World Heritage sites in Sweden W O R L D H E R I TA G E S I T E S I N S W E D E N Swedish National Heritage Board, Swedish National Commission for UNESCO Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Swedish National Heritage Board Box 5405 SE-114 84 Stockholm Tel. +46 8-5191 8000 www.raa.se registrator@raa.se World Heritage Sites in Sweden – Swedish National Heritage Board 2014 Copyright for text and images, unless stated otherwise, in accordance with Creative Commons licence CC BY, recognition 2.5 Sweden http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/se/. Licence terms are currently available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/se/legalcode. If reworking the publication, logos and graphic elements must be removed from the reworked version. They are protected by law and are not covered by the Creative Commons licence above. Four front cover photos: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä: Sami Camp, Duolbuk / Tuolpuk, Laponia. Aspeberget, Tanum. Chinese Pavilion, Drottningholm. St. Nicolai ruins, Visby. Photo page 4: Archive photo. Back cover photo: © Folio. Maps © Lantmäteriet, reproduced with kind permission. Printing: Publit, print on demand. Printing: Taberg Media Group, offset. Graphic design: Jupiter Reklam. ISBN 978-91-7209-693-6 (PDF) ISBN 978-91-7209-694-3 (Print) FOREWORD 3 FOREWORD A World Heritage site is a site of special cultural or natural value that tells the story of the Earth and its people. The Royal Domain of Drottningholm became the first of Sweden’s World Heritage sites in 1991, and most recently the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. This makes them part of the natural and cultural heritage that every one of us on this planet shares. The seven Hälsingland farmhouses from the 19th century and their associated farm buildings represent a highpoint in a building tradition that stretches back to the Middle Ages. Among the 1,000 or so farms left, these are the best examples of this tradition and of folk art, and they are all beautifully preserved. Working with the World Heritage sites as we do, we are pleased to see people’s increasing interest in them. We hope this book will meet the demand for information and help increase public knowledge. Informing the public about the World Heritage sites is also a duty that Sweden took on when it signed the World Heritage Convention, the international agreement that forms the foundation of World Heritage work. Awareness and knowledge of this natural and cultural heritage is essential if it is to be preserved, used and developed. This book describes the fifteen World Heritage sites in Sweden. We hope it will spark an interest in finding out more and going to visit these fascinating places. In addition to these, there are around another one thousand World Heritage sites around the globe to discover and explore! Lars Amréus Director General Swedish National Heritage Board Inger Davidson Chair Swedish National Commission for UNESCO Maria Ågren Director General Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 4 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN CONTENTS 5 CONTENTS World Heritage Sites In Sweden...................................................3 Foreword.....................................................................................................3 World Heritage – What Is It?...........................................................6 The Laponian Area Struve Geodetic Arc ● The Laponian Area – Lapland’s World Heritage Site..................................................................10 Church Town of Gammelstad ● Struve Geodetic Arc.................................................................14 ● Church Town of Gammelstad............................................18 ● High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago....................................22 ● Decorated Farmhouses Of Hälsingland......................26 ● Mining Area Of The Great Copper Mountain In Falun.....................................................................30 High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago Decorated Farmhouses Of Hälsingland Mining Area Of The Great Copper Mountain In Falun Engelsberg Ironworks Birka And Hovgården Royal Domain Of Drottningholm ● Engelsberg Ironworks.............................................................34 ● Birka And Hovgården..............................................................38 ● Royal Domain Of Drottningholm....................................42 ● The Woodland Cemetery, Skogskyrkogården....................................................................46 Rock Carvings In Tanum The Woodland Cemetery, Skogskyrkogården Grimeton Radio Station The Hanseatic Town Of Visby ● Rock Carvings In Tanum........................................................50 ● The Hanseatic Town Of Visby.............................................54 ● Grimeton Radio Station.........................................................58 ● Agricultural Landscape Of Southern Öland..............61 ● Naval Port Of Karlskrona........................................................64 