Bollnäs is a town in the province of Hälsingland. Hälsingland is the northern part of the county of Gävleborg. Bollnäs is situated at the confluence of the rivers Ljusnan and Voxnan.
The Swedish Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf compared the province of Hälsingland to "a big green leaf":
"It is a hilly and mountainous land, but right through the middle of it a wide and light valley extended, and from there other valleys spread out on both sides, some of them narrow and short, others wide and long. --- In the middle of the big valley a wide, magnificent river was streaming, in many places widening itself into lakes. Close to the river meadows were to be seen, equipped with tiny grey barns. Higher up you could see tilled fields, and along the boundary of the valley where the forest began, the farms were situated. --- This was indeed a fine scenery to see."

Alexandra Ellis, a student of Torsbergsskolan 1996/97, wrote a poem about "The apple of my eye", expressing in words her own perceptions of the river as a water-snake: "Through the green valleys of Hälsingland the water-snake of Ljusnan meanders, across open meadows, through picturesque villages, green, leafy groves and dense forests.

About 13 000 years ago the Scandinavian peninsula was covered by ice, several thousands of meters thick. During the following centuries the ice slowly melted. The enormous ice-cover moved slowly northwards and shaped the landscape of today with lakes, rivers, plains, ridges, and valleys.

One day about 9 000 years ago the first inhabitants migrated into what is now Hälsingland. The first immigrants were small groups of hunters and fishermen making reconnoitring tours into a completely virgin land. The most trustworthy traces of human activities found by archaeologists originate in a population of seal-hunters and fishermen during the Neolithic period (about 4500 - 5000 years ago). They moved to temporary dwelling places with simple cabins in what was at that time the outermost archipelago, now situated far away from the coast due to the land elevation.

By and by the dwellings became more permanent in Hälsingland. As early as 2000 years ago there existed a resident, farming population in the north-eastern part of this province - to start with along the coasts and in the valleys of the big rivers. During the first centuries A.D. big farm houses were built. On foundations of stone terraces in gentle slopes remnants of buildings can be found - 40 metres long and 6-8 metres wide with two rows of load-bearing props. The farming family lived in one part of the house, one part was the cow-house, and another part a barn for the cattle-food and a storage room. A forge for iron-work was situated at a certain distance from the farm due to the risk of fire. They grew barley in the fields, they kept cows, and for the sake of variety they could go hunting into the forests and fishing in the open sea and the lakes. Seal-meat was a delicacy to them. The village of Trogsta west of Hudiksvall is such a dwelling-place from the Iron Age.

Maybe the advanced farming during the first centuries A.D. created the necessary conditions for the growth of population. New villages were built up - to start with agrarian ones but later on also with other kinds of production, above all output of hammered ironware to be sold to people in the neighbouring villages.

The geological process of change in Hälsingland is reflected in the scenery we can see today. The towns and local communities are situated along the coasts and in the valleys of the big rivers. The coastal region and the valleys of the rivers are still the most densely populated parts of the province, where the fields have been cultivated for centuries.

The forests and the fields are still vital for people in this province. About 75 % of the land-area is woodland - the typical tree being a spruce or a pine. Farming (about 5 % of the land-area) is most often cattle-breeding with cultivation of fodder plants as predominant crops.

Bollnäs is situated on the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska or Jakutsk in Siberia. The inner parts of Hälsingland have got a continental climate with marked shifts of seasons - cold winters with lots of snow and rather warm summers. The average temperature of January is from minus 7°C down to minus 10°C. There can be days in January and February with temperatures down to minus 30°C. In July the average temperature is from +14°C up to +16°C. The rainfall is at a minimum along the coast and in the river valleys, where the annual precipitation will be about 500 millimetres. In the winter the lakes will be covered with ice during November and in April or May the ice will break up again. The white snow will light up the landscape during 120-160 days in the winter and make the darkness more endurable.

80 % of the population in Hälsingland live in the coastal region, where the two oldest towns, Hudiksvall and Söderhamn, are situated. In 1996 the town of Bollnäs had 27 800 inhabitants.

The population of Bollnäs in age-groups (1996)

The symbol flower of the province of Hälsingland is the flax flower. The farmers in Hälsingland grew flax already in the 3rd century A.D. During the Middle Ages the growing of flax provided the most important products of the farms for sale. The fields yielded the raw material of linen products, for instance table-cloths. During the 16th century king Gustav Wasa bought linen in large quantities from the farmers in Hälsingland for the Royal court. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Swedish Royal Navy bought lots of linen canvas for sails.

