Malmö (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈmalːˈmøː] ( listen)) is the capital and most populous city in Skåne County, and the third largest city inSweden. Together with Copenhagen, it constitutes the transnational Øresund Region, the most densely populated area inScandinavia. Malmö is classified as a global city, placed in the gamma- category by the GaWC,[4] ranked 5th in Scandinavia by the Global Cities Index in 2012.[5] It is ranked the fourth-most inventive city in the world based on the number of patentapplications per 10,000 residents[6] and the 7th-most bicycle friendly city in the world, according to the Copenhagenize Index in 2013.[7]

The earliest written mention of Malmö as a city dates from 1275.[13] It is thought to have been founded a couple of decades earlier,[13] as a fortified quay or ferry berth of the Archbishop of Lund,[14] some 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the north-east. Malmö was for centuries Denmark's second-biggest city. Its original name was Malmhaug (with alternate spellings), meaning "Gravel pile" or "Ore Hill".

In the 15th century Malmö became one of Denmark's largest and most frequented cities, reaching a population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants. It became the most important city around theØresund, with the German Hanseatic League frequenting it as a marketplace, and was notable for its flourishing herring fishery. In 1437 King Eric of Pomerania (King of Denmark from 1396-1439) granted the city's arms: argent with a griffin gules, based on Eric's arms from Pomerania. The griffin's head as a symbol of Malmö extended to the entire province of Scania from 1660.

In 1434 a new citadel was constructed at the beach south of the town. This fortress, known today asMalmöhus, did not get its current appearance until the mid-16th century. Several other fortifications were constructed, making Malmö Sweden's most fortified city, but only Malmöhus remains.

Malmö in 1580: Malmö Castle can be seen at far left, Sankt Petri Church's tower at center.

Lutheran teachings spread during the 16th century Protestant Reformation, and Malmö became one of the first cities in Scandinavia to fully convert (1527–1529) to this Protestant denomination.

In the 17th century Malmö and the Scanian region (Skåneland) came under control of Sweden. This happened following the Treaty of Roskilde with Denmark, signed in 1658. Fighting continued, however; in June 1677, 14,000 Danish troops laid siege to Malmö for a month, but were unable to defeat the Swedish troops holding it.

By the dawn of the 18th century Malmö had about 2,300 inhabitants. However, due to the wars of Charles XII of Sweden (reigned 1697-1718) and to bubonic plague epidemics, the population dropped to 1,500 by 1727. The population did not grow much until the modern harbour was constructed by the late 18th century. The city started to expand, and in 1800 had 38,054 inhabitants.[15]

Södergatan in 1913

In 1840 Frans Henrik Kockum founded the workshop from which the Kockums shipyard eventually developed as one of the largest shipyards in the world. Between 1856 and 1864 the Southern Main Line was built and enabled Malmö to become a center of manufacture, with major textile and mechanical industries. In 1870, Malmö overtookNorrköping to become Sweden's third-most populous city, and by 1900 Malmö had strengthened this position with 60,000 inhabitants. Malmö continued to grow through the first half of the 20th century. The population had swiftly increased to 100,000 by 1915 and to 200,000 by 1952. By 1971, Malmö reached 265,000 inhabitants, but this was the peak which would stand for more than 30 years.[citation needed]

By the mid-1970s Sweden experienced a recession that hit the industrial sector especially hard; shipyards and manufacturing industries suffered, which led to high unemployment in many cities of Scania. Kockums shipyard had become a symbol of Malmö as its largest employer and, when shipbuilding ceased in 1986, confidence in the future of Malmö plummeted among politicians and the public. In addition, many middle-class families moved into one-family houses in surrounding municipalities such as Vellinge Municipality, Lomma Municipality and Staffanstorp Municipality, which profiled themselves as the suburbs of the upper-middle class. By 1985, Malmö had lost 35,000 inhabitants and was down to 229,000.

The Swedish financial crises of the early 1990s exacerbated Malmö's decline as an industrial city; between 1990 and 1995 Malmö lost about 27,000 jobs and its economy was seriously strained. However, from 1994 under the leadership of the then mayor Ilmar Reepalu, the city of Malmö started to create a new economy as a center of culture and knowledge. Malmö reached bottom in 1995, but that same year marked the commencement of the massive Øresund Bridge road, railway and tunnel project, connecting it to Copenhagen and to the rail lines of Europe. The new Malmö University opened in 1998 on Kockums' former dockside. Further redevelopment of the now disused south-western harbor followed; a city architecture exposition (Bo01) was held in the area in 2001, and its buildings and villas form the core of a new city district. Designed with attractive waterfront vistas, it was intended to be and has been successful in attracting the urban middle-class.

Since 1974 the Kockums Crane had been a landmark in Malmö and a symbol of the city's manufacturing industry, but in 2002 it was disassembled and moved to South Korea. In 2005, Malmö got a new landmark with completion of Turning Torso, the tallest skyscraper in Scandinavia. Although the transformation from a city with its economic base in manufacturing has returned growth to Malmö, the new types of jobs have largely benefited the middle and upper classes. While the inner city becomes gentrified and the upper-middle class have settled the Western Harbor, little has changed for the inhabitants of the districts of the Million Programme; Malmö remains a city of sharp social divides and high unemployment.