The town of Falköping was first spoken of in the Icelandic Rimbegla, and is mentioned in the Westrogothic law. It was also an important site of pilgrimage due to its 12th-century church dedicated to Saint Olaf. The town was heading for a shut-down during the 16th century and was even burnt to the ground by the Danish during the Northern Seven Years' War. However the town survived and was rebuilt. Falköping or Falbygden is widely known for its ancient remains of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The town is located between the two plateaus Mösseberg and Ålleberg. The location has been inhabited since the end of the ice age and cultivated by people for the last 6000 years. The oldest find is a form of megalithic tomb called dolmen, dating back to 3400 B.C. But there is also 28 passage graves dating back to 3300 B.C. Also several cists have been found here, they can be traced back to earlier Stone Age 2400–1500 B.C and are believed to be built or inspired by travelers from the countries where these kind of graves were commonly constructed. Falköping is the only town in Europe with this amount of megalithic graves as visible contribution to the town image.
Early industry in Falköping was the Victoria Brewery , Haglunds Roller blinds factory and Forsshat factory . In the early 20th-century several companies were established, such as: Alton gold forgery, Falköping dairy factory , workshop industry Arkivator and the sewing factories Svaréns and Ottossons. Falköpings Mejeri is a co-operative dairy company which supplies milk to grocery stores in western Sweden. The Falbygdens Ost cheese factory supplies cheese to stores throughout Sweden. A "dry port" has recently been built in connection to the railroad, enabling companies in the surrounding area to handle cargo in a more efficient way.
Geography
The town is located where the Western Main Line between Stockholm and Gothenburg meets the railline from Nässjö via Jönköping to Falköping. As it takes less than a one-hour train journey to reach both Gothenburg and Jönköping respectively, Falköping makes a good location for commuting.
Sports and wellbeing
Falköping has several football fields. There is also an long pathway around the core of the town called Hälsoslingan. It is used for running and taking walks together with friends and family. Local sports clubs include:
According to local folklore, whenever the town of Falköping is in danger, the mountain-side of Ålleberg shall fall and reveal a troop of knight-like figures who shall ride out and vanquish the threat. They are known as Ållebergs Ryttare. , with Ålleberg in the background
