Falkenberg (Suède)

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Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 20,035 inhabitants in 2010 (out of a municipal total of 41,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon (falk) and mountain (berg). Falkenberg is a popular tourist destination in the summers, and the main beach of the town is Skrea strand.HistoryIn the early part of the 13th century the Danish king built a fort on the east shore of the river Ätran, which eventually would give the town its name. Halland was at that time part of Denmark. It is known that falconry was pursued in the area. However, in Hallandia antiqua et hodierna, that specified a location ("mountain") where the falconry should have taken place, and which should have given name to the town, has later been shown to be incorrect.The area north of Ätran was from time to time Norwegian or Swedish. It was on this side that a market town developed. At around 1300 a church was built. From the 14th century until the Northern Seven Years' War (1563–1570) a second town, Ny-Falkenberg (New Falkenberg) was located close to the town. The fort was destroyed by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson's troops in 1434. The town gained market rights at the latest in 1558.