Kristianstad (Swedish pronunciation: [kriˈɧanːsta], older spelling Christianstad) is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010. During the last 15 years, it has gone from a garrison town to a developed commercial city, attracting visitors from the northeastern Scania, western Blekinge and northern Österlen.

The city was founded in 1614 by King Christian IV of Denmark, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town of Vä and moving the city rights of the neighbouring town of Sölvesborg to the new town. The purpose of the town was to guard the eastern half of the Danish province of Scania against any future raids from Sweden, but also as a symbol of the power of Christian himself. One of these raids had sacked the nearby town of Vä in 1612. Vä then lost its charter and the people were moved to the new, better fortified city. The king also founded the town of Christianopel in eastern Blekinge to serve a similar purpose.

Ulf Lundell (born 20 November 1949 in Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden, full name Ulf Gerhard Lundell) is a Swedish writer, poet, songwriter, composer, musician and artist.

He made his debut in 1975 with the LP Vargmåne and was immediately hailed as "Sweden's Bob Dylan". In 1976 his first novel, the partly autobiographical Jack was published by Wahlström & Widstrand. Lundell was influenced by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other beats. Ulf Lundell is one of the central figures in Swedish rock music and almost since his debut he has been one of the most important influences on rock musicians writing and singing in Swedish. Lundell is also somewhat controversial and has argued with everyone from neo-nazis, feminists and communists to colleagues and music journalists.

Lundell was known as a heavy drinker in the 1980s, but pulled out of overdrinking after serious bouts with alcoholism in 1985-87; he gave a vivid report of this time, his recovery and his struggle with the rocker myth in the autobiographical novel En varg söker sin flock (1989; "A Wolf in Search of his Pack")