Kristianstad Lan, was a County of Sweden until 1997
when it was merged with Malmöhus County to create the county of Skåne. The
seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad.
The countryside around Kristianstad is steeped in
the history of the time when it was the border between Sweden and Denmark.
Kristianstad itself which was founded by Christian IV of Denmark.
The countryside is full of memorials of earlier
settlements and cultures.
Kristianstad became the first town in Scandinavia
to be founded according to the ideals of the Renaissance with a grid system,
ramparts and bastions. The town became a strong fortress against the Swedish
attacks and protected important trade routes in the area.
The new town is split by a canal which gives it two
main sections, two city gates, two squares, two main streets, two narrow or back
streets and two embankment promenades. The main square, Stora Torg, had from the
beginning the character of a parade ground and centre in the smaller, but
superior, administrative part of the town. Today's small square, Lilla Torg,
became the market square and centre of the somewhat simpler part of the town for
trade and craftsmen.
The fortifications were replaced as in Paris by
tree-lined boulevards. The canal that divided the town centre in two was filled
in between 1873 and 1874 and became instead Nya Boulevarden, the new boulevard.
Trade boomed mainly from the considerable
distillery business. The number of traders increased considerably at the end of
the 19th century from 62 in 1875 to about 200 in 1910.
Growth during the 20th century was for the most
part outside the original fortress town. The majority of large places of work
were also set up in the outskirts.The growth in the population created a great demand
for housing. The building was based on the town plan from 1888 and the enclosed
parts of the town were built out at the turn of the century.
Since the 1980s, the emphasis on preserving the
countryside and cultural environment in Kristianstad meant continuous work with
the rich waterlands of Kristianstad, an area that is unique both in character
and the fact that parts are in the middle of Kristianstad.