In 1645, the city of Kalmar, to the south, made a request to the Royal Government on holding commerce in the bay there, which was granted, giving it merchancy rights as a köping.

In 1854, King Oscar I of Sweden promised to grant it a charter as soon as it had fulfilled certain demands, including building a prison and a council hall, among other things.

The biggest private employer for a long time was the Oskarshamn Shipyard, which at its height had almost 1500 employees.

But in the 1970s, the Swedish shipbuilding industry suffered a large financial crisis and many shipyards closed down.

The oldest person in Sweden, Astrid Zachrison was born Åby in Fliseryd, just west of Oskarshamn.

The two top employers in Oskarshamn are Scania truck manufacturer and the OKG nuclear power plant.

Other companies include Liljeholmens candle factory, battery manufacturer SAFT, Elajo, and Bygg Hemma.

In the port of Oskarshamn there are tourist boats which take visitors to the island and national park Blå Jungfrun.

On the south side of the port there is a 72-metre (236 ft) wooden bench called Långa Soffan.

[4] Another panorama-view of Oskarshamn and the sea outside is obtained from the top of the town’s northern water-tower which is open to the public.

Oskarshamns Stadspark is a public park located immediately south of the towns central parts.

[5] Oskarshamn has an oceanic climate (Cfb), mild for its latitude, with winter means slightly below freezing and summer days among the warmest in Sweden and Scandinavia.

There are four main elementary schools in Oskarshamn, Norra skolan, Vallhallaskolan, Rödsleskolan and Kristinebergskolan.

During 5th to 10 July 2011, Oskarshamn hosted the world championship in offshore powerboat racing.