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Östersund is a town which borders one of the larger lakes in Sweden. It is also the location of one of the most northerly rune stones, and has a museum Jamtli, which has both an enclosed exhibition area, but also an outdoor area which contains old buildings from Jämtland County, and which is similar to Skansen in Stockholm. The museum contains some very interesting tapestries from ?1050 AD. Östersund is one of the main campus sites of Mid-Sweden University College.
The city was founded in 1786 and was given its charter by King Gustav III of Sweden. Slowly developing in its first 100 years, the city expanded rapidly after the arrival of a railway in 1879. For a long time a city built on county administration and a strong military presence, however, the armed forces are on their way out. In 1997 the 4th swedish artillery regiment was dissolved, and during the fall of 2004 the swedish goverment descided to close down the military academy, the 5th infantry regiment and the Frösö air base as well, leaving nothing behind.