OSTERSUND

town and capital of the ln (county) of Jmtland, northwestern Sweden, on the west shore of Lake Stor. It was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. It was subordinate, however, to Levanger in Norway as a trading centre for Jmtland, until the coming of the railway in 1862. Although primarily an agricultural and tourist centre, it has some industry, producing chemicals, machinery, furniture, and leather goods. The Jmtland County Museum houses archaeological and cultural exhibits; Fornbyn Jmtli is an open-air museum of many 15th- to 18th-century buildings from the area, notably the Pilgrimsstugan (1424). Near the bridge that connects the town with Frsn, an island in Lake Stor, is Sweden's northernmost runic stone, dating from the 11th century and telling of Jmtland's conversion to Christianity. Pop. (1987 est.) mun., 56,914.