Ystad
A street in central Ystad
Coat of arms
Ystad
Coordinates: 55°25′N 13°50′E / 55.417°N 13.833°E / 55.417; 13.833Coordinates: 55°25′N 13°50′E / 55.417°N 13.833°E / 55.417; 13.833
Country	Sweden
Province	Skåne
County	Skåne County
Municipality	Ystad Municipality
Area[1]
• Total	8.65 km2 (3.34 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)[1]
• Total	18,350
• Density	2,120/km2 (5,500/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Ystad (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈyːsta]) is a town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 18,350 inhabitants in 2010.^[1] The settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction. It is associated with the fictional detective Kurt Wallander whose stories, by Henning Mankell, are set in Ystad.

In 1285, the town's name was written Ystath. Its original meaning is not fully understood, but probably the "y" has something to do with an old word for the yew tree,^[2] -stad is town, or rather place. In Danish times before 1658 the spelling was Ysted.

History[link]

The Church of Saint Peter.

After Absalon, Bishop of Roskilde and Archbishop of Lund, peace was brought to the area in the 11th century, fishing families settled at the mouth of the river Vassa as herring fishing became the main source of trade. Ystad was not mentioned in documents until 1244, in a record of King Eric's visit to the town with his brother, Abel. A Franciscan monastery, Gråbrödraklostret, was founded in 1267, and Ystad joined the Hanseatic League in the 14th century.

The charter of 1599 gave the town the right to export oxen. Ystad, together with all of Scania, was transferred from Denmark to Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658.^[3][4]

By 1866 Ystad had a railway connection and it was established as a garrison town in the 1890s. After World War II, ferry services to Poland and to the Danish island of Bornholm were opened.

Demographics[link]

In 1658, Ystad's population was about 1,600 and, by 1850 it had reached 5,000. The increased importance brought by the railway and the garrison in the 1890s drove the population above 10,000.^[4]

Infrastructure[link]

Economy[link]

Street plan of Ystad in c.1850.

Some of the main industries of the town are trade, handicraft and tourism, derived from being one of the best preserved medieval towns in the Scania province and its association with the Wallander detective novels. There is an active port with ferry and train services.

Transport[link]

The ferry port has services to the Danish island of Bornholm and to Świnoujście (formerly Swinemünde), in Poland, forming part of the E65 road route south from Malmö.

The town is on the railway line between Malmö and Simrishamn (operated by Skåne Commuter Rail) and has direct rail services to Copenhagen via the Øresund Bridge (operated by Danish State Railways^[5]).

Sports[link]

The most popular sport in Ystad is handball, with two big clubs. Ystads IF is in Elitserien (the highest Swedish national league, as of 2008) whilst IFK Ystad is situated in Division 1 (the second highest league, as of 2008). Several famous handball players have played one or other of these clubs, the most famous one probably being Per Carlén.

Media[link]

The only newspaper published at present in Ystad is the Ystads Allehanda, which also covers the neighbouring municipalities of Skurup, Tomelilla, Simrishamn and Sjöbo. The newspaper was founded in 1873.^[6]

Places of interest[link]

The town has two large medieval churches, the Church of Saint Peter (also known as Klostret) and the Church of the Virgin Mary (Mariakyrkan), both highly influenced by Gothic Hansa architecture (can also be seen in churches around the Baltic Sea, for instance in Helsingborg, Malmö and Rostock). In addition, there are areas of surviving medieval town architecture.

Notable residents[link]

• Lykke Li (born 1986), singer-songwriter
• Michael Saxell (born 1956), songwriter, artist and producer
• Richard Andersson (born 1972), musician and songwriter
• Rolf Holmgren (born 1946), actor and scriptwriter
• Ernst-Hugo Järegård (1928–1998), actor
• Börje Langefors (1915–2009), computer scientist
• Gunnar Malmquist (1893–1982), astronomer
• Anna Q. Nilsson (1888–1974), Swedish born American actress
• Markus "Notch" Persson (born 1979) game designer, creator of Minecraft

See also[link]

• Chronicle of the Expulsion of the Grayfriars#Chapter 12 Concerning the Friary in Ystad

References[link]

External links[link]

• Media related to Ystad at Wikimedia Commons
• The Municipality´s official site
• Ystads Allehanda's site

v t e Municipalities and seats of Scania County Municipalities Ängelholm Åstorp Båstad Bjuv Bromölla Burlöv Eslöv Hässleholm Helsingborg Höganäs Höör Hörby Kävlinge Klippan Kristianstad Landskrona Lomma Lund Malmö Örkelljunga Osby Östra Göinge Perstorp Simrishamn Sjöbo Skurup Staffanstorp Svalöv Svedala Tomelilla Trelleborg Vellinge Ystad Municipal seats Ängelholm Arlöv Åstorp Båstad Bjuv Broby Bromölla Eslöv Hässleholm Helsingborg Höganäs Höör Hörby Kävlinge Klippan Kristianstad Landskrona Lomma Lund Malmö Örkelljunga Osby Perstorp Simrishamn Sjöbo Skurup Staffanstorp Svalöv Svedala Tomelilla Trelleborg Vellinge Ystad Counties of Sweden Sweden

Kurt Wallander (Swedish pronunciation: [valˈlanːdər]) is a fictional character created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. The protagonist of several mystery novels, set in and around the town of Ystad, 60 km south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Skåne. Wallander has been portrayed on screen by the actors Rolf Lassgård, Krister Henriksson and Kenneth Branagh.

