GAVLE

town and port, capital of Gvleborg ln (county), east-central Sweden, on an inlet of the Gulf of Bothnia, northwest of Stockholm. Although first mentioned in documents in the 8th century, it was not chartered until 1446. Despite several devastating fires, it grew from a fishing village into the main centre and export city for Norrland and the northern part of the iron-producing Bergslagen region. Manufactures range from paper to leather goods and porcelain; there is also a shipbuilding yard. The town has a restored late-16th-century castle and an 18th-century courthouse. Nearby Furuvik is a popular resort, and southeast of the city, at Jrvsta, is a Viking burial ground. Pop. (1984 est.) mun., 87,671.