Notes..........................................................................................................68 Naval Port Of Karlskrona Agricultural Landscape Of Southern Öland 6 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN W O R L D H E R I TA G E – W H AT I S I T ? What do the Grand Canyon, the Galapagos Islands, the Citadel in Haiti and Engelsberg Ironworks have in common? The answer is that they are all part of our shared World Heritage. World Heritage sites are areas of exceptional natural or cultural value. They are of such interest that they must be preserved as part of humanity’s common heritage. This natural and cultural heritage gives us an insight into the history of the Earth and its people. WORLD HERITAGE – WHAT IS IT? 7 What is the World Heritage Convention? In a move to protect, preserve and inform people about the most valuable cultural and natural sites in 1972 UNESCO adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, generally known as the World Heritage Convention. It is UNESCO’s best-known tool for international collaboration and has been signed by almost all the world’s 200 or so states. There are now around 1,000 World Heritage sites in over 150 countries. The countries that sign up to the Convention take on great responsibility, as the agreement requires legislation, organisation, education and research to guarantee protection and preservation of natural and cultural heritage in the signatory state. The countries are expected to inform people about the Convention and World Heritage, and to respect and help protect World Heritage in other countries. Who makes the decisions? All the nations signed up to the Convention can nominate natural and cultural heritage in their own country for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the nomination they are required to justify why the sites should be declared World Heritage, and to explain how the country will protect and manage them. The nominations are reviewed by a panel of experts before the UNESCO World Heritage Committee makes a decision. The Committee includes representatives from 21 countries, who are elected by the states that are party to the Convention. The Committee meets once a year to decide whether the nominations should be inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to consider issues concerning the work of the states on protecting, preserving and promoting World Heritage and the Convention. What is a World Heritage site? What is UNESCO? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was formed after the Second World War to promote peace and security through cooperation among nations. UNESCO has 195 member states and works on global development in education, science, culture and communication. Conventions are one of the organisation’s tools for cooperation. They are drawn up by the member states, who are then expected to sign up to them and comply with them. Discussions began at an early stage at UNESCO about the need for international cooperation to protect and preserve cultural and natural heritage. In the 1960s, UNESCO raised money and engaged experts to move the Temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt, which was threatened by the construction of a dam, and in support of work on other highly valued cultural sites. Several proposed agreements were drawn up before the World Heritage Convention was adopted. In order to be inscribed on the World Heritage List, the nominees must be of ‘outstanding universal value’, i.e. exhibit natural and cultural values that relate to us all – now and in the future. They are our shared heritage, which everyone has a responsibility to preserve. The Convention relates to physical sites, not artefacts or traditions. Engelsberg Ironworks Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä. Ancient forest, Vietas in the Laponia Area. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 8 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Sign to the Jupukka triangulation point, Struve Geodetic Arc. Photo: © Dan Norin/Lantmäteriet. Cultural sites on the World Heritage List may be sites of special importance in the development of architecture, art, technology or science. They may also be an example of a traditional human settlement, show human interaction with the environment, or be associated with ideas or beliefs of outstanding universal significance. Natural sites on the World Heritage List may represent a developmental stage in the Earth’s history, be a particularly beautiful landscape or be home to many rare or endangered animals and plants. World Heritage sites in Sweden Sweden signed the Convention in 1985. In 1986, the Government assigned the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish National Heritage Board (Raä) responsibility for preparing nominations for the World Heritage List. The Royal Domain of Drottningholm became the first World Heritage site in Sweden in 1991. The view of what constitutes World Heritage has developed over time. The latest Swedish nominations, for example, have broadened the content of the World Heritage List. Varberg Radio Station in Grimeton and Struve Geodetic Arc are technological and scientific World Heritage sites, of which there are