Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Sweden's two largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern.

It lies on the eastern slope of a low mountain ridge, Billingen (304 m[2]), which cuts through the plain between the lakes.

The Western Main Railway (Västra Stambanan) was built through Skövde in the 1850s, which gave the town a dramatic industrial and population boost.

Today, Skövde is home to the headquarters for Skaraborg's District Court and is the Västra Götaland's fourth-largest urban area as well as Sweden's 32nd biggest locality (by population) with 39,580 inhabitants in 2020.

During the Middle Ages, people made pilgrimages to Elin's grave, and this contributed to the city's development and growth.

One of the Danish armies swept through Västergötland (Western Götland) and burned down Skövde, Falköping, Skara and Bogesund (now Ulricehamn).

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Swedish towns and country districts had to take care of prisoners of war captured by Karl XII's armies.

Once again Linnaeus was compelled to share his experiences, describing women's hats, farmhands' courtship and the magnificent view from Skultorp's Nabbe.

A block of old wooden houses are preserved, and together with a botanical garden, form the cultural reserve Helénsparken.

[citation needed] The policemen in Skövde, or 'the magistrate's henchmen' as they were known in formal terms of the time, were few in number during the first part of the 19th century.

Örebro had certain advantages, for example a large indoor riding arena, but after new bids from Skövde, the town emerged victorious.

Centuries-old features of the cityscape were erased, in particular all the old wooden housing settlements in the old town's western part.

The town is influenced by being in the slope of a hill, which leads to warmer overnight lows than in Skara on the western side of the same higher area.

[15] This makes it one of the very few stations in Sweden to have met the Köppen definition of a hot summer at any point in recorded weather history.

This is due to strong low pressure systems from the North Atlantic bringing plenty of rainy days along with an elevation of 150 metres (490 ft).

Aurobay produces sustainable, efficient, hybrid engines for Volvo Cars and will eventually do so other customers.

In 2021, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency approved a grant of SEK 144 million for the conversion of part of the Skövde plant to produce powertrains for electric vehicles.

Skövde is a diversified industrial centre, and includes companies such as CEJN AB (pneumatic, hydraulic and high pressure hydraulic quick connect couplings), Furhoffs Rostfria ('Furhoff's Stainless Steel' – sinks and drainage), Cementa (cement) and Grahns Konfektyr ('Grahn's Confectionery' – sweets).

[22] The many varied employment opportunities in Skövde have meant an increase in daily commuting to the city from neighboring municipalities.

It is located directly adjacent to Hertig Johans Torg and Sandtorget ('Sand Square') and has its own car park.

Stallsikens commerce precinct is an entirely new bulk retail area built for big new stores to open in Skövde.

Skövde's City Museum was previously situated in Gamla Rådhuset ('The Old Town Hall') at Hertig Johan's Torg.

The Volvo Museum tells of the start of Sköfde Gjuteri och Mekaniska Verkstad ('Skövde Foundry and Mechanical Workshop') in 1868 and its transformation to today's automotive industry.

Its purpose is to preserve the buildings, furniture and appliances from the allotment system time and make the collections accessible to the public.

Valhall is a local initiative right beside Loke in the Kulturhus (Skövdes Civic Culture Centre), which sees established bands play, such as Mustasch and Hardcore Superstar.

In 1913 the Skaraborg Regiment also moved there, costing the city a lot of money but also contributing to increased consumption and business.

New duties for the troops in the city include erecting and manning positions for the Nordic Battle Group, a task force within the European Union's battlegroup concept.

The University of Skövde profiles itself as having strengths across interdisciplinary courses where technology, natural science and the humanities are united.

At the university, there is an ongoing project within the teaching faculty in collaboration with KK-stiftelsen called KompLIT (Competence Development Teacher Education and IT).

Amongst other achievements, the team played five finals over the course of several years and became Swedish champions in 2008 after they beat IK Sävehof 31−24.