View source for Mark Municipality

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Mark Municipality
| native_name             = ''Marks kommun''<!-- If different from name -->
| native_name_lang        = sv<!-- ISO 639-2 code, e.g. "sv" for Swedish. -->
| settlement_type         = [[Municipalities of Sweden|Municipality]]
| image_skyline           = Town of Skene Sweden.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = View over [[Skene, Sweden|Skene]] (the urban district of [[Kinna]]).
| image_seal              = 
| seal_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Mark vapen.svg
| shield_size             = 120x80px
| nickname                = Tygriket "The Fabric Kingdom"
| image_map               = Mark Municipality in Västra Götaland County.png
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = 
| coordinates             = {{Coord|57|31|N|12|41|E|region:SE_type:adm2nd|display=title,inline}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|Sweden}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Counties of Sweden|County]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Västra Götaland County]]
| established_title       = Established in
| established_date        =1971 
| seat_type               = [[Administrative centre|Seat]]
| seat                    = [[Kinna]]
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = 
| leader_title            = 
| leader_name             = 
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          = {{Area Swedish municipality|TXT=ref}}
| area_total_km2          = {{Area Swedish municipality|type=total|municipality=Mark Municipality}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Area Swedish municipality|type=land|municipality=Mark Municipality}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Area Swedish municipality|type=water|municipality=Mark Municipality}}
| area_water_percent      = 
| area_note               = Area as of {{Area Swedish municipality|TXT=date}}.
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| population_footnotes    = {{Population Swedish municipality|TXT=ref}}
| population_total        = {{Population Swedish municipality|municipality=Mark Municipality}}
| population_as_of        = {{Population Swedish municipality|TXT=date}}
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = Marbo
| population_note         = 
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Provinces of Sweden|Province]]
| blank_info_sec1         = [[Västergötland]]
| blank1_name_sec1        = [[Kommunkod|Municipal code]]
| blank1_info_sec1        = 1463
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in Sweden|Postal code]]
| postal_code             = 43499 -to- 51997
| area_code               = 0320 
| iso_code                = [[ISO 3166-2:SE|SE<!--??-->]]
| website                 = [http://www.mark.se www.mark.se]<!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| footnotes               = 
}}

'''Mark Municipality''' ({{langx|sv|Marks kommun}}) is a [[municipalities of Sweden|municipality]] in [[Västra Götaland County]] in southwest [[Sweden]].

The municipal seat is located in the center of [[Kinna]] town.

The municipality was created through the Municipal Reform Act of 1971 by the amalgamation of eight smaller municipal entities.

==Coat of arms==
The [[coat of arms]] was created and granted with the municipality in 1974. The colours of Gold and Black on the shield represent power and solidity.

The ''grain'' represents the history of agriculture in the region.

The ''circles'' symbolise four cannonballs, representing the wars fought between Denmark and Sweden in the greater Mark region.

The ''weaver's shuttle-tool'' represents the historical tradition of textile workmanship in the region, which the region is famous for nationwide.

== History ==

=== Medieval times ===
The word ''Mark'' comes from an old documented district called ''Mark Härad ''that existed in the southern parts of the region sometime during the 13th century.

The word ''Mark'' is believed to be an old Swedish name for "border" or "edge". During the medieval times the district of ''Mark Härad'' (now Mark municipality) was situated right at the border region between the Kingdom of Denmark and Kingdom of Sweden.

Several wars were fought in the region during medieval times, and it is not uncommon that farmers accidentally unearth old remains and weapons when plowing the fields.

The fields close to ''Öresten Fortress'' have been the place for most of the relic findings. Öresten Fortress was originally built by the Danes, and the first documented nobleman to rule and inhabit the fortress was Tyge Puder (1364-1384/86). The fortress was conquered by the Swedish army during the battle of Öresten in 1470 when the Danish king Kristian the First lost the battle against [[Sten Sture the Elder]]

The fortress was later destroyed in early 1500 and is now a protected historical sight open to the public year-round.

In 1682, as a sign of the times, the local governance established a place of execution outside Skene village called Galgbacken (eng: ''The hill of hanging''). Thieves were executed there as well as those judged as witches were burned on the stake. In 1934 archeologists found the buried remains of those that were executed.

=== The Industrial Revolution ===
The Mark region was the cradle of Sweden's textile industry and has since the late 18th century been known as the Fabric Kingdom due to the widespread textile workmanship that comes from the region. It was from Mark that several of the nationwide travelling salesmen were based, spreading high-quality fabric manufacturing throughout the county. The region later evolved into a national industrial center for sewing, dyeing and textile manufacturing after the industrial revolution.

The biggest textile factories of the time was ''Kungsfors Textilfabrik ''in central Skene, ''Fritsla Textilfabrik'' in Fritsla, ''Rydal Textilfabrik'' in Rydal. As of 2014 none of those factories remain in use but the old factory in ''Rydal ''has been converted into a museum for the regions textile and entrepreneur heritage.

