page_title: Örnsköldsvik
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Örnsköldsvik / History
caption_attribution_description: Örnsköldsvik
context_page_description: Örnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with 32,953 inhabitants in 2017.
  Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of pulp and paper products and heavy machinery goods. It has a strong environmental record and is the "testbed" for ethanol-powered cars.
context_section_description: Traces of human activity in the Örnsköldvik area date back to the Nordic Bronze Age and there is a reconstructed Roman Iron Age village called Gene fornby that is a popular tourist attraction just outside the town.
  However, Örnsköldsvik itself is a relatively young city; it was founded as a köping (a Swedish market town) in 1842 and became a city in 1894. Its name originates with the surname of governor of Västernorrland County from 1762–9, Per Abraham Örnsköld, and means "Örnsköld's Bay". The surname Örnsköld literally means "Eagle Shield".
  In 1968, the town hosted the 1976 Winter Paralympics, the first Winter Paralympics.
caption: Illustration of Örnsköldsvik in 1861
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