Karlstad
Karlstad is the seat of Värmland’s county government and provides services to the entire Karlstad region, which includes Karlstad and the four surrounding municipalities Forshaga, Grums, Hammarö and Kil.
Facts about the municipality
Population numbers
94194
Size by area
1518 km²
Karlstad is situated in the Klarälven delta on the northern shore of lake Vänern, midway between Stockholm and Oslo. The municipality is Sweden's 21st largest.
Karlstad has one of Sweden's youngest universities, with about 12 500 students on medical, civil engineering, economics and nursing programmes, among others. The town also has a large central hospital and many important public authorities, e.g. the Swedish Consumer Agency and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.
Housing
Are you looking for accommodation in Karlstad? The municipality's website has lists of housing companies and property owners. You can also read about Karlstad's residential areas in order to get an idea of where you would like to live.
Language groups in the locality
Arabic, Dari, Kurdish/Sorani, Somali and Persian.
Associations and organisations
You can search the association register for a specific association. You can also get information about what associations are active in a specific area.
What is available in the immediate area
Solareturen is Karlstad's biggest shop selling second-hand items. It has just about everything: furniture, books, electronics, tools, paintings, kitchen stuff and clothes. When you shop here you combine getting a bargain with helping the environment.
Childcare
We provide preschools and family day nurseries for your child after she or he has turned one, if you are working, studying or looking for work. When your child turns three, the municipality offers you fifteen hours a week at no charge. This is known as general preschool.
Comprehensive and upper secondary schools
In Karlstad you and your child can choose the comprehensive school you think is best. It can be the school in your immediate area or another school. There are about 30 comprehensive schools in Karlstad, most of which are run by the municipality. There are also a number of independent schools. Your child is entitled to begin comprehensive school when she or he is six years old.
Education opportunities
Adult education in Karlstad-Hammarö offers courses at the secondary and upper secondary level, vocational courses, Swedish for immigrants (Sfi) and special needs adult education.
Higher vocational education is a post-secondary form of education, allowing you to study customised programmes developed in close collaboration with the business community. Theory and practice alternate, and most programmes include LIA (Lärande I arbete, or Learning at work) at a workplace. All higher vocational education programmes are non-fee paying and may entitle you to study aid from CSN.
Read more about adult education in the municipality.
Health and medical care
If you need to contact medical care services or other healthcare services, visit the 1177 helpline's website and use the care search function. My medical care contacts are an easy way to reach medical care services via the internet, around the clock. You can reschedule appointments, renew prescriptions and see your medication, among other things.
Interpreter assistance
You can order an interpreter from the interpreter centre, and we can also commission translations. We have 205 interpreters registered with us, representing 135 languages.
Public transport
With Värmlandstrafik you can use public transport and protect the environment! Here you can find your journey, print out timetables and learn more about our travel network. Don't miss the A to Z reference.
Work and entrepreneurship
Regionfakta.com provides a quick and accessible overview of the county and its municipalities. The statistics on Regionfakta.com are used by public authorities in their regional development work, but also by the general public, media, schools and universities.
