Södertälje, Stockholm County, Södermanland Province, Sweden

🇸🇪 Södertälje is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje municipality. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the Södertälje Canal. It is the largest city located entirely within the province of Södermanland.

Economy Södertälje is particularly known for its two large companies, Astra Zeneca and Scania. Measured in sheer number of companies, the retail, wholesale and restaurant sectors dominate, with about 1,000 companies. The building and construction industry has about 600 companies in the Södertälje, and some 450 companies in the consultancy sector. In total, there are over 4,000 businesses in the city. Södertälje has a high number of small businesses with five or fewer employees.

Large corporations Aktiebolaget Astra, Apotekarnes Kemiska Fabriker was founded in 1913 by pharmacist Adolf Rising. Initially, the company had only ten employees, but already developed strongly during the first years. The company started with only five employees, but grew exponentially in its first years of trading. One of the reasons was an increased need for medication due to the first world war. The company merged with its British competitor Zeneca in 1999, and formed the pharmaceutical group Astra Zeneca. The company's pill factory in Gärtuna in south-eastern Södertälje is the largest of its kind in the world, employing over 3,200 people.

In 1891, Vagnfabriks-Aktiebolaget i Södertelge (abbreviated VABIS) started as manufacturier of railway cars, petrol engines, automobiles, trucks, motor-powered draisines, motorboats and marine engines. In 1911 they merged with Maskinfabriks-aktiebolaget Scania and formed Scania-Vabis. The company only uses the name Scania AB today. The head office remains in its original location, by Saltskogsfjärden south of the city centre of Södertälje. Together with its subsidiaries, Scania currently employs over 9,000 people in Södertälje, making the Group the largest employer.

Retail trade Most retail shopping is available in the city centre; predominantly on Storgatan and Järnagatan streets, but also adjacent areas. The Kringlan department store was one of the first modern department stores when it opened in 1965. The name Kringlan (English: The Pretzel) is a reference to the long-lasting local tradition of selling pretzels in Södertälje. Other department stores include Luna and Telgehuset. Retail shopping outside the city centre is mainly located in Moraberg on the eastern side of the canal, as well as Vasa Handelsplats in the western part. Larger stores are also located around Hansaplan in the Södra area.

Education KTH Royal Institute of Technology has a campus in Södertälje, where they conduct university education within Mechanical engineering, Logistics and other subjects all the way up to Master's level including Master of Science in Engineering. Education is given in cooperation with the city's two large corporations Scania AB and AstraZeneca. In 2018, KTH moved in to a newly built campus in Södertälje Science Park drawn by the architect firm White. The Royal Institute of Technology has 1,200 students and hired researchers in Södertälje.

Several universities conduct higher education at the learning centre Campus Telge. When it started it was located in Mariekälla, but moved to new premises that previously housed the headquarters of Astra AB in 2015. Both individual courses and whole university programmes are offered within a variety of subjects, meaning students can study at the campus all the way until graduation. Education within Yrkeshögskolan (English: Higher Vocational Education) is also held.