town and port, Skåne län (county), southern Sweden, on The Sound (Sound, The) (Öresund), north-northwest of the city of Malmö. It has the only natural harbour on The Sound. The town was founded by Erik of Pomerania (Erik VII), king of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, and chartered in 1413. Although it was fortified after being burned in 1428 by the Hanseatic League, it was again sacked during wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Earthen walls, among the largest and best preserved in Europe, still surround the 16th-century castle and fortress. The island of Ven, now a part of the town, contains the ruins of astronomer Tycho Brahe (Brahe, Tycho)'s observatory. Principal industries include shipbuilding, metalworking, tanning, food processing, and the manufacture of machinery and fertilizers. Pop. (2005 est.) mun., 39,346.