Örebro is a town on the Svartån River that was founded as a trading settlement. Its most important monument is the castle, which guarded the river crossing in the past, and is now open to the public.
The origins of the city date back to the 13th century, when a stronghold was built at the crossing of Svartån. Over time, the castle, which is today Örebro's main attraction, was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence modeled on the French castles of the Loire Valley.
On the river bank there is the historic district of Wadköping, built with wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of them are open to the public in the form of a living open-air museum, others are small galleries. Wadköping also has many souvenir shops and small restaurants.
Today, Örebro is also associated as one of the largest shoe production centers in Sweden. The modern symbol of the city is Svampen or "mushroom". It is a water tower built in the mid-20th century. There is a vantage point at its top, and the structure was copied by one of the Saudi Arabian sheikhs and built in Riyadh.
