(20) Linkoping, Living Museum

Linköping [ˈˈlɪnʃøːpɪŋ] (baca Lin co ping adalah sebuah kota di sebelah selatan Swedia, di län (semacam provinsi di Indonesia; di Swedia juga masih ada provinsi namun sistem pembagian ini sudah tidak digunakan secara umum) Östergötland dan provinsi Ostrogothia. Bersama dengan kawasan di sekitarnya, Linköping merupakan kotamadya terbesar kelima di Swedia. Linköpings kommun, mempunyai 136.190 penduduk (statistik pada 1 November 2003). Dari jumlah tersebut, 94.298 tinggal di dalam kota.

Linköping adalah pusat sebuah kawasan kebudayaan lama dan merayakan hari jadinya yang ke-700 pada 1987. Menara Katedral Linköping mendominasi kaki langit kota ini.

Palo Alto, California adalah kota kembar Linköping.

Linköping [ˈlɪnɕøːpɪŋ] is a city in southern Sweden, with a population of 97,885 (2006). It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 140,367 inhabitants (2007) and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church of Sweden) and is well known for its cathedral.

Linköping is the center of an old cultural region and celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1987. Nowadays Linköping is known for its university and its high-technology industry. Dominating the city's skyline from a far distance is the tower of the cathedral.

The city is situated south of lake Roxen (which is part of the historically important water paths Motala ström and the Göta Canal) where the main road from Stockholm to Helsingborg crosses the river Stångån (and Kinda kanal).

This road was part of the Eriksgata route that the newly elected king had to travel according to medieval Swedish Law. In the 20th century road system, it was first called Riksettan (national highway no 1). It is currently called E4 and has been redirected to pass outside the city on the north side. Further contributing to Linköping's excellent communications is its situation on the main southern railway line connecting Stockholm with Malmö and Danish capital Copenhagen. There is also a minor airport, Linköping SAAB Airport.

History
The city is possibly named after the Lionga ting assembly which according to Medieval Scandinavian laws was the most important ting in Östergötland. Exact location of the Lionga ting is not known, but it was along the Eriksgata. (However the name is more likely to mean "trading place where flax is sold".[citation needed] Köping in Swedish place names usually means a market or trading area - compare English "chipping". The "Lin" in Linköping corresponds with the English word linen)

Historically, Linköping is famed for being an early diocese, second in Sweden (within its pre-1658 boundaries) only to Skara. The diocese is first mentioned in 1104 in the so-called "List of Florence" (Lionga. Kaupinga). The monastery of Vreta Kloster near Roxen north of Linköping was established in 1128, and the oldest parts of the cathedral are also from the 12th century (although it has been changed many times since then, the eye-catching tower being a 19th century product). At several occasions, attempts to achieve a separate Swedish archdiocese were based in Linköping, though when they finally were successful in 1164, Uppsala was chosen instead.

Religious centers tend to become educational centers, and Linköping was no exception. A cathedral school can be traced from 1266. In 1627 the current Linköping cathedral school was established, making it the second oldest gymnasium in Sweden.

Also, Linköping was the site for the final settlement of the dispute between king Sigismund III Vasa and his uncle Duke Charles, the latter prevailing in the battle of Stångebro (today a sports field near central Linköping) on September 25, 1598. This ultimately led to the rise to the throne of Charles (de facto at the Riksdag at Linköping in 1600 and formally four years later) and the end of the short-lived Swedish-Polish personal union, as well as the execution of five of Charles's political opponents on the main square of Linköping on March 20, 1600.

Linköping was a relatively small town until 1937, when the Saab aircraft industry was formed, starting a period of rapid expansion. Linköping University was established in the 1960s. Today the city is a center of high-technology and software industry.