currently relatively few on the list. The latest inscription, the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, is also of a type not particularly common on the list: rural building traditions and folk art. Sweden is being restrained about putting forward more nominations, since UNESCO encourages countries and continents with large numbers of World Heritage sites to hold back. Where they do choose to make nominations, they should prioritise natural and cultural heritage that is less common on the list, such as rural buildings, industrial monuments, 20th-century architecture and scientific heritage. WORLD HERITAGE – WHAT IS IT? 9 Europe is particularly well represented on the World Heritage List. UNESCO therefore supports and encourages cooperation aimed at establishing more World Heritage sites in other parts of the world. of the organisation, but the Commission does not work on nominations, reports or care of the World Heritage sites. The World Heritage sites and the Convention are also promoted in schools, higher education and research. Secured for the future Under the Convention, World Heritage sites are protected by the legislation of the signatory states. There is no specific law concerning World Heritage sites in ­ Sweden. Their protection and management is governed by existing legislation. For example, building or expanding a wind farm in or near a World Heritage site in most cases requires permits under the Environmental Code. It is up to the municipality or County Administrative Board to examine the case. Protection of World Heritage sites often comes into conflict with other interests, such as urban development and demand for land for industry, housing and infrastructure. The pressure on World Heritage sites can be immense. Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest is the task of the states themselves. Any major changes that may affect the World Heritage site must be reported to UNESCO, so the World Heritage Committee can, where necessary, conduct assessments and recommend solutions. The World Heritage sites bring knowledge What makes the safeguarding of World Heritage sites so important is their significance for us here and now, and in the future. By identifying, protecting, preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritage, we conserve the knowledge we gain from it about the history of the planet and humanity in all its diversity. There is every reason to embrace the idea that we can learn more about each other through what we have in common. This knowledge, in turn, feeds back into ensuring that the World Heritage sites can be preserved, enjoyed and developed in the best possible way. Drawing on our natural and cultural heritage is a precondition for achieving a sustainable society. Like other natural and cultural heritage, the World Heritage sites play an important role in ensuring social cohesion, a good environment and sustainable economic development. Who works on World Heritage in Sweden? Sweden has a well-developed organisation for the protection and preservation of natural and cultural heritage – in the first instance through its National Heritage Board, Environmental Protection Agency and County Administrative Boards. The Swedish National Heritage Board and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency monitor developments and may – where necessary – support the County Administrative Boards in their work. There are special administrative bodies, made up of County Administrative Boards, municipalities, owners and others, to coordinate management, information and development work relating to the World Heritage sites. One of the core tasks of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO is to promote UNESCO’s work in Sweden, and to follow the activities Kristofers farm in Stene, Hälsingland. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Further information Swedish Environmental Protection Agency: naturvardsverket.se Swedish National Heritage Board: raa.se Swedish National Commission for UNESCO: unesco.se UNESCO: unesco.org 10 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN THE LAPONIAN AREA – LAPLAND’S WORLD H E R I TA G E S I T E The Laponian Area (Laponia) in the very north of Sweden is the country’s largest World Heritage site, and the only one in the Nordic region to be inscribed on the grounds of both natural and cultural values. The natural assets of the area include mountains, ancient forests, major water systems, flora and fauna. Culture comes in the form of the longstanding interaction between humans and nature, as embodied in the Sami culture and history of reindeer husbandry. THE LAPONIAN AREA – LAPLAND’S WORLD HERITAGE SITE 11 LAPONIA EXTENDS OVER 9,400 SQUARE KILOMETRES, and considerable height differences across the terrain give a varied climate with distinct differences between the seasons. In eastern parts, huge forests and expansive marshes extend throughout Muddus/ Muttos National Park. The landscape to the west is dominated by mountains rising above the tree line. This section includes the national parks of Sarek, with its steep and dramatic mountains lined with around 100 glaciers, and Stora Sjöfallet/Stuor Muorkke. From these areas run streams and small rivers, which make up the complex water system that is such an important part of Laponia. A story of creation Within the limits of Laponia lies a geological story of the Earth’s creation. The primitive rock in the east is 2 billion years old. The mountain chain in the west was created 55 million years ago with the formation of the Atlantic Ocean. The landscape still bears clear traces from the last Ice Age, including glacial U-shaped valleys. At the far western edge of the World Heritage site lies Padjelanta/Badjelánnda, with its wide open moorland, large lakes and gently rolling mountains. 