Åmål

Åmål stands on the western shore of Lake Vänern in Dalsland, where the Åmålsån enters the lake. Queen Christina founded the town in the seventeenth century and granted it its charter in 1643, making it the province's only town. Its proximity to Denmark-Norway left it exposed to war: it was almost completely destroyed in 1645 and suffered further attacks in 1676 and 1679. Danish forces occupied it briefly in 1788, and fires damaged the town in 1777 and 1809.