Söderköping is a town in Östergötland, Sweden and the seat of Söderköping Municipality, Östergötland County. It has 7,000 inhabitants, which is about the half of the municipal total. Söderköping is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city. Statistics Sweden, however, only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.

History

Sigismund III Vasa become king of both Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in a personal union upon his election to the Swedish throne in 1592 amidst much controversy and religious strife. The protestant reformation and Catholic counter reformation were in full swing and at odds everywhere in Europe in the day. Subsequently, in 1593, he signed an agreement to guarantee religious freedom to the Protestant majority of Sweden and to pacify the Protestant concerns overall by all sects and the religious generated unrest in the country settled down for a time once the agreement was in place, but it came to rise refreshed and stronger in 1594 because of Sigismunds actions.

In 1595 the Riksdag of the Estates assembled at Söderköping (consequently sometimes known as the Riksdag of Söderköping) and elected Duke Charles IX of Sweden as regent of Sweden in place of his Catholic nephew Sigismund—though it did not formally depose Sigismund—because he had violated his agreement as king-elect and that of 1593 with the Uppsala Synod and had instead championed Catholic counter reformation measures, appointed catholics to high offices and established catholic schools during this religiously volatile era—all in violation of his agreement with the Synod in 1593. The renewed controversy came to a head in 1594, resulting in the Riksdag setting aside his authority, and the whole history of Sigismund with his claim on the Swedish throne became a succession of trigger events leading to the subsequent seven decades of dynastic warfare known as the Polish-Swedish wars. He was formally deposed by the Riksens ständer at Linköping, 24 February 1600, which declared he had abdicated his throne. The same Riksdag approved the execution of eight of Charles IX's opponents in the Swedish nobility as allies of King Sigismund (See Linköping Bloodbath).

Söderköping stands at the eastern end of the Göta Canal, a 390-km long canal opened in 1832 to connect Gothenburg to the Baltic Sea by inland waterway.

Sights

Two of the finest sights are the two churches Saint Laurentii Church in Söderköping, and Drothem Church which is nearby in the countryside, both from the early 13th century.

Today Söderköping is mainly a tourist attraction visited by foregin tourists by boat on Göta Kanal and from people living in the region by car. This mix of people usually meet up in the central part of town for an icecream at the famous ice-restaurant Smultronstället. Many adventures gather in Söderköping as several climbingroutes are right in the city centre and the archipelago is just a few miles away.

See also

• Söderköping Process

References