=== Modern era ===
In 1971 Mark Municipality was created out of a consolidation of eight smaller municipalities. The common name given to the municipality was Mark, signifying the historical events taken place which is also manifested in its shield.

During the early 1980s most of the textile factories had disappeared and only a few remained.

Today there are only three major textile and dyeing factories remaining: ''Almedahls'' (central Kinna), ''Ekelund'' (central Horred), ''Ludvig Svensson'' (outskirts of Kinna).

Throughout Mark municipality the textile heritage has been preserved and the region is famous for its textile "know-how" and specialist production. The region is home to Sweden's largest manufacturer of fire hoses, bulletproof materials and filtering equipment.

== Roads and communications ==
Mark Municipality has excellent roads, rail and public transport links to the major cities in the country.

Within 1 hour it is possible to travel to Gothenburg (swe: ''Göteborg'' - Sweden's 2nd largest city) by car or bus from the stations in Kinna and Skene.

=== Major roads ===
* '''Road R156''' - west to Göteborg (eng:Gothenburg) / east to Svenljunga.
* '''Road R41'''   - north to Borås / south to Varberg.

=== Public transport (bus & train) ===
All public transport options are trafficked by the regional ''Västtrafik (eng: West traffic)'' company.

* '''Bus 300 & 430''' on the West-East route Gothenburg-Sätila-Skene-Kinna.
* '''Bus 450''' on the Northern route Skene-Borås.
* '''Train''' on [[Viskadalsbanan]] between Varberg and Borås with stops in Horred, Björketorp, Berghem, Skene, Assberg, Kinna & Fritsla.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Banguide - Viskadalsbanan Varberg-Borås - järnväg.net |url=https://www.jarnvag.net/banguide/varberg-boras |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=(in Swedish) www.jarnvag.net}}</ref>

== Towns and villages ==

=== Major towns ===
* [[Kinna]] (municipal seat)

=== Minor towns ===
* Örby 
* [[Fritsla]]

=== Villages ===
{{Div col}}
* Berghem
* Björketorp
* Fotskäl
* Haby
* Hajom
* Horred
* Hyssna
* Istorp
* Kinnaström
* Rydal
* Skephult
* Sätila
* Torestorp
* Tostared
* Älekulla
* Öxabäck
{{Div col end}}

=== International sister cities ===
Mark Municipality has three '''[[sister cities]]'''. The Municipality has been focusing on finding sister cities that shares a tradition in textile manufacturing.

*[[Apolda]] (Germany) - since 1994.
*[[Szamotuły]] (Poland) - since 1988. Friendly ties were created because of the awakened awareness of [[nuclear power]] in Szamotuły, who wanted contacts with Swedish cities because of Sweden's ongoing nuclear debates.
*[[Ontinyent]]  (Spain) - since 2003.

== Demographics ==
This is a demographic table based on Mark Municipality's electoral districts in the [[2022 Swedish general election]] sourced from [[Swedish Television|SVT]]'s election platform, in turn taken from [[Statistiska Centralbyrån|SCB]] official statistics.<ref name=MarkVal2022>{{cite web|url=https://valresultat.svt.se/2022/riksdagsval-1463-mark.html|title=Valresultat 2022 för Mark i riksdagsvalet|publisher=[[Swedish Television|SVT]]|language=sv|date=11 September 2022|access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref>

In total there were 35,169 residents, including 26,700 Swedish citizens of voting age.<ref name=MarkVal2022/> 46.9% voted for the left coalition and 51.4% for the right coalition. Indicators are in percentage points except population totals and income.