Swingles driven by water-power - some of them still in use - became frequent during the 18th century. Linen production in Hälsingland reached a maximum during the 1830s and 1840s. In the middle of the 19th century the production went down. The reason was the keen competition from new and cheaper textile raw-material. Subsidies from the European Union have contributed to a new start for growing flax and producing linen in Hälsingland, though admittedly on a small scale.

The province of Hälsingland is situated just north of Limes Norrlandicus, the biological border line between Norrland and the rest of Sweden. This leaves its mark on the flora and fauna with its poverty of species and its barrenness. The forests are predominant in that landscape - the heavy, dark forests of pine and spruce - but also the extensive swamps. The forests generate jobs and money - the most important source of income for Sweden. But they also offer food and recreation of another kind. In the autumn lots of people go elk-hunting into the forests. The animals they bring down will be a good contribution to the food-store for the winter. Even berries of different kinds - blue berries, lingon berries of the forests and the cloud berries of the swamps - will remind everyone all winter of nice picking-walks in the forests.

The symbol animal of Hälsingland is the lynx - very shy and therefore most difficult to get a glimpse of in his right environment. The lynx is the only wild feline in the Nordic countries - a forest animal that likes the hilly and steep country. A male lynx can have a weight of between 20 and 35 kilos, a female between 15 and 25 kilos. The lynx is placed under protection in all Sweden since 1991. The forests are also the home for deer, bears and above all elks, that can be of great value for the hunters but of great danger for the car drivers. Now the roads are protected by fences, that keep the wild animals within the forest, but still now and then cars get crashed and people get severe damages when hit by wild animals. Lots of stories are told about bears that have visited populated areas and attacked people and cattle. "Don’t be afraid of bears", people say in Hälsingland, "but do have respect for them".

The symbol fish of Hälsingland is the ide, that likes to swim around in lakes and streams. The ide is the largest roach-fish in the Nordic countries. In Sweden it can have a weight of up to 4 kilos.

The symbol bird of Hälsingland is the capercaillie - the largest gallinaceous bird in Sweden - noted for its mating dance at dawn in April and May.

The forests are without doubt the most important source of jobs and income in Hälsingland. The big trees will be sawn up into planks and boards in modern, computerized saw-mills. Most of the saw-mills and other production units using timber as raw-material are located along the coast. This is where the paper-mills and the pulp-mills can be found, too. Products using wood as raw material such as furniture, skis, doors, and windows are also manufactured in Hälsingland.

Hälsingland is characterised by the forests more than other provinces in Sweden. The early immigrants into Sweden looked upon the forests as a rich store of timber for building houses, wood for fuel, animals for hunting, and verdant pastures for the cattle. But the forests could also be more of a hindrance than a help when clearing land or building houses. When the iron trade was developed on a large scale during the 18th century the forests became of great value providing fuel for heating the blast furnaces and coal for reduction of the iron-ore. When the era of greatness of the small, local iron-works was over in the middle of the 19th century, the forests became suppliers of raw-material to the modern forest industry growing up in Hälsingland. First a lot of saw-mills were built up all over the province of Hälsingland during the 19th century. Later on the pulp- and paper-mills grew up - of greater importance than the saw-mills. The first sulphite-pulp factory was built up in Bergvik in 1874.

Still the forests of Hälsingland are of vital importance for trade and industry in Hälsingland - as suppliers of timber and wood, as deliverers of raw-material for the pulp- and paper-mills. Companies being dependent upon the forests are to be found all over the province: producers of modern forestry-machines, furniture-factories and others.

The felling of the trees and the short conveyances of the timber will now be managed by modern, computerised forestry-machines. What was earlier made by human manpower and hand-tools is now made by machines having an enormous capacity.

For the long transportations from the forests to saw-mills and pulp-mills along the coast the streaming water was for a long time the normal means of transportation. As far back as the 18th century log-driving in the rivers was used as a way of conveyance. During the last decades of the 19th century the rivers were used for log-driving on a large scale. The trees that had been felled during the winter were transported from the forests by horse and sledge to the ice-covered water-courses, among others the big rivers of Ljusnan and Voxnan, where they were unloaded upon the ice. When the ice-cover melted, the logs were brought by the streaming water down the river to the coast, where they were taken care of by the saw-mills and the pulp-factories.

Yet the agrarian scenery is marked by a certain prosperity - impressive "wooden castles" painted in red and with white cottage corners. The farmers in Hälsingland have always had a large supply of timber in their forests. The growing of flax and the hunting of game brought them a good extra income that was invested in stately and impressive buildings - often two or three buildings around an open court-yard. Big dining-rooms and other impressive rooms in the building could be nicely decorated, often with subjects from the Holy Bible. Even the porch was often constructed with lots of decorations that marked prosperity and proudness.

