Vilhelmina Municipality

Infobox_Kommun2
name=Vilmhelmina
fullname=Vilhelmina kommun
isocode=
capital=Vilhelmina
governor=
county=Västerbotten County
province=Lapland
arearank=7th
area=8,120
areapercent=x.x
population_as_of=2005
populationrank=249th
population=7,422
populationpercent=x.x
populationdensity=0.9

Vilhelmina Municipality ("Vilhelmina kommun") is a municipality in Västerbotten County, northern Sweden. The seat is in the town Vilhelmina.

In 1947 the locality Vilhelmina was detached from the rural municipality with the same name, forming the market town ("köping") of Vilhelmina. The two entities were reunited in 1965.

Localities

This vast municipality has only one populated place with more than 200 inhabitants, and that is the seat Vilhelmina

History

In 1804 the parish of Volgsjö was renamed Vilhelmina, in honour of Queen Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Sweden.

Geography

Like the northern parts of Sweden (colloquial "Norrland"), it is scarsely populated due to its inhospitable conditions and cold climate, but is superb for those who like wildlife and untouched nature.

The village of Malgovik, about 20 kilometers north of Vilhelmina City, holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Sweden. It was set on 13 December, 1941 when temperature dropped down to -53° C.

Culture

Every July the town holds a festival called Hembygdsdagarna Vilhelmina. In addition to popular and folk music performances, tradition holds that a local engaged couple is selected each year to get married during the festival. The bride and groom, lead a parade of fiddlers and other traditionally dressed Swedes through town to the church where the marriage is performed in front of all who wish to attend. They are not always able to find a couple willing to get married, however, so some years they hold the parade without an engaged couple, and hold a public church service instead of a wedding.

Resources and external links

#: [http://runeberg.org/nfcl/0268.html article "Vilhelmina"] from Nordisk Familjebok, 1921, in Swedish only.
* [http://www.vilhelmina.se Vilhelmina] – Official site
* [http://www.vilhelmina.se/bilder/eng.pdf "Vilhelmina – An Adventure"] Tourism PDF file; 24 pages, many images. In English.
* [http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?camid=3604 Live webcam in Vilhelmina]