Umeå

Umeå stands on the Ume River near its mouth on the Gulf of Bothnia. The river connected a coastal parish and market with the extensive forests and Sámi lands of the interior. The Swedish crown sought to concentrate trade in towns, where merchants could be licensed and their dealings taxed, but the growth of its northern settlements was often slow.

An attempt to establish a town at the old church site of Backen in 1588 failed. Gustavus Adolphus granted Umeå new town privileges in 1622, and its economy grew more firmly in the 1640s, when it became a governor's residence. Russian forces burned the town in 1714 and again in 1720; even the inhabitants' temporary shelters were burned in 1721. Recovery took years. In 1765 Umeå gained staple town rights when the restrictions on Bothnian trade were abolished, opening wider opportunities for its merchants.