Rinkaby is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 745 inhabitants in 2010. It is close to Lake Hammarsjön and roughly halfway between Kristianstad and Åhus. The village has a pre-school and primary school housed in a 19th-century building. There is a leisure centre, a football club and some shops.

History and geography

The area has Stone Age remains; the name of the village is probably derived from the word rinkʀ (Old West Norse rekkr), meaning 'man' or 'warrior', and by denotes a settlement in Old Swedish. Rinkaby Church was built in the 13th century and contains medieval murals and an astronomical clock. It is an agricultural community; in the 19th century, the area was famous for growing tobacco, but now specialises in the rearing of Angus cattle.

Outside the village is a military training area called Rinkabyfältet which is often used for major Scouting events. A national jamboree called "Scout 2001" had 26,500 participants; the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in July–August 2011 was attended by more than 40,000 Scouts, Leaders and adult volunteers participating, from 143 different countries.

Notable people

• Sabina Zweiacker, soprano singer, grew up here.

References