About Trosa

Why on earth would you choose to nickname a city 'The End of the World'?

It is not a modern invention invented during a brainstorm at Trosa's municipal office. No, the nickname is old but perhaps needs an explanation; as late as the 19th century there was only one road to Trosa - and back out. So "the end of the road" might have been a more accurate nickname.

Trosa is one of the oldest towns in Sweden. Old age has made her beautiful, like a real old lady, where aging has long since stopped bothering her and where crow's feet in the corners of her eyes and wrinkles highlight the beauty that only years can give. Trosa's houses are warped and leaning. The paint is peeling and in small alleys down to the river the paving stones have been lifted by the roots of hollyhocks and the trampling of tourists.

Trosa was granted a town charter as early as 1454. But even the oldest houses are not quite that old. The Russians came in 1719 and burned down the whole town. All that remained after the Russian advance was the church and the bell tower. So a new town was built. Östra and Västra Långgatan was pretty much the entire town, with small, unassuming houses lined up along the river.

18th century Trosa was populated by islanders, people who lived from both fishing and farming and who in the summer took their families and livestock out to the islands in the Trosa archipelago to get closer to the fishing.

Boman's port warehouse was originally a transshipment point for fishing from the waters outside the city. But the town was in a state of flux.

From shanty town to socialite hangout, the journey went via artist's hangout. You recognize the picture, don't you? Stockholm's Old Town, Södermalm, Harlem, Brooklyn are just a few examples of what the upgrade usually looks like. Cities and neighborhoods in transformation. From ugly to beautiful.

The artists saw the beauty of the ugly duckling early on and many artists are still around today. Reinhold Ljunggren lived and painted in Trosa for over three decades. Sven Delblanc grew up in Trosa. And Albert Engström has depicted Trosa Stadshotell in his stories. And after the artists came society and royalty.

At the end of the 19th century, steamboat traffic started. Now it became a little easier to travel to Trosa. Many coastal towns became seaside resorts with cold bath houses. And Trosa was of course no exception. At the far end of the quay in the harbor was at that time a cold bath house where summer guests traveled from the big city. They were inspired by southern Europe and Venice and named houses and bridges after their southern European models. For example, the Bridge of Sighs exists not only in Venice, but also in Trosa. And according to myth, there was also a gondola in the river. In the same river that the Viking ships used and where Trosa residents have their boat moorings today, despite the narrow and strong current of the Trosa River.

So what is the town today? Trosa is still a distinctly summer town that comes alive when the leaves burst out and the sea water gets lighter. The Trosa city race is a traditional street party even for peeping couch potatoes, and when Tommy Körberg's annual summer concert in Boman's garden fills the whole town with songs about a poor farmer, that's summer!

But Trosa is also an entrepreneurial city, where entrepreneurship is significantly higher than the national average and unemployment is lower. The commuting distance to Stockholm has shrunk with better communications. Trosa is the country within reach of the city. At the same time, Trosa is a small town with high integrity and its own identity. The inhabitants here do not want to become Stockholmers or live in a new suburb of the big city. People do not move here because they want to live in a big city. In the 2013 referendum, a resoundingly large majority of Trosa residents, in front of surprised local politicians, chose not to change county to Stockholm. After all, it is important to justify your name. Trosa - the end of the world.

For information on what's happening in Trosa, visit Trosa Turism at www.trosa.com.