Sandviken

This article is about the locality in Sandviken Municipality. For other uses, see Sandviken (disambiguation).

Sandviken
Central Sandviken Central Sandviken
Official logo of Sandviken Coat of arms
Sandviken
Coordinates:
Country	Sweden
Province	Gästrikland
County	Gävleborg County
Municipality	Sandviken Municipality
Area
• Total	15.66 km2 (6.05 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	22,965
• Density	1,466/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	http://www.sandviken.se/

Sandviken is a locality and the seat of Sandviken Municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden with 22,965 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated about 25 km west of Gävle and lies approximately 190 km north of Stockholm. The rail journey to Stockholm takes about 2 hours and to Arlanda, Sweden´s main international airport, no more than 1.5 hours.

Sandviken is the home town of the major high-technology Swedish engineering concern Sandvik and the main office of the company was located in Sandviken until January 2012 when it was moved to Stockholm.

Sandviken is also home to a number of cultural activities: Kulturskolan means "the cultureschool" (extramural music, dance and drama training), Sandviken Big Band, Sandviken Symphonic Orchestra and a large number of musicians in the region. Sandvikens Art Gallery shows throughout the year various interesting exhibitions. Amongst the many popular tourist attractions in the municipality, the following must be singled out for special mention: the attractive old, carefully restored industrial villages in Gysinge and Högbo Bruk with their forges and smithies, handicraft, manor houses and possibilities they offer for outdoor recreation. During the winter months the downhill skiing facilities and the Snowpark at Kungsberget attract a large number of visitors from near and far.

Sports

File:Herbert Sandin.jpg

Jernvallen was a venue for the 1958 FIFA World Cup

Sandvikens AIK have become Swedish bandy champions several times. From the season 2009-10, they play indoors in Göransson Arena. This arena will be the Division A venue for the 2017 Bandy World Championship.

Football clubs located in Sandviken are Sandvikens IF who play in Division 2 Norra Svealand and Sandvikens AIK FK who play in Division 4 Gestrikland. Their Jernvallen stadium was a venue of the 1958 FIFA World Cup, making Sandviken the northernmost city to host the tournament.

File:Sandvikens AIK Bandy.jpg

Sandvikens AIK in Friends Arena before the 2013 final

File:Göransson Arena.jpg

Göransson Arena

Transportation

Sandviken lies on the southern side of the intersection of Route 68/80 and Route 272 "Högbovägen." The city extends to the south along Route 272 until they meet Storsjön, where the road creates a causeway across the lake. Sandviken airport, although closer to the town of Valbo, serves the air travel needs for Sandviken, as well nearby Gävle.