Hjo

Hjo developed beside the mouth of the Hjoån on Lake Vättern's western shore. Medieval crossings linked this landing place with religious houses and communities on the opposite bank. Its growth has been associated with the expansion of Vadstena Abbey in the later fourteenth century. Hjo first appears as a town in a written source in 1413, although the exact date of its original privileges is uncertain.

The earliest surviving town map, drawn in 1696, shows buildings concentrated south and east of the river and around the market square. Its irregular streets and long plots preserve a pattern believed to have medieval origins. Unlike many Swedish wooden towns, Hjo escaped repeated large conflagrations. A serious local fire in April 1794 nevertheless destroyed the medieval church beside the square and several nearby buildings; melted collection money was recovered among the remains. Lake traffic, the compact market centre and the rebuilding of its church shaped Hjo before the much later development of a constructed harbour and spa.