Skänninge is a
locality situated in
Mjölby Municipality,
Östergötland County,
Sweden with 3,242 inhabitants in 2005.
It lies about 10 km north of the municipal seat
Mjölby.
Before the local government reform in 1971 the
City of Skänninge was a municipal entity of its own.
Skänninge is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a
city.
Statistics Sweden, however, only counts
localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities.
Geography
The town is located on the
Skena river.
History
Its history goes back to the 11th century, making it one of the oldest
cities in Sweden. The town has changed little since then, and is still the same size with the same street structure. Many locations are recognizable since the Middle Ages.
Vårfrukyrkan
One of the older buildings is the Church of Our Lady, Sw.
Vårfrukyrkan, constructed by the towns German population in honor of
Virgin Mary. Apart from the church, the town also contains the remains of a
monastery of the
Dominican order.
In 1250, the reigning family of
Folkung had its main quarters near Skänninge, and the town developed into something of the
Götaland capital, and the market place became one of the richest and most attended in the country. However, in the 13th century, the nearby located city of
Vadstena surpassed it in interest. Furthermore, Skännige suffered fires in 1477 and 1466.
The annual Skänninge Market with its 1000 year old tradition is still being held in August every year, and visited by around 120,000 people.
