The city is situated by the mouth of the river Motala ström, at Bråviken, an inlet of the Baltic Sea.

It has been theorized that the farmstead's location, near but not at the highest point in the landscape, may indicate an earlier burial ground adjacent to which the farm was constructed.

[5] The city has medieval foundations by settlers around the Motala stream estuary, who used the falls and rapids to power their mills.

The first trace of the city's name is from 1283, when Sophia of Denmark donated her rights of salmon fishing to the Skänninge monastery.

[12] Other locations of note includes a campus of Linköping University, its own symphonic orchestra, an airport called Kungsängen with 170,000 traveling (2006), a high-tech industry park called Norrköping Science Park,[13] and Petroglyphs from the Nordic Bronze Age.

In spite of it being located near the Baltic Sea, Norrköping has a relatively dry climate with precipitation levels averaging 508.2 millimetres (20.01 in) between 1961 and 1990.

The humidity for most of the year combined with there being no pronounced dry season keeps the surroundings green in spite of the rain shadow effect.

A government inquiry suggested in 1970 that six such agencies should be relocated to Norrköping, with a particular focus on maritime and aviation transport and related services.

The relocation of government jobs, however, also meant a major shift in the structure of the city labour market.

Although not a headquarter, it is the seventh government agency stationed in Norrköping, and with more than 5 000 students on campus it is a major hub of activities in the city.

Norrköping is highly involved in the East Link, Ostlänken, which will increase travel speed and freight capacity on the Southern Main Line.

[35] A new freight railway terminal and a relocation of Norrköping Central Station is currently being studied.

From the 1960s, the municipality film club Harlekin is hosted at the Norrköping Museum of Arts, before being established as Cnema in 2010, neighbouring Visualization Center C and Linköping University.

The 2024 crime drama Jana: Marked for Life based on Schepp's novel with the same name, was filmed in Norrköping.

The museum is also curator of numerous Bronze Age petroglyphs and ancient monuments situated in and around the city.

The museum documents work and everyday life by collecting personal stories about people's professional lives.

Since 2009, the museum also houses the EWK – Center for Political Illustration Art, based on the work of satirist Ewert Karlsson.

The museum is operated by a charity established by national trade union centers LO and TCO, two popular education organizations and the consumer cooperative KF.

The museum is located in the old industrial area of Norrköping city centre, and mainly features paintings and sculptures, from the 1950s to contemporary works.

A 2016 Swedish drama/documentary, Sextemplet (Sex Temple),[41][full citation needed] tells the story of Arbisteatern as a burlesque stage in the 2010s.