Biography[link]

Wallander is said to live on Mariagatan in Ystad

As a young police officer, he was nearly killed when a drunk whom he was questioning stabbed him with a butcher's knife (this is mentioned in the account of his first case). Wallander was once married, but his wife Mona left him and he has since had a difficult relationship with his rebellious only child, Linda, who just barely survived a suicide attempt when she was fifteen. He also had issues with his late father, an artist who painted the same landscape 7,000 times for a living; the elder Wallander strongly disapproved of his son's decision to join the police force, and frequently derided him for it.

Inspector Wallander has few close friends and is known for his less-than-desirable lifestyle; he consumes too much alcohol and junk food, exercises very little, and sometimes struggles with anger. He frequently regards the crimes he investigates on a very personal level, throwing himself into catching criminals and going against the orders of his superiors to try to solve a case.

Over the years he has grown increasingly disillusioned with his work, and often wonders whether he should have become a police officer at all. He was once falsely sued and harassed for police brutality, and still lives with the guilt of having shot and killed a man in the fog, an act which drove him into depression and nearly led to his resignation. His relationships with his colleagues are tentative; they are alternately amazed by his intellect and frustrated by his brusque manner and aggressive tactics.

Frequently at loose ends socially and with his family, he maintains a somewhat inconsistent romantic relationship with Baiba Liepa, a woman in Riga, Latvia, whom he met while investigating a murder there, until it eventually dissolves. Over the course of the series he is diagnosed with diabetes, and towards the end of his career he suffers from memory lapses, discovering he has developed Alzheimer's disease, with which his father was similarly afflicted.

Novels[link]

The following Kurt Wallander novels have been translated into English. They are listed in the order that they were originally published in Sweden:

1. Mördare utan ansikte (1991; English translation by Steven T. Murray: Faceless Killers, 1997)
2. Hundarna i Riga (1992; English translation by Laurie Thompson: The Dogs of Riga, 2001)
3. Den vita lejoninnan (1993; English translation by Laurie Thompson: The White Lioness, 1998)
4. Mannen som log (1994; English translation by Laurie Thompson: The Man Who Smiled, 2005)
5. Villospår (1995; English translation by Steven T. Murray: Sidetracked, 1999)
6. Den femte kvinnan (1996; English translation by Steven T. Murray: The Fifth Woman, 2000)
7. Steget efter (1997; English translation by Ebba Segerberg: One Step Behind, 2002)
8. Brandvägg (1998; English translation by Ebba Segerberg: Firewall, 2002)
9. Pyramiden (1999; short stories; English translation by Ebba Segerberg with Laurie Thompson: The Pyramid, 2008)
10. Den orolige mannen (2009; English translation by Laurie Thompson: The Troubled Man, 2011)

The following novel features Wallander's daughter Linda in the lead, while he is a secondary character:

• Innan frosten (2002; English translation by Ebba Segerberg: Before the Frost, 2005)

One Kurt Wallander work has not yet been translated into English:

• Händelse om hösten (The Grave), a short story from 2004 published only in the Netherlands.

The order that the novels occur in the timeline of the series is shown below (with the title of the English translation shown in parentheses). Note that there is some overlap in the timeline among the novels as there are three separate series.^[1]

1. Pyramiden (The Pyramid)
2. Mördare utan ansikte (Faceless Killers)
3. Hundarna i Riga (The Dogs of Riga)
4. Den vita lejoninnan (The White Lioness)
5. Mannen som log (The Man Who Smiled)
6. Villospår (Sidetracked)
7. Den femte kvinnan (The Fifth Woman)
8. Steget efter (One Step Behind)
9. Brandvägg (Firewall)
10. Innan frosten (Before the Frost)
11. Händelse om hösten (The Grave)
12. Den orolige mannen (The Troubled Man)

TV and film[link]

Film series[link]

Between 1994 and 2007, all nine Wallander novels were made into films in Sweden starring Rolf Lassgård as Wallander:

• Faceless Killers (Mördare utan ansikte) (1994);
• The Dogs of Riga (Hundarna i Riga) (1995);
• The White Lioness (Den Vita lejoninnan) (1996);
• Sidetracked (Villospår) (2001);
• The Fifth Woman (Den 5e kvinnan) (2002);
• The Man Who Smiled (Mannen som log) (2003);
• One Step Behind (Steget efter) (2005);
• Firewall (Brandvägg) (2006);
• The Pyramid (Pyramiden) (2007, video only).