7,000 years of human presence First impressions might suggest that Laponia is a pure wilderness, where humans have barely made a mark. However, that is not the case. The earliest human artefacts from the area date back to the time when the glaciers receded over 7,000 years ago. Remains of settle­ ments have been found by the major lakes, revealing quartz tools and stones bearing traces of fire. The area is peppered with trapping pits, showing how elk and wild reindeer were hunted. The delta landscape of Rapadalen/Ráhpavuobme was formed by glaciers eroding and carving out the mountainsides to create a U-shaped valley. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä.  The summer grazing settlement of Vásstenjávrre in Padjelanta/ Badjelánnda lies on the lake after which it is named. The reindeer herding seasons have long shaped the landscape we see today in Laponia.Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The site is of outstanding universal value as it contains examples of ongoing geological, biological and ecological processes, a great variety of natural phenomena of exceptional beauty and significant biological diversity. The site, which has been occupied continuously by the Sami people since prehistoric times, is one of the last and unquestionably largest and best preserved examples of an area of transhumance, involving summer grazing by large reindeer herds, a practice that was widespread at one time and which dates back to an early stage in human economic and social development. The Laponian Area was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. 12 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN To hikers, the landscape might appear to be an untouched wilderness, but the whole of Laponia bears traces of human activity in the area over a very long period. The banks of the Vassjajåhkå river (pictured) offer numerous examples of hearths and other ancient remains. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. A culture around domesticated reindeer Reindeer husbandry became the most important occupation in the 16th and 17th centuries, but people had been keeping domesticated reindeer in Laponia long before that, as shown by the remains of grazing settlements, not least hearths, storage pits and Sami tents. Reindeer husbandry became particularly intensive in the 18th century, in part due to the state’s taxation of Reindeer antler at the Stálojåhkå sacrificial site. The importance of reindeer to the local people is reflected in the sacred sites where antlers and other items were placed as offerings. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.Lundberg/Raä. LAPONIA Ájtte Museum tel. +46 971-170 70 www.ajtte.com Laponiatjuottjudus tel. +46 70-255 89 81 www.laponia.nu www.laponia.info Norrbotten County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-225 50 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ norrbotten Laponia Much of Laponia features ancient spruce and pine forest that is home to several endangered species, including peregrine falcons. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. the Sami people. Laponia has numerous milking fields from this period, which appear as small but distinct areas rich in flora and grasses. Today’s reindeer husbandry focuses on meat production and is supported by modern technology such as GPS, snowmobiles, trucks and helicopters. Laponia contains six mountain Sami communities and three forest Sami communities. The living Sami culture is one reason why Laponia was made a World Heritage site. However, Sami culture is not just about keeping reindeer, and encompasses language, crafts, hunting, fishing, traditions and much more. Today around 10 percent of Swedish Sami are working in reindeer husbandry. There are also other aspects of the area’s history, including sacred sites, graves and the names of mountains, lakes and marshes, that bear witness to the way people understood the landscape, life and death. Getting there There are many routes into the Laponian Area. The easiest is to head to Gällivare by air or rail. From there, buses go to Ritsem (Stora Sjöfallet/Stuor Muorkke) and Porjus (Muddus/Muttos)–Jokkmokk. The other gateway to the area is Jokkmokk, which can be reached by air via Luleå, Gällivare or Arvidsjaur, with buses from there to Jokkmokk. By train, get off at Murjek and take the bus to Jokkmokk. From Jokkmokk, there are buses onwards to Kvikkjokk. In summer, the Inlandsbanan rail line runs all the way to Jokkmokk. It is easy to hire a car in Jokkmokk and Gällivare