Umeå became a city in 1622. The King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, made the new city for Swedish merchants. He made the merchants to move north so that taxes could be increased. The city was burnt by Russian troops in 1714 and then again in 1720. In 1809 the city was briefly occupied again by the Russian army before peace was agreed. In 1888 the great fire destroyed the homes of over 2,000 people. The fire started in a brewery and destroyed part of the city including the shipyards at Teg and buildings on the island of Ön. Less than 1,000 of the people had a house after the fire. After the fire the town was rebuilt and many new birch trees were planted to stop future fires. The town is known for these trees.