Around Lake Mälaren, Sweden

How Eskilstuna got its name

Eskilstuna itself was the result of a merger in the Middle-ages of two trades places called Tuna and Fors, which were located on opposite sides of the Eskilstuna River. When the two places became one the city was called Tunafors.

But in 1739 Tunafors changed it's name to Eskilstuna. The city was now called after Saint Eskil. Eskil was a saint who was stoned to death outside Strängnäs (a neighbouring city) in 1080 on a pagan blotfest. This probably will not be the only time I'll mention Saint Eskil in my pages, as it has had quite an influence on the region. Not only the city of Eskilstuna was named after the saint, also the river got his name. Before this time the river was called the Närjan.

Fors Kyrka

Kloster Church

This is the main church in Eskilstuna and it is hard to miss seeing it when you visit this town. It is on the other side of the Eskilstunaån river from the downtown area. The church is surprisingly new, it was built from 1925 to 1929. I have to admit I always thought it was much older than that.

They were able to build this church because of the foundation of Widow Jeanette Zetterberg from 1867. She was richest woman ever in Eskilstuna and donated a lot for charity, for example money for a new hospital.

Her donation at 1867 of 50.000 riksdaler had grown to 600.000 kronor at the time of the building of the church. The church was designed by architect Otar Hökerberg and build from 1925 to 1929.

The church is called Kloster church as in the same area was the Johanniter (order of St.John) monastery (=kloster in swedish) was situated. The order of the Johanniter had a great influence on the life in Eskilstuna from 12th to the end of the 16th century.

Inside the Kloster Church

I really liked the inside of this church. As it is very 'new' I was afraid of what to see on the inside. But I was pleasantly surprised. There isn't much decoration inside the church, but the architecture made it look wonderful. The high roof, the elegant lights and the use of the bricks make it look really great.

The altarpiece in the Kloster Church

Because the church is so simple decorated the altarpiece draws all the attention as soon as you step into the church. This altarpiece "The Worship of the Shepherds" is made of Flemish master Martin de Vos, signed 1900 and donated to the church by Elise Åkerhielm.

"Hand of God", Sculpture by Carl Milles

A sculpture in Eskilstuna that I love is this one by Carl Milles. It is located in the city park Stadsparken and it is called "Hand of God". When you are at the Kloster Church (see previous) follow the river a little bit, and you can see this sculpture towering high above you close to the river bank.

This sculpture "Hand of God" is from 1954 and is one of Milles' most well-known sculptures. It can be found in different parts of the world, in the USA, in Japan, Australia and Indonesia. The original, however, is in Sweden, right here in Eskilstuna.

Stadshuset / City Hall

The City Hall of Eskilstuna dates back to 1897 and is designed by Emil Befwe. The City Hall (or "stadshuset" in Swedish) dominates the main square in the city centre called "Fristadstorget". The building looks nice, but isn't that spectacular to see... In my opinion anyway ;-)

The inside though was a surprise for me! It is normally not open for tourists, but I was here to attend some meetings and that gave me the unique opportunity to look around in some of the main halls in the City Hall. Many of the rooms are now transformed into conference rooms, but they did this in style! These conference rooms still have their old looks and breathe the atmosphere of times gone by. You can even see old pieces of furniture placed in strategic places to give the rooms a bit of historical authenticity.

Read more on page 2 about Eskilstuna....