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) that is made milder by the proximity to water and the Gulf Stream which makes it interchangeable with oceanic climates. Summer temperatures occasionally exceed 30 °C (86 °F) albeit not yearly, and temperatures above 5 °C (41 °F) are rare in winter, although frost-free nights sometimes occur. July average high temperatures generally range from 20 °C (68 °F) to 26 °C (79 °F) depending on weather patterns, with a 2002–2021 mean high of around 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). July lows averaged 12.3 °C (54.1 °F), sizeably cooler than seaside areas. January averaged 0.7 °C (33.3 °F) average highs in the same timeframe, with average lows of −5 °C (23 °F).
During cold winters, Örebro receives plenty of snowfall. Örebro is far more prone than coastal areas to really harsh frosts with temperatures approaching or below −20 °C (−4 °F) happening almost every winter according to SMHI statistics. The station's setting in a rural location might skew temperatures somewhat compared to the urban area which is also at a slightly lower elevation and nearer Hjälmaren. Especially when considering overnight lows this could result in a small urban heat island effect in downtown.
However, the climate is very variable from year to year. For example, December 2010 was record cold with a daily mean of −9 °C (16 °F), whilst December 2006 only a few years before had a mean of 4.3 °C (39.7 °F).[22][23] The warmest month on record is 21.8 °C (71.2 °F) in July 2018 and the coldest on record is −12.8 °C (9.0 °F) in January 1987.[24][25] Örebro is often without snow cover for large parts of the winter months when daytime temperatures hover just above freezing – an exceptional feature for an inland area north of the 59th latitude. The westerly Atlantic moderating influence is strong enough that far inland Örebro has milder winters than the near-coastal town Norrtälje, located slightly farther north on the Baltic Sea with a similar rural weather station.
The highest ever recorded temperature was set on 7 August 1975 during an intense heatwave with 36 °C (97 °F),[26] which is a very high temperature for such northerly latitudes. During the 21st century, the record heat is the all-time July record of 35.9 °C (96.6 °F) set in 2022.[27] The lowest recorded temperature in recorded history was set in February 1966 with −30 °C (−22 °F).[28] Several monthly records were set after 2010 according to official SMHI statistics, namely the record highs of February, March, May, July, October, November and December as well as the coldest December temperature and month on record, that was set in 2010.[29] Humidity is high for most parts of the year, but adequately lower during summer months. In spite of this summer is generally the time that gets the most precipitation[30] due to clashes between hot and cool continental air systems causing heavy thunderstorm rainfall. In 2015, a 13.1 °C (55.6 °F) reading was recorded around the winter solstice which was a very warm reading for an inland area in the low-sun season.[31]
Being unshielded by the South Swedish highlandsrain shadow, moist westerly air results in higher precipitation than on Baltic Sea locations. Summer convection and the flat topography of downtown can result in flash floods of low areas. Resulting from that, Örebro has been deemed one of the most vulnerable areas in Sweden to flooding and saw several incidents in a record wet summer in 2023.[32][33]
Climate data for Örebro Airport (2002–2021 averages; precipitation in the ward of Almby; extremes since 1901)
