Sundsvall, 25 June 1888

The Great Sundsvall Fire

Photograph of Sundsvall burning in the great fire of 1888 — Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

On 25 June 1888 one of the best-documented disasters in Swedish history unfolded in Medelpad. Sparks from the steamship Selånger ignited a pile of timber on land during an exceptionally dry and windy summer day. Within hours the firestorm had erased almost all of Sundsvall's inner city. More than 9,000 people were left homeless in a single afternoon, yet miraculously few died. The truly legendary decision came afterwards: the city was forbidden to rebuild in wood. Out of that prohibition rose the unique and stately Stone Town — Stenstan — that still adorns Sundsvall today, a direct monument to the catastrophe.