Malmö
Malmö (/ˈmælmoʊ, ˈmɑːlmɜː/,[4][5][6] Swedish: Malmö, IPA: [ˈmâlːmøː] ⓘ; Danish: Malmø [ˈmælmˌøˀ]) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal population of 357,377 in 2022.[7] The Malmö Metropolitan Region is home to over 700,000 people,[8] and the Öresund Region, which includes Malmö and Copenhagen, is home to four million people.[9]
This article is about the city in Sweden. For other uses, see Malmö (disambiguation).
Malmö
13th century
332.6 km2 (128.4 sq mi)
156.9 km2 (60.6 sq mi)
175.8 km2 (67.9 sq mi)
2,522 km2 (974 sq mi)
12 m (39 ft)
360,249
4,049/km2 (10,490/sq mi)
768,119 [2]
Malmöit
(+46) 40
Malmö was one of the earliest-industrialised and most-industrialised cities in Scandinavia, and it struggled to adapt to post-industrialism. It has undergone a major transformation since the 2000 completion of the Öresund Bridge, producing new architectural developments, supporting new biotech and IT companies, and attracting students through Malmö University and other higher education facilities. Over time, Malmö's demographics have changed and by the turn of the 2020s almost half the municipal population had a foreign background.[10] The city contains many historic buildings and parks, and is also a commercial centre for the western part of Skåne County. It is also home to Malmö FF, the Swedish football club with the most national championships and the only Nordic club to have reached the European Cup final.
Malmö has a mild climate for the latitude and, normally, average high temperatures remain above freezing in winter, with prolonged snow cover being rare.
Malmö was Sweden's fastest growing city in 2020 and the population increased by 3,800 inhabitants during 2021.[11] Malmö is expected to have a population of 500,000 by 2050.[12]
The economy of Malmö was traditionally based on shipbuilding (Kockums) and construction-related industries, such as concrete factories. The region's leading university, along with its associated hi-tech and pharmaceutical industries, is located in Lund about 16 kilometres (10 miles) to the north-east.
Malmö had a troubled economic situation following the mid-1970s. Between 1990 and 1995, 27,000 jobs were lost, and the budget deficit was more than one billion Swedish krona (SEK). In 1995, Malmö had Sweden's highest unemployment rate.[59]
However, during the last two decades, there has been a revival. One contributing factor has been the economic integration with Denmark brought about by the Öresund Bridge, which opened in July 2000.[60] Also the university founded in 1998 and the effects of integration into the European Union have contributed. In 2017 the unemployment rate was still high. However, in the last 20 years Malmö has had one of the strongest employment growth rates in Sweden, although a high proportion of jobs created are taken by workers from outside
Malmö.[61] In 2021, Malmö had the highest unemployment rate of 11,3%.[62]
As of 2016, the largest private employers were:[63]
Almost 30 companies have moved their headquarters to Malmö during the last seven years, generating around 2,300 jobs. Among them are IKEA which has most of its headquarter functions based in Malmö.[64]
The number of start-up companies is high in Malmö. Around 7 new companies are started every day in Malmö. In 2010, the renewal of the number of companies amounted to 13.9%, which exceeds both Stockholm and Gothenburg. Especially strong growth is in the gaming area with Massive entertainment and King being the flagship companies for the industry. Among the industries that continue to increase their share of companies in Malmö are transport, financial and business services, entertainment, leisure and construction.[65]
Malmö has the country's ninth-largest school of higher education, Malmö University, established in 1998. It has 1,600 employees and 24,000 students (2014).
In addition nearby Lund University (established in 1666) has some educational facilities located in Malmö:
The United Nations World Maritime University is also located in Malmö. The World Maritime University (WMU)[67] operates under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. WMU thus enjoys the status, privileges and immunities of a UN institution in Sweden.
Culture[edit]
Film and television[edit]
A striking depiction of Malmö (in the 1930s) was made by Bo Widerberg in his debut film Kvarteret Korpen (transl. 'Raven's End') (1963), largely shot in the shabby Korpen working-class district in Malmö. With humour and tenderness, it depicts the tensions between classes and generations. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1965. In 2017, the film Medan Vi Lever (transl. 'While We Live') was awarded the prize for best film by an African living abroad at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.[68] It was filmed in Malmö and Gambia, and deals with identity, integration and everyday racism.[69]
The cities of Malmö and Copenhagen are, with the Öresund Bridge, the main locations in the television series The Bridge (Bron, Danish: Broen).[70]
Theatre[edit]
In 1944, Malmö Stadsteater (Malmö Municipal Theatre) was established with a repertoire comprising stage theatre, opera, musical, ballet, musical recitals and experimental theatre. In 1993 it was split into three units, Dramatiska Teater (Dramatical Theatre), Malmö Musikteater (Music Theatre) and Skånes Dansteater (Skåne Dance Theatre) and the name was abandoned. The ownership of the last two were transferred to Region Skåne in 2006 Dramatiska Teatern regained its old name. In the 1950s Ingmar Bergman was the Director and Chief Stage Director of Malmö Stadsteater and many of his actors, like Max von Sydow and Ingrid Thulin became known through his films. Later stage directors include Staffan Valdemar Holm and Göran Stangertz.[71] Malmö Musikteater were renamed Malmö Operan and plays operas and musicals, classics as newly composed, on one of Scandinavia's large opera scenes with 1,511 seats.[72] Skånes dansteater is active and plays contemporary dance repertory and present works by Swedish and international choreographers in their house in Malmö harbor.[73]
Since the 1970s the city has also been home to independent theatre groups and show or musical companies. It also hosts a rock–dance–dub culture; in the 1960s The Rolling Stones played the Klubb Bongo, and in recent years stars like Morrissey, Nick Cave, B.B. King and Pat Metheny have made repeated visits.
The Cardigans debuted in Malmö and recorded their albums there. On 7 January 2009 CNN Travel broadcast a segment called "MyCity_MyLife" featuring Nina Persson taking the camera to some of the sites in Malmö that she enjoys.
The Rooseum Centre for Contemporary Art, founded in 1988 by the Swedish art collector and financier Fredrik Roos and housed in a former power station which had been built in 1900, was one of the foremost centres for contemporary art in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s. By 2006, most of the collection had been sold off and the museum was on a time-out; by 2010 Rooseum had been dismantled and a subsidiary of the National Museum of Modern Art inaugurated in its place.
Music[edit]
In 1992 and 2013,[74] Malmö was the host city of the Eurovision Song Contest, and it will host the contest for a third time in 2024.[75]
Big Slap is a music festival, held annually since 2013 at Pildammsparken. Big Slap will be held at Nyhamnen 2022 featuring Justin Bieber, which will be the biggest concert in Malmö's history.[76]
Malmö is the home of several bands, including CC & Lee, Fews, LeGrand, Nasty Idols, Spunsugar and Timeless Miracle.