Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon (falk) and mountain (berg). Falkenberg is a popular tourist destination in the summers, and the main beach of the town is Skrea strand.
In the early part of the 13th century the Danish king built a fort on the east shore of the river Ätran, which eventually would give the town its name. Halland was at that time part of Denmark. It is known that falconry was pursued in the area. However, in Hallandia antiqua et hodierna, that specified a location (“mountain”) where the falconry should have taken place, and which should have given name to the town, has later been shown to be incorrect.
The area north of Ätran was from time to time Norwegian or Swedish. It was on this side that a market town developed. At around 1300 a church was built. From the 14th century until the Northern Seven Years’ War (1563—1570) a second town, Ny-Falkenberg (New Falkenberg) was located close to the town. The fort was destroyed by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson‘s troops in 1434. The town gained market rights at the latest in 1558.
Along with the rest of the Halland, Falkenberg was to be temporarily Swedish in accordance with the Treaty of Brömsebro (1645). The Treaty of Roskilde thirteen years later made the province permanently Swedish. For a long period it struggled to keep its privileges with regard to trade and jurisdiction from the Danish time. Also like the rest of the county, it only started to slowly industrialise in the late 19th century. The city of Falkenberg was transformed at the municipal reform in 1862 to a city municipality with smaller parts in surrounding country municipalities. In 1908, Herting was incorporated from Skrea Country Mommun, 1937 Arvidstorp from Stafsinge Country Commun and 1950 a small area from Vinberg’s country municipality. In 1971, Falkenberg’s city in Falkenberg’s municipality and the resort is since its central town in the municipality.
In the 20th century it has gained a reputation as a seaside resort.