A distinctive trait of peasant culture in Hälsingland in the good old times was even the old practice of taking the cattle up to the mountain pastures during some summer weeks. The cattle were taken care of by young maids whose duty it was to make use of the milk produced by the cows. From the milk they made butter and cheese that was easier to preserve than fresh milk.

Fishing along the coast of Hälsingland used to be of great importance. Söderhamn is the coast town that is nearest to Bollnäs. In the archipelago of Söderhamn there are about 500 small islands. Many of them were fishing villages in the old times. To-day only Skärså is a living fishing village. The pretty, old sheds for storing the fishing tackle remind us of the good old days. Now there are only a couple of professional fishermen still working in the fishing village of Skärså. About 50 years ago one hundred fishermen were engaged full-time in the fishing business. The Baltic herring was the main food during the fishing season - not only for people who lived along the coast but also for the farmers in the inner parts of the province of Hälsingland. In the summer when lots of Baltic herring were caught people bought their winter supply of fish which they preserved in brine. A special "delicacy" in Hälsingland is the fermented herring with a very special smell and taste.

The town of Bollnäs and the county of Gävleborg are the predominant employers in Bollnäs. Every second employee in Bollnäs is engaged by the town or the county.

In 1996 there were 11 099 persons in Bollnäs gainfully employed.

In the town of Bollnäs there are no production plants of any kind causing any severe pollution of the environment. The big problems are caused by the global pollution and the motor-traffic. The fertilisation of the fields can also cause some problems, above all for the water in lakes and other streaming waters.

Some parts of Hälsingland were affected by radioactivity from the nuclear plant in Tjernobyl that capsized. High amounts of radioactivity are still found in the game that is caught in the forests - deer and elks. Some lakes in the municipality of Bollnäs are acidified and lime must be added regularly. Angling is a very important leisure activity for many people in Hälsingland.

The supply of water for the municipality is sufficient. Most of the drinking water originates from a subsoil water source in the ridge of Flästa that delivers very good drinking water.

Agenda 21 has even engaged the municipality of Bollnäs and its inhabitants. It’s especially important to generate a positive attitude towards ambitious work for a good environment.

An important factor in the refuse collection and disposal is the separating of different kinds of waste. The consumers separate paper, glass, metal, and plastic material from other kinds of waste for the purpose of recycling. Such material is taken to special recycling stations that can be found at strategic places all over the municipality - especially at the big food-stores. Some consumers compost the organic waste from their kitchens. What cannot be taken care of in this way will be collected by special cars and taken to the district heating plant that can use the energy of the combustible refuse from the households in a very efficient way.

Hälsingland is famous for its ancient traditions and its folklore. Still the fiddlers gather regularly to play the old tunes of Hälsingland. Each province has got its own way of playing the instruments and the tunes. There is an ambition of the fiddlers to play in a way that is recognisable to the fans. The "polska" is the most typical of all tunes. At weddings, funerals, and all other kinds of family celebrations the fiddlers played a very important part.

The fiddlers have always been connected with legends and myths. The art of playing was compared to the art of magic. The fiddlers were supposed to have relations with the Evil One himself. The legend of Hårga is such a local legend that is eternally connected with the province of Hälsingland.

In the village of Hårga situated about 20 kilometres east of Bollnäs young boys and girls were dancing on a Sunday afternoon as they often did. As told in the legend a stranger entered the dance hall and struck up a melody that startled all those present in the hall. He played in a way that everyone was enchanted by his magic violin. When he left the dance hall starting to climb up the hill of Hårga, everyone followed him. Now a dance hand in hand in a long row started - over meadows, through dense brushwood, up the hill. At the ancient place of sacrifice the dance went on - even more intensively and wildly. At last everyone was driven mad by the wild music. They couldn’t stop dancing however much they would like to. They danced so that their clothes fell off their bodies and the flesh came loose from their bones. Soon only the skeletons were moving. At last only the whitening crania were jumping around on the hill, until even they fell to pieces. The legend says that a circle that had been marked upon the hill by the dancing people can still be discernible.

In northern Sweden there exists in popular belief an elemental being called "Neck". Fiddlers were told to have special relations to Neck, who could teach "the devil’s art" to fiddlers. Some of the tunes taught by Neck, could be disastrous to play. When the fiddler had started to play those tunes, he couldn’t stop his bow. It continued to move by itself, and people dancing couldn’t stop following him in their dancing. Neck often played himself. Those listening to him playing his violin were quite distracted and incapable of rational thinking. They were driven by an invisible power out into the water and drowned.

