Eskilstuna
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| Photo credit: Irish Yamit Solatorio
Eskilstuna's history dates back to
medieval times when English monk Saint Eskil made "Tuna" his base and
diocese of the South coast of Lake Mälaren. Saint Eskil was stoned to death by
the pagan vikings of neighbouring town Strängnäs, 30 kilometres (19 miles) east
of Eskilstuna, trying to convert them to Christianity. Saint Eskil was buried
in his monastery church in Tuna. Later the pagan city of Strängnäs was
Christianised and was given the privilege of becoming diocese of South Lake
Mälaren. Later "Eskil" was added in to the word "Tuna".
However, the town of Eskilstuna did not receive municipal privileges due to its
proximity to the medieval city of Torshälla. The monastery of Saint Eskil was
completely destroyed by Swedish king Gustav Vasa during the Protestant
Reformation and was replaced with the royal castle of Eskilstuna House. The
city's first city privileges were granted in 1659, and its boundaries included
Tunafors and the newly founded town of Karl Gustavs Stad ("City of Karl
Gustav"), located on the west side of the river. Karl Gustavs Stad was
built around the iron forges of master smith Reinhold Rademacher, encouraged by
King Karl X Gustav. The first products of the forges were small arms and
artillery.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskilstuna
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