Edsbyn

Edsbyn is a locality and the seat of Ovanåker Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 4321 inhabitants in 2020. It is located in the historical province of Hälsingland.

Edsbyn is most famous for its former ski and nowadays office furniture manufacturing industry Edsbyverken; the sports club Edsbyns IF; and being the hometown of the creator of Minecraft, Markus Persson throughout his early childhood.

Rail
Edsbyn, along with Alfta and other settlements in the area, used to have rail service along the Bollnäs–Orsa Railway. It was completed in January 1900 as a means of transporting forestry products from the area, with passenger service following, operated by SJ. During the 1960s, an improved road network took over large amounts of both passenger and cargo traffic that used to be carried by rail. This led to a reduction in, and later the suspension of passenger service on September 1 1971. Limited freight service continued until 2004. Maintenance on the line ceased on December 13 2015.

Inlandsbanan have expressed interest in reopening the line for freight, more specifically lumber and limestone. A cost estimate conducted in 2011 put the cost at least at 60 million SEK. Politicians in the municipalities of Ovanåker, Bollnäs Rättvik, Orsa and Mora have also expressed interest in the line reopening.

The closest railway station in use is located in Bollnäs.

Road
Today, almost all traffic to Edsbyn occurs via road. Länsväg 301 provides the main connection to nearby towns such as Alfta, Bollnäs and Rättvik.

Public Transport
Edsbyn is served by three bus lines, 100, 39 and 172, which are all operated by Xtrafik, the public transport provider in Gävleborg County.

Airport
Next to Edsbyn Arena, there is a small airfield with a 700 meter grass runway. The closest airport with regular service is Mora–Siljan Airport, located about 80 km southwest of Edsbyn.

Climate
Edsbyn has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long winters with occasional strong cold periods and short but mild summers. Being situated in a river valley at a moderately high elevation surrounded by high hills, the settlement is in a frost hollow. This results in large swings between different times of the day and larger seasonal variations than seen elsewhere in Hälsingland.

Sports
The following sports clubs are located in Edsbyn:


 * Edsbyns IF - bandy
 * Edsbyns IF FF - football

Edsbyns IF is renowned for its successes in men's bandy. The first indoor bandy arena in Sweden, Edsbyn Arena, was built in Edsbyn and dedicated in 2003 by King Carl XVI Gustaf.