Ytterby, a small village on the Swedish island of Resarö, is mainly famous for providing names for almost 4% of the periodic table.
At a mine/quarry near the village, the rare earth mineral yttria was discovered and named after the village. This crude mineral eventually proved to be the source of four new elements that were named after the mineral ore and the village. These elements are yttrium (Y), erbium (Er), terbium (Tb), and ytterbium (Yb). In 1989 the ASM International society installed a plaque at the former entrance to the mine, commemorating the mine as a historical landmark.
In addition, three other lanthanides, holmium (Ho, named after Stockholm), thulium (Tm, named after Thule, a mythic analog of Scandinavia), and gadolinium (Gd, after the chemist Johan Gadolin) can trace their discovery to the same quarry, making it the location with most elements named after it. (panoramio.com:)
