Älvdalen (Elfdalian: Övdaln or Tjyörtjbynn; literally "the river valley") is a locality and the seat of Älvdalen Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 1,810 inhabitants in 2010.[1]

Älvdalen
Älvdalen is located in Dalarna
Älvdalen
Älvdalen
Älvdalen is located in Sweden
Älvdalen
Älvdalen
Coordinates: 61°14′N 14°02′E / 61.233°N 14.033°E / 61.233; 14.033
CountrySweden
ProvinceDalarna
CountyDalarna County
MunicipalityÄlvdalen Municipality
Area
 • Total3.02 km2 (1.17 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2010)[1]
 • Total1,810
 • Density600/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ClimateDfc

The parish is widely known for being the place of manufacturing, in 1839, of the 4-meter granite vase (called Älvdalen Vase), installed in the Summer Garden in Saint Petersburg (a gift from Charles XIV John of Sweden to Nicholas I of Russia).

Nearby is the Hykjebergets Nature Reserve, inaugurated by Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia in 2016.[2]

Language

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Älvdalen Library

The indigenous language of Älvdalen is Elfdalian. Although it contains many innovations[3] it still preserves various Old Norse traits that have ceased to exist in most other North Germanic languages.[4][5] The main spoken language in modern times is a Dalecarlian dialect of Swedish, which also is the dominant language in the local administration.

Climate

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Älvdalen has a subarctic climate influenced by its location near the furthest interior position on the Scandinavian Peninsula. As a result, seasonal swings are large and the general climate has strong resemblances to Skellefteå much further north at sea level. Being in a river valley, the area is also prone to temperature inversion and harsh freezing. Compared to Mora about 35 kilometres (22 mi) to its southeast, temperature differences are comparatively large since Mora is lower, further south and situated by the slightly moderating lake of Siljan.

Climate data for Älvdalen (2002–2021 averages); extremes since 1968
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9)
11.2
(52.2)
16.6
(61.9)
24.5
(76.1)
28.2
(82.8)
33.0
(91.4)
31.8
(89.2)
33.9
(93.0)
26.5
(79.7)
22.2
(72.0)
14.5
(58.1)
10.1
(50.2)
33.9
(93.0)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)
6.1
(43.0)
11.6
(52.9)
17.5
(63.5)
23.9
(75.0)
26.5
(79.7)
28.0
(82.4)
25.9
(78.6)
21.2
(70.2)
14.9
(58.8)
9.3
(48.7)
5.3
(41.5)
29.2
(84.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −3.6
(25.5)
−1.2
(29.8)
3.9
(39.0)
9.8
(49.6)
15.2
(59.4)
19.7
(67.5)
22.1
(71.8)
19.8
(67.6)
15.2
(59.4)
8.0
(46.4)
1.9
(35.4)
−2.1
(28.2)
9.1
(48.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −7.7
(18.1)
−5.9
(21.4)
−1.7
(28.9)
3.6
(38.5)
8.9
(48.0)
13.3
(55.9)
15.8
(60.4)
14.0
(57.2)
9.8
(49.6)
4.8
(40.6)
−1.4
(29.5)
−5.9
(21.4)
4.0
(39.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −11.8
(10.8)
−10.5
(13.1)
−7.3
(18.9)
−2.7
(27.1)
2.6
(36.7)
6.8
(44.2)
9.5
(49.1)
8.1
(46.6)
4.4
(39.9)
−0.3
(31.5)
−4.7
(23.5)
−9.7
(14.5)
−1.3
(29.7)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −24.6
(−12.3)
−23.3
(−9.9)
−19.3
(−2.7)
−9.6
(14.7)
−4.5
(23.9)
0.2
(32.4)
2.8
(37.0)
0.7
(33.3)
−2.6
(27.3)
−9.1
(15.6)
−15.4
(4.3)
−21.5
(−6.7)
−26.8
(−16.2)
Record low °C (°F) −37.3
(−35.1)
−35.7
(−32.3)
−32.4
(−26.3)
−19.9
(−3.8)
−7.9
(17.8)
−3.6
(25.5)
−0.5
(31.1)
−3.2
(26.2)
−9.5
(14.9)
−20.3
(−4.5)
−27.0
(−16.6)
−35.7
(−32.3)
−37.3
(−35.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 40.4
(1.59)
26.8
(1.06)
23.7
(0.93)
26.6
(1.05)
58.5
(2.30)
68.6
(2.70)
83.2
(3.28)
82.9
(3.26)
50.1
(1.97)
55.7
(2.19)
47.6
(1.87)
37.1
(1.46)
601.2
(23.66)
Source 1: SMHI Open Data[6]
Source 2: SMHI climate data 2002–2021[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia show off one of their wedding gifts". Hello Magazine.
  3. ^ [1] Sapir, Yair: Elfdalian, the Vernacular of Övdaln (essay, 2011)
  4. ^ last strongholds
  5. ^ [2] O'Hagan, Sean: Witch hunts, mystics and race cars: inside the weirdest village in Sweden (photo-essay on photographer Maja Daniels's three-year sojourn in Älvdalen and her family connection to Elfdalian)
  6. ^ "SMHI öppna data för Älvdalen" (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.
  7. ^ "SMHI Monthly & Yearly Statistics 2002–2021" (in Swedish). SMHI. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.