Eskilstuna [˘ɛskilstʉːna] is a Municipality in Södermanland County, in central Sweden, located between the Mälaren and Hjälmaren lakes. The total population is 91,168 inhabitants.
The city of Eskilstuna received its privileges in 1659 and is today the largest city in the Sudermannia province, counting a population of 58,980 (1996). The city is located along the Svealand railway line (Svealandsbanan) between Stockholm and Hallsberg, south of Lake Mälaren. European route E20 also passes the city.
As the connections to Stockholm have improved, and as a trainride to Stockholm does not take much more than one hour, Eskilstuna has drawn many new inhabitants commuting to their workplaces in Stockholm. Eskilstuna seems to be the new western frontier of the Stockholm metropolitan region, being located 120 kilometres west of the capital.
Eskilstuna's history goes back to the medieval times when the city was home to a monastery, which was completely destroyed during the reformation. This town was then better known as Tunafors and was located east of the river, however not receiving any privileges due to its proximity to the medieval city of Torshälla. The monastery was replaced with the Eskilstunahus Castle , a royal residence. The city's first privileges included the newly founded city west of the Eskilstunaån River, surrounding the forges of Reinold Rademacher , called the City of Karl Gustav (Karl Gustavs stad) after the reigning king. The City of Karl Gustav was a free town from 1771, where manufacturers or craftsmen were allowed to establish workshops. The city grew enormously as the Industrial revolution rolled on and Eskilstuna advanced into being one of the most important industrial cities of Sweden, earning the name "Stålstaden" - the city of steel for its manufactoring of scissors, keys, knives and other steel tools.
The city remains an important industrial city with worldwide companies such as Volvo (trucks. automobiles) and Assa (locks, keys). The modern establishment of the University College of Mälardalen (Mälardalens högskola) has also given Eskilstuna an academic touch. The city also has a combined zoo and amusement park - Parken Zoo, most famous for its white tigers.
The most successful sports clubs of the cities are the speedway club Smederna - the Blacksmiths, and the handball club Guif ; both playing in the top divisions of Sweden for many years.
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