Smögen Explained

Official Name:Smögen
Pushpin Map:Sweden Västra Götaland#Sweden
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Sweden
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Sotenäs Municipality
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Västra Götaland County
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Bohuslän
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1.05
Population As Of:31 December 2010
Population Total:1,329
Population Density Km2:1267
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Coordinates:58.3611°N 11.2319°W
Settlement Type:Locality

Smögen (in Swedish pronounced as /ˈsmø̌ːɡɛn/)[2] is a locality in Sotenäs Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 1,329 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the liveliest "summer towns" of the Swedish west coast.

The community actually straddled several islands that lay so close together that the space in between has since been filled, and is now considered as a single island. The southern part consists mostly of Smögen Island, which lies in the centre. Around this lies to the south Kleven, in the northwest Sandön, and in the northeast, Hasselön. The town is connected to the neighbouring town Kungshamn by Smögenbron (Smögen Bridge).

History

Smögen is mentioned for the first time towards the end of the 16th century. The name of the community has varied over the years; amongst other names, from "Smögit", "Smöenn", "Smöget" and "Smygesund". The name has probably come from the Swedish word Swedish: smyghål, which translates as "sneak-hole" or "nook", referring to the narrow inlet between the Smögen island and where the harbour lies. According to the Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore, the community's name comes from *Undetermined: smög, which has the same meaning and survives as smuga in Old West Norse and modern Bohuslän dialects.[3] Around the 17th century, the island Hasselön was populated, and through the years this community has grown together with Smögen, and is today considered a part of the Smögen community.

Tourism

In modern times, Smögen is well known for its long, wooden pier, about 600m (2,000feet), filled with shops in old fishing huts, which are frequented by a multitude of tourists during the summer. Smögen is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Swedish west coast, well known for its fish, prawns and other seafood, and one of Sweden's few fish markets is located here. There is also an extensive nightlife scene, with many bars, clubs and concert venues open during the summer.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010 . 14 December 2011. Statistics Sweden. sv. https://web.archive.org/web/20120127055525/http://www.scb.se/Statistik/MI/MI0810/2010A01/Tatorternami0810tab1_4.xls. 27 January 2012. 10 January 2012.
  2. Book: Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter. Jöran Sahlgren. Gösta Bergman. sv. 1979. 22. Project Runeberg.
  3. Web site: Smögen. isof.se. Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore. sv. 1 July 2018. 12 March 2020.