Kristinehamn

Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Varmland County, Sweden, with 17,839 inhabitants in 2010. The location has had a resident population for centuries, at least since the stone age time. The town was then built alongside the bridge over river Varnan. Its name was Broo until 1642, and "Bro" literally means "Bridge" in Swedish. Kristinehamn got a Royal Charter for the first time in 1582 but lost it in 1584, and regained it in 1642, and changed its name in honour of the monarch Queen Christina of Sweden. It thus qualifies as one of Sweden's historical cities.

Its city arms were designated with a bojort, which is a Dutch ship in use in the 17th century. Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern. To be precise, it is situated where the small rivers Varnan and Löt drain into the lake. It has a harbour and is a railroad and road transportation center. Nearby towns include Karlskoga and Karlstad and is located exactly in the middle of Oslo, Stockholm and Gothenburg with 250 km to each of them.