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! rowspan="3" |Location
! {{tooltip|2=Number of residents in district, regardless of age or citizenship status|Residents}}
! {{tooltip|2=Swedish citizens above the age of 18, automatically eligible to vote|Citizen {{br}} adults}}
! {{tooltip|2=Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party, Green Party, %|Left vote}}
! {{tooltip|2=Sweden Democrats, Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals, %|Right vote}}
! {{tooltip|2=Defined by Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) as the share of people between the ages of 20 and 64 who are working taxpayers, %|Employed}}
! {{tooltip|2=Defined by Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) as residents born in Sweden with at least one Swedish-born parent, %|Swedish {{br}} parents}}
! {{tooltip|2=Defined by Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) as residents born abroad or in Sweden with two foreign-born parents, %|Foreign {{br}} heritage}}
! {{tooltip|2=Defined by Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) as the median income received monthly income through either employment, capital gains or social grants for the median adult above 20, also including pensioners in Swedish kronor|Income {{br}} [[Swedish kronor|SEK]]}}
! {{tooltip|2=Defined by Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) as any degree accumulated after high school, %|Degree}}
|-
!
! 
! style="background:{{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}};color:#FFFFFF;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Moderate Party}};color:#FFFFFF;" |
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
|-
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | %
! data-sort-type="number" | %
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | 
! data-sort-type="number" | 
|-
| align="left" |Berghem-Hajom
| 1,551
| 1,211
| 42.5
| 55.9
| 86
| 89
| 11
| 26,384
| 33
|-
| align="left" |Fotskäl-Tostared
| 2,242
| 1,702
| 37.6
| 60.8
| 84
| 85
| 15
| 25,197
| 27
|-
| align="left" |Fritsla
| 1,469
| 1,084
| 48.5
| 49.6
| 73
| 77
| 23
| 21,190
| 31
|-
| align="left" |Horred-Öxnevalla
| 2,491
| 1,905
| 42.8
| 54.3
| 84
| 89
| 11
| 24,357
| 31
|-
| align="left" |Hyssna
| 1,969
| 1,508
| 43.4
| 55.4
| 87
| 91
| 9
| 27,809
| 40
|-
| align="left" |Kinna-Aspäng
| 1,745
| 1,243
| 60.0
| 38.2
| 73
| 65
| 35
| 19,969
| 25
|-
| align="left" |Kinna C
| 1,567
| 1,301
| 48.9
| 49.3
| 79
| 81
| 19
| 23,471
| 36
|-
| align="left" |Kinna-Marieberg
| 1,577
| 1,234
| 47.1
| 51.9
| 86
| 84
| 16
| 27,562
| 37
|-
| align="left" |Kinna-Näs-Vallås
| 1,909
| 1,462
| 47.7
| 50.8
| 86
| 82
| 18
| 26,478
| 35
|-
| align="left" |Kinna-Rydal
| 1,613
| 1,216
| 48.9
| 49.6
| 84
| 85
| 15
| 26,985
| 34
|-
| align="left" |Skene-Assberg
| 2,015
| 1,434
| 55.0
| 42.9
| 66
| 60
| 40
| 18,702
| 21
|-
| align="left" |Skene-Hedbo
| 1,912
| 1,337
| 55.7
| 42.3
| 74
| 61
| 39
| 21,646
| 31
|-
| align="left" |Skene-Sandvallsäng
| 2,061
| 1,533
| 52.7
| 45.5
| 82
| 76
| 24
| 25,660
| 33
|-
| align="left" |Skephult-Fritsla
| 1,334
| 1,026
| 47.7
| 50.9
| 86
| 90
| 10
| 26,271
| 35
|-
| align="left" |Sätila
| 2,451
| 1,916
| 46.3
| 52.3
| 88
| 90
| 10
| 28,050
| 42
|-
| align="left" |Torestorp-Öxabäck
| 2,212
| 1,712
| 44.2
| 54.3
| 85
| 90
| 10
| 24,448
| 24
|-
| align="left" |Ubbhult-Sätila
| 1,609
| 1,210
| 40.7
| 57.0
| 87
| 87
| 13
| 29,402
| 37
|-
| align="left" |Örby C
| 1,754
| 1,375
| 48.2
| 51.2
| 87
| 88
| 12
| 26,934
| 37
|-
| align="left" |Örby-Krok
| 1,688
| 1,291
| 43.7
| 54.6
| 89
| 92
| 8
| 28,121
| 37
|-
| colspan="10" align="left" |Source: [[Sveriges Television|SVT]]<ref name=MarkVal2022/>
|}

== Bordering municipalities ==
* '''To the east:'''  Svenljunga Municipality
* '''To the north:''' Bollebyggd Municipality, Borås Municipality, Härryda Municipality
* '''To the south:''' Varberg Municipality (Halland County)
* '''To the west:'''  Kungsbacka Municipality (Halland County)

== Sports and pastimes ==
There are over 60 major sporting and pastime clubs throughout Mark Municipality. The major ones are:

=== Clubs ===
''Name                        (Hometown / Year - Field)''

* Fotskäl Hockey Club (Fotskäl / 1972 - Icehockey)
* Skene IF                   (Skene / XXXX   - Soccer)
* Skene SoIS               (Skene / XXXX  -  Swimming & Orientation & General athletics)
* Kinna IF                    (Kinna / 1922  - Soccer & Orientation)
* Skene Motorsällskap (Skene / 1955 - Rallycross & Motocross)
* Marks Amatörradio Klubb "SK6BA" (Skene  / 1991 - Ham radio)
* Marks GK                  (Kinna / 1962 - Golf)
* Marbo BK                  (Kinna / 1969 - Basketball)
* Sätila SK                 (Sätila/ 1928 - Football)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.mark.se/ Mark Municipality] - Official site

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Mark
 | N  = [[Härryda Municipality|Härryda]], [[Bollebygd Municipality|Bollebygd]]
 | NE = [[Borås Municipality|Borås]]
 | E  = [[Svenljunga Municipality|Svenljunga]]
 | S  = [[Varberg Municipality|Varberg]] ([[Halland County|Halland]]), [[Falkenberg Municipality|Falkenberg]] ([[Halland County|Halland]])
 | W  = [[Kungsbacka Municipality|Kungsbacka]] ([[Halland County|Halland]])
 | NW = [[Mölndal Municipality|Mölndal]]
}}
{{Västra Götaland County}}
{{Localities in Mark Municipality}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipalities of Västra Götaland County]]
[[Category:Mark Municipality| ]]