Understand
The town holds a prominent position in Swedish medieval history, and the country's first parliament Riksdag was held here in 1435. Today, Arboga is a quiet town with a population of around 12,000.
Arboga, with its well preserved medieval character, is a beautiful and charming town. The ancient cobble stones of Västerlånggatan the riverside street, lined with period wooden houses have been trodden by the feet of many locals and travellers throughout the ages.
An exciting period in Arbogaâs history was when the Franciscan monks settled here during the 13th Century; GrÃ¥bröderna the grey brotherhood, as there were called, were known for participating in communities which they thought had the potential to expand and develop. This was true of Arboga and the town owes a lot to the work of the monks, e.g. the monastery they built which later became the church of the Holy Trinity in Arboga. The monks also tended to the poor and the sick as well as teaching reading skills to children. There are many stories of an old network of underground passages in which the monks could move around the town in secret. The monks stayed in Arboga until the 16th Century, when King Gustav Vasa broke with the Roman Catholic Church, took over all the monasteries and drove the monks out of Sweden.
Arboga was an influential town during the middle ages; the Arboga River gave the town a trade route to Stockholm and the rest of the world. The iron ore trade was also an important commodity during Arbogaâs history, where it was weighed and stored at Ladbron.Unfortunately the trade route was discontinued after construction was completed on the Hjälmarkanal Hjälmar Canal, but then the new canal did have some positive effects on Arboga.
Arboga was also host to a number of important historical events including Engelbrektâs first assembly of the Swedish parliament in 1435. The town was also a residence for monarchs â during the 16th Century Gustav Vasa and his daughter, Cecilia, lived here. Cecilia later became Countess Cecilia of Arboga and lived in the church building Helge And, which later became the town hall and remains so today.