TV series (Swedish)[link]

Krister Henriksson, who plays Wallander in the Swedish TV series

From 2005 to 2006, 13 new stories, starring Krister Henriksson as Kurt Wallander and Johanna Sällström as Linda Wallander, were produced. The first film, based on Before the Frost, was released in cinemas. The rest are original stories not based on any of Mankell's books, and were released on DVD, with the exception of Mastermind which was also released in cinemas.

• Before the Frost (Innan frosten);
• The Village Idiot (Byfånen);
• The Brothers (Bröderna);
• The Darkness (Mörkret);
• The African (Afrikanen);
• Mastermind (Mastermind);
• The Tricksters (Den svaga punkten);
• The Photographer (Fotografen);
• The Container Lorry (Täckmanteln);
• Castles in the Sky (Luftslottet);
• Bloodties (Blodsband);
• The Joker (Jokern);
• The Secret (Hemligheten).

Two of these films were directed by BAFTA award winning Swedish director Jonas Grimås, who outside Sweden is best known for his work on British television such as the 1990s crime drama Second Sight (Kingdom of the Blind) starring Clive Owen, police drama series Heartbeat, and Hamish Macbeth.^[2]

Yellow Bird announced in March 2008 that 13 new Swedish language Wallander films were to be made with Krister Henriksson. Production started in 2008. These new films were to have a more political slant than the previous films starring Henriksson.^[3][4] The first production in the second series, The Revenge (Hämnden), was given a cinematic launch in Sweden on 9 January 2009 before being released on DVD. The theme over the closing edits is "Quiet Night", sung by Anna Ternheim. The remaining were scheduled to be released on DVD during early 2010:

• The Revenge (Hämnden),
• The Guilt (Skulden),
• The Courier (Kuriren),
• The Thief (Tjuven),
• The Cellist (Cellisten),
• The Priest (Prästen),
• The Infiltration (Läckan),
• The Sniper (Skytten),
• The Angel of Death (Dödsängeln),
• The Phantom (Vålnaden),
• The Heritage (Arvet),
• The Dun (Indrivaren),
• The Witness (Vittnet).^[5]

TV series (British)[link]

The novels have also been adapted as nine television films for the BBC, produced by Yellow Bird and Left Bank Pictures. The series stars Kenneth Branagh as Wallander. The novels have not been filmed in the order in which they were published, resulting in changes to the backstories of the lead characters in the films. The first series consisted of the novels Sidetracked, Firewall and One Step Behind. These three were shot on location in Ystad in the summer of 2008, with a combined budget of £6 million ($12 million), using Jim Jannard's RED camera (as described in the documentary contained on the BBC DVD).^[6] They aired in late 2008 on the BBC.

A second series of Wallander adaptations were commissioned by the BBC from the same production team in 2008. Broadcast in January 2010, the second series was composed of adaptations of Faceless Killers, The Man Who Smiled, and The Fifth Woman.

The third series began shooting in Ystad and Riga, Latvia in the Summer of 2011 and will continue into the winter. It will consist of adaptations of Händelse om hösten (The Grave), which has been retitled An Event in Autumn, The Dogs of Riga and Before the Frost.

Special appearances[link]

Mankell's friend and writer Jan Guillou used Kurt Wallander in the 10th book of his Carl Hamilton-series En medborgare höjd över varje misstanke (A citizen above suspicion). Guillou and Mankell also co-wrote the Swedish crime-drama mini series Talismanen and here we also encounter Kurt Wallander as a supporting character, this time portrayed by actor Lennart Jähkel.^[7]

See also[link]

• Author Sjöwall and Wahlöö's Swedish detective character Martin Beck
  Both Sjöwall and Wahlöö and Henning Mankell are focused on the social issues in the Swedish welfare state. Similar issues prevailed in the 1960s and 1970s for the Beck character and in the 1990s for the Wallander character.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Polito, Robert (April 2005). "Murder, My Swede: Henning Mankell's Scandinavian Noir". Artforum International (archived at AccessMyLibrary). http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-33080336_ITM. 
• Reijnders, Stijn (June 2009). "Watching the Detectives: Inside the Guilty Landscapes of Inspector Morse, Baantjer and Wallander". European Journal of Communication (Sage Publications) 24 (2): 165–181. DOI:10.1177/0267323108101830. http://ejc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/2/165. 

External links[link]

• Branagh's Wallander - Website relating to the BBC's English-language Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh
• Official Henning Mankell site
• Comprehensive Henning Mankell fan site
• Kurt Wallander's Ystad
• In the Footsteps of Wallander PDF document from Ystad Tourist Office with map of places referred to in the novels.
• Article in Variety concerning plans to bring Wallander to British television
• Yellow Bird site
• IMDb entry for the Wallander character in film and television

v t e Kurt Wallander by Henning Mankell Novels Faceless Killers · The Dogs of Riga · The White Lioness · The Man Who Smiled · Sidetracked · The Fifth Woman · One Step Behind · Firewall · The Pyramid · Before the Frost · The Troubled Man Film and television Swedish film series  · Swedish TV series, (Innan frosten; Mastermind; Tjuven)  · British TV series Ystad · Category