Folk dancing is still a living tradition. There are teams of folk dancers in every little village regularly gathering to practise their sometimes very complicated dance figures. They find great pleasure in their dancing, but they also gratify those coming to look at them, for instance on Midsummer’s Eve. In Hälsingland a competition in folk dancing is arranged every summer since about thirty years. People of all ages can take part in the competition - even children who have learnt to dance the "hambo" in special folk-dancing schools. Those taking part in the competition come from all corners of the world. They are dressed in highly coloured costumes of their own region. In Hälsingland each village has got its own costume in colours that mark the origin of the dancers.

The province of Hälsingland is rich in legends and stories. Most of them deal with trolls and giants - in accordance with popular belief supernatural beings who lived in the mountains, forests, and under ground. Sometimes they were friendly and brought gifts to the people in the region. Sometimes they were hostile and abducted women, children, and cattle. They couldn’t stand the sound of the church bells, neither could they look at the sunshine. The trolls in the legends of Hälsingland often interfered with the work of the farming maids and tried to arrange weddings between them and the sons of the trolls. Giants looked very much like normal people but they were much bigger and stronger.

The brownie is another frequently recurring being in the popular belief in Hälsingland in the old times. The brownie could be a nice little man, always ready to help the farming family keeping the farm in good order - but very quick to take offence. On Christmas Eve he was served rice pudding with lots of butter. If not, he could avenge himself on the farming family by killing the best cow. You had to keep very good relations with him. If so, he protected the farming family from all evil things that could happen to them.

In Hälsingland as in all Sweden Christmas starts on December the 13th with a special day called "Lucia Day". Saint Lucia is the Queen of Light. Bollnäs like all other towns in Sweden chooses its own Lucia. On "Lucia Day" she drives through the streets with her attendants, wearing candles in her hair. In many families they have their own Lucia, if there is a daughter. She wakes her parents up very early by bringing them coffee and buns in bed - special Lucia buns with saffron in them. Lucia and her attendants sing a special song called "Sankta Lucia". People go to work extra early on Lucia Day, too, because most firms have a Lucia Party before work begins. And school-children often go to their teachers’ homes and take them coffee and cakes in bed. Lucia brings light to people at a very dark time of the year. In Hälsingland it gets light about 9 o’clock in the morning and it is already dark again by about half past three.

Christmas is celebrated mainly on Christmas Eve. Late in the afternoon we eat our Christmas Dinner. We have a special sort of "smorgasbord" at Christmas. It always includes ham and pickled herring. Lots of families eat something called "lutfisk". That is dried fish that has been soaked in lye and water. We cook it and eat it with mustard sauce. After that we have a kind of rice pudding. There is an almond in the pudding and the person who gets the almond is going to get married during the coming year, we believe. There is a Christmas tree in every home. They sell them in the streets just before Christmas. We hang lights on it and Christmas decorations - angels and stars made of straw, small wooden birds, tinsel, and Swedish flags. After we have eaten our Christmas Dinner we give each other presents. Not many people in Sweden are regular churchgoers but on Christmas Day lots of people go to a special early service at about 6 o’clock in the morning. The church is nicely decorated with candles and the old, traditional hymns are sung.

New Year’s Eve on December the 31st is celebrated in a number of ways - although rather more quietly in Sweden than in many other countries. Many people like to welcome the new year in the calm of their own homes, while others like to celebrate with a big party. Fireworks are frequently set off at the stroke of midnight, just when the bells in many churches start their ringing.

Easter is the second of the major Christian festivals. Typical of Easter celebrations in Sweden are the birch twigs and brightly decorated feathers sold as a decoration, and the many eggs that are eaten - and sometimes painted as well in nice colours. The children are usually given paper Easter eggs filled with sweets. Many children also like to dress up as old ladies - as witches, in fact - and go around calling on neighbours on Maundy Thursday or Easter Eve, demanding sweets or fruit in return for an "Easter letter". This tradition has its roots in the ancient superstition that on Maundy Thursday certain women, or witches, flew off on a broomstick to consort with the devil.

Spring starts officially on May the 1st. On the last day of April, we light bonfires in the evening and we sing songs to welcome spring. We need the bonfires, because it is often quite cold that evening.

Sweden’s National Day on June the 6th is an ordinary working day. The last years it has become more and more popular to celebrate that day by parades and shows with the blue and yellow flag streaming in the wind.

Horse-racing also attracts a lot of enthusiasts in Bollnäs. The trotting-club of Bollnäs was founded in 1946, but as early as 1894 there was a club in Bollnäs arranging trotting races on the ice of the river Ljusnan. The trotting-club of Bollnäs has got its own trotting course at Sävstaås. Today there are ten professional coaches (trainers) at the trotting course of Bollnäs. Together they take care of about 120-150 horses.

to the top             back to comenius