E65 road route south from Malmö. Ystad connects the Ystad Line and Österlen Line railways. Passenger traffic runs between Malmö and Simrishamn (operated by Skåne Commuter Rail). Until December 2017, a direct train service linked Ystad to Copenhagen via the Øresund Bridge (operated by Danish State Railways). Sports The most popular sport in Ystad is handball, with two big clubs. Ystads IF is in Elitserien (the highest Swedish men's national league, ) whilst IFK Ystad is situated in Division 1 (the second highest league, ). Several famous handball players have played for these clubs, including Per Carlén. Media The only newspaper published at present in Ystad is the Ystads Allehanda, which also covers the neighbouring municipalities of Skurup, Tomelilla, Simrishamn and Sjöbo. The newspaper was founded in 1873. Places of interest One of Sweden's best preserved medieval monasteries, the Greyfriars Abbey, lies in Ystad. The town also has an additional large medieval church, the Church of the Virgin Mary (Mariakyrkan). Both are highly influenced by Gothic Hansa architecture (which can also be seen in churches around the Baltic Sea, for instance in Helsingborg, Malmö, and Rostock) and are among the best examples in Sweden of Brick Gothic. In addition, there are areas of surviving medieval town architecture, like the Latin school (built c. 1500) and several townhouses. The city is also included in the European Route of Brick Gothic. From the steeple of the Church of the Virgin Mary the Tower Watchman (tornväktaren or lurblåsaren) sounds his horn every 15 minutes from 21:15 to 01:00 to let the people of Ystad know that the town is safe from fire and enemies. The Tower Watchman also says a special line when sounding his horn: "The clock strikes .... (for example twelve). All is quiet! From fire and thieves may God preserve the town!" The tradition has existed since the eighteenth century. Notable residents Richard Andersson (born 1972), musician and songwriter Malik Bendjelloul (1977–2014), documentary filmmaker Axel Fredrik Bjurström (1846–1890) newspaper publisher, businessman Rolf Holmgren (born 1946), actor and scriptwriter Ernst-Hugo Järegård (1928–1998), actor Frans Jeppsson-Wall (born 1998), singer Börje Langefors (1915–2009), computer scientist Lykke Li (born 1986), singer-songwriter Sara Li born Sara Linnea Larsson (born 1988), singer Gunnar Malmquist (1893–1982), astronomer Anna Q. Nilsson (1888–1974), Swedish-born American actress Michael Saxell (born 1956), songwriter, artist and producer Jahn Teigen (1949–2020), Norwegian singer, musician and comedian Markus Persson (born 1979), video game programmer