395 years ago tomorrow,
the town of Nystad, later to become home to a SAAB factory, was founded by 'the Lion from the North'

April 19, 1617—The town of Nystad (Uusikaupunki), Finland, is founded by King Gustav II Adolf (1594-1632), one of the greatest military commanders of all time. Gustav II Adolf is known mostly as the founder of the Swedish Empire (Stormaktstiden) at the beginning of the Golden Age of Sweden, and he led the country to military supremacy during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). The Treaty of Nystad was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). Nystad is located in the so-called Finland Proper region in southwest Finland, and today has a population of 16,059 inhabitants. The meaning of its name, in both Finnish and Swedish is “new town.”