for onward journeys. Kiruna Stora sjöfallet LAPONIA slede n Sjaunja Padjelanta Sarek Kun g Sulitelma Tjuolta Laitaure Stubba Muddus Kvikkjokk Porjus Additional information Sarek is only recommended for experienced hikers. Cabins can be hired along the Kungsleden trail and to the south and north of Padjelanta/Badjelánnda. Kungsleden: The Kebnekaise–Sáltoluokta section is suitable for a short week’s trip with five days of walking. This stretch has the most varied landscape, going from high birch forest to bare mountain peaks. Padjelanta/Badjelánnda has an extensive system of trails and cabins that are suitable for beginners and more advanced mountain hikers. Naturum Laponia, a visitor centre for the World Heritage site, is due for completion in autumn 2014 at Viedásnjárgga in Stora Sjöfallet/Stuor Muorkke. 14 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN STRUVE GEODETIC ARC The Struve Geodetic Arc is a monument to a technical achievement aimed at determining the size of the Earth. But it was also to prove hugely important to the development of land surveying, leading to much more accurate maps and scientific measurements in the field. The Struve Geodetic Arc comprises 265 triangulation points located around 30 kilometres apart. STRUVE GEODETIC ARC 15 Jupukka triangulation station, part of the Struve Geodetic Arc, is located in the municipality of Pajala. Photo: © Dan Norin/Lantmäteriet. THE TRIANGULATION POINTS can be seen along a 2,820 km line that runs from Hammerfest in Norway to Ukraine’s Izmail on the Black Sea. The measurements represented a huge technological advance, as well as being an early example of several countries uniting for an international project. In the early 19th century, Russo-German astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793–1864) decided to use a triangulation method to determine the exact shape and size of the Earth. Triangulation involves pinpointing a location by measuring the angles of triangles on the Earth’s surface. The distances along several baselines are also measured to check the scale of the network of triangles. In Struve’s time, these baselines were measured using precise survey bars. Today we employ satellites and GPS instruments instead. The old observatory in Tartu, Estonia, where Wilhelm Struve worked. Photo: © Göran Eriksson. Perävaara triangulation station, part of the Struve Geodetic Arc, is marked with a cross engraved on a stone. Photo: © Dan Norin/Lantmäteriet.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian, helping in the establishment of the exact size and shape of the world, exhibits an important step in the development of earth sciences. It is also an extraordinary example of the interchange of human values in the form of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries. The Struve Geodetic Arc was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005. 16 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN The 1824 telescope in the old observatory in Tartu, Estonia, where Wilhelm Struve worked. Photo: © Göran Eriksson.  STRUVE GEODETIC ARC Lantmäteriet tel. +46 771-63 63 63 www.lantmateriet.se Haparanda-Tornio Tourist Office tel. +46 922-262 00 www.haparandatornio.com Karesuando Tourist Office tel. +46 981-202 05 www.karesuando.se Pajala Tourist Office tel. +46 978-100 15 Övertorneå Tourist Office tel. +46 927-100 44 www.heartoflapland.com County Administrative Board of Norrbotten tel. +46 10-225 50 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ norrbotten Struve Geodetic Arc The Earth is not round … Conducting his measurements between 1816 and 1855, Struve was able to confirm that the degrees of latitude are longer in the north than they are at the equator, as suggested by measurements taken in the Torne Valley in 1736–1737. This confirmed Newton’s theory from the 1700s that the Earth was not a perfect sphere. Instead, the poles are flattened due to the Earth’s rotation, which causes mass to be drawn towards the equator. … and it is very old These measurements of the Earth’s surface were conducted during an age of enormous interest in the Earth’s physical properties. Knowledge of geology and natural sciences grew rapidly. The concept of what our planet looks like and how it works was expanded in the early 19th century as a result of research into the planet’s history. Measurements that reached deep into the bedrock showed that the Earth must have undergone many developmental stages and be many millions of years old. This insight had revolutionary consequences for politics and religion, since it directly contradicted the biblical view that the Earth was just a few thousand years old. Getting there Most of the four Swedish World Heritage triangulation points in the Struve Geodetic Arc are clearly signposted. Contact the local tourist office for help with directions. Tynnyrilaki Finland STRUVE GEODETIC ARC Jupukka Pajala Many countries are involved The Struve Geodetic Arc runs through ten countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The starting ­ point was the observatory in Tartu, Estonia, where Wilhelm Struve worked. A particularly outstanding ­ collection of 34 of the 265 triangulation points was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2005. These are marked with drilled holes, engraved crosses, stone cairns or obelisks. Four of the World Heritage triangulation points are located in Sweden: on Tynnyrilaki mountain in Kiruna Municipality, Jupukka in Pajala Municipality, Pullinki in Övertorneå Municipality and Perävaara in Haparanda Municipality. NORRBOTTEN Pullinki LAPPLAND Övertorneå Perävaara E4 Boden Råneå Kalix Haparanda Additional information Contact the local tourist office or Lantmäteriet for ­information and guidance. 