Ydre Municipality

Template:Infobox settlement

Ydre Municipality (Template:Langx) is a municipality in Östergötland County, southeast Sweden. The municipal seat is located in the town of Österbymo.

The municipality was created through the local government reform of 1952, when six former entities were united. The name was taken from the old Ydre Hundred. Its area remained unchanged by the reform of 1971.

The name Ydre, which was formerly applied to most of the area around Sommen, is interpreted to mean "place of yews".<ref name=ortnamnlexiko2003-375>Template:Cite book</ref> Two localities in particular appear to be further associated with yews these are Idhult and Idebo.<ref name=ortnamnlexiko2003-375/>

Localities

There are 3 urban areas (also called a tätort or locality) in Ydre Municipality.

In the table the localities are listed according to the size of the population as of December 31, 2005. The municipal seat is in bold characters.

#	Locality	Population
1	Österbymo	873
2	Hestra	490
3	Rydsnäs	304

Other localities include Sund, Torpa, Norra Vi, Asby, Rönnäs, Svinhult and Ydrefors.

Demographics

This is a demographic table based on Ydre Municipality's electoral districts in the 2022 Swedish general election sourced from SVT's election platform, in turn taken from SCB official statistics.<ref name=YdreVal2022>Template:Cite web</ref>

In total there were 3,686 residents, including 2,903 Swedish citizens of voting age.<ref name=YdreVal2022/> 44.1% voted for the left coalition and 54.7% for the right coalition. Indicators are in percentage points except population totals and income.

Location

Template:Tooltip

style="background:Template:Party color;color:#FFFFFF;" |

%

Asby

520

421

41.0

58.5

87

93

7

25,974

30

Sund-Svinhult-N Vi

1,527

1,166

43.9

55.0

80

84

16

22,764

29

Torpa

999

791

48.7

49.4

84

94

6

26,208

34

Västra Ryd

640

525

40.1

59.0

84

87

13

23,894

33

Source: SVT<ref name=YdreVal2022/>

Climate and vegetation

File:Naturreservat Torpon.jpg

View from Torpön naturresevat in the southern tip of Torpön, April 2019.

Template:See also Relative to other areas of southern Sweden Ydre stands out for its low precipitation and low humidity.<ref name=sodra2015>Template:Cite report</ref> The rainiest months of the years are September followed by July and August. Each of these months had a precipitation of c. 70 mm. The driest months are February and March, with 35 mm each.Template:Efn-ua The hottest months are July, Juni and August averaging 14–15 °C. The coldest months are January and February with about -4 °C.<ref name=natprov>Template:Cite report</ref>Template:Efn-ua The climate is expected to become warmer and drier in future.<ref name=natprov/>

The growing season around Sommen is of about 216 days with 2614 degree days.<ref name=larsetal2005>Template:Cite journal</ref> The vegetation in Ydre is mostly dominated by pine and spruce forest. Broad-leaf forest and open agricultural fields can also be found at some locations.<ref name=vattenorg>Template:Cite report</ref> In particular the southern shores of lake Sommen contain more lush vegetation and broad-leaf forest than the northern side, which has more cliffs and contiguous pine forests.<ref name=Hellgren1960>Template:Cite book</ref> The rare and endangered flower Anthericum liliago can be found along the lake's rocky shores.<ref name=sommennatsom>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=storsandliljaartdata>Template:Cite web</ref> This is one of the northernmost locales where it grows.<ref name=storsandliljaartdata/>

In Torpön island grows Sweden's largest wych elm and at Asby, a few kilometers from the southern shores grows Sweden's thickest spruce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name Ydre, which was formerly applied to most of the area around Sommen, is interpreted to mean "place of yews".<ref name=ortnamnlexiko2003-375>Template:Cite book</ref> One locality in particular appears to be further associated with yews. This is Idebo along Norra Vifjärden.<ref name=ortnamnlexiko2003-375/>Template:Efn-ua

Some plants usually associated to carbonate rock areas appears as rarities near Sommen, since there are no known carbonate rock outcrops in the area. The plants are Vicia pisiformis and the orchids Ophrys myoides, Malaxis monophyllos, Herminium monorchis.<ref name=Hellgren1960/>Template:Efn-ua

History

Trolls, jättar and Christianization

There are various tales of jättar and trolls opposing the spread of Christianity in Ydre.<ref name=nykristet>Template:Cite book</ref> Likely church building followed a tradition that "the king" should begin the building, and then the local populace finish it. This was later codified in Östgötalagen.<ref name=nykristet/> It is not known when the first churches around the lake were built. For comparison, the church in nearby Tidersrum was built in 1300, and Leonhard Fredrik Rääf asserts that the church in Sund was built in the 12th century.<ref name=nykristet/>Template:Efn-ua

Reformation and wars

Template:See also As Nils Dacke's and his army advanced north through Ydre in 1542, local priests from Sund and Asby, and the populace in general, welcomed the rebellion as they were rejected church reforms imposed on them by Gustav Vasa.<ref name=Filen1960dacke>Template:Cite book</ref> In particular, the priest of Sund and Norra Vi preached uprising.<ref name=Filen1960dacke/> However local aristocrat Måns Johansson Natt och Dag who owned the manor of RingshultTemplate:Efn-ua sided with the king despite having a troublesome relation to him. He was put in charge of an army to suppress the rebellion.<ref name=Filen1960b>Template:Cite book</ref> As Dacke's troops continued their advance north reaching as far as Mjölby the area around lake Sommen was spared from war. Skirmishes did occur near Kisa, tens of kilometers northeast of Sommen.<ref name=Filen1960dacke/> Unrest in Ydre continued well after the death of Dacke and ended only after Gustav Vasa sent a force of 400 men to pacify the hundred.<ref name=Filen1960dacke/>

Despite earlier defense of Catholicism at the Uppsala Synod in 1593 church representatives from Ydre voted to adopt the Lutheran creed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Sights

File:Torpakyrka.jpg

The Church of Torpa

At least two churches have medieval foundation: The Church of Asby in Asby, and the Church of Torpa on the countryside. There is also an attractive church from the 18th century, Church of Norra Vi, located just by the lake Sommen.

Another tourist attraction is Naturum Sommen in Torpön Island, a visitor center and natural history museum.<ref name=SVT2014>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=sommennat>Template:Cite web</ref>