18 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN T H E C H U R C H TO W N O F G A M M E L S TA D The Church Town of Gammelstad in Luleå is the largest preserved church town in northern Scandinavia – a place formed by people’s social and ­ ­ religious needs, rather than economic or geographic forces. The site boasts over 400 cottages, which were only used at weekends and during religious feasts. At the top of the World Heritage site stands Nederluleå church, ­ surrounded by its attendant cottages. CHURCH TOWN OF GAMMELSTAD 19 Parishioners from outlying villages built cottages for their church visits. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. AS A RESULT OF THE REFORMATION, in the 16th century people were placed under a much stricter duty of church attendance. With such long distances to travel across large parishes, parishioners built overnight accommodation for their visits to church and so created church towns. This temporary housing has resulted in a combined rural and urban environment. The irregular street system has its origins in the Middle Ages and in the 17th century grid ideal for town planning. An archetypal example of the church town, Gammelstad has served as an important hub for feasts, ­ markets and gatherings since the 16th century. However, merchants, farmers and Sami met at this trading post as far back as the 14th century. Cottages in the church town. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The Church town of Gammelstad is a remarkable example of the traditional church town of northern Scandinavia, and admirably illustrates the adaptation of conventional urban design to the special geographical and climatic conditions of a hostile natural environment. The Church town of Gammelstad was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The cottages were built along streets radiating from the church. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 20 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Interior facing east towards the altar in Nederluleå church. Photo: © Gabriel Hildebrand/Raä. Church at the heart of everything The large and impressive stone church reflects the wealth of the area. Nederluleå church, with ceilings painted by the school of Albertus Pictor, opened in 1492. The first cottages were probably built in the following century, and their seemingly random location shows that they were put up at different times, as required. They were, however, mainly built along streets radiating from the church, which stands at the heart of the church town. The first cottages were erected along the routes from the outlying villages. Detail of carved pulpit in Nederluleå church. Photo: © Gabriel Hildebrand/Raä.  CHURCH TOWN OF GAMMELSTAD World Heritage Office/Luleå Municipality tel. +46 10-225 50 00 Gammelstad Visitor Centre tel. +46 920-45 70 10 www.lulea.se/gammelstad Norrbotten County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-225 50 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ norrbotten Church Town of Gammelstad Getting there The Church Town of Gammelstad lies around 10 km northwest of Luleå. Luleå Lokaltrafik runs a daily bus service between Luleå and Gammelstad. Persön Unbyn Rutvik Sunderbyn Brändön Bensbyn View from inside one of the cottages. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. CHURCH TOWN OF GAMMELSTAD Alvik Karlsvik Bergnäset Luleå is built and then moved barely 30 years later In the 17th century, Gammelstad grew in stature and in 1621 the town of Luleå was established next to this important marketplace, largely to regulate the important trade. North-east of the church there are traces of the grid layout of the town plan from this time. However, in the 1640s, the town had to be moved as rising land levels made the harbour too shallow. The World Heritage site includes Nederluleå church, over 400 cottages, the Chapel of Bethel, a 19th-century inn, the Parish House from the 18th century, the Tithe Barn, the Captain’s Residence and the Cottage of the Separatists. Luleå Antnäs Måttsund Ersnäs Kallax Additional information There are various restaurants, cafés and craft shops, as well as accommodation, at the Church Town of Gammelstad. 22 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN H I G H C O A S T / K VA R K E N ARCHIPELAGO Nowhere else in the world has displayed post-glacial land uplift on the scale displayed on the High Coast. The area clearly shows how glaciers, land uplift and the power of the sea have shaped and continue to shape a unique landscape. When the ice sheet melted 10,000 years ago, new land rose from the sea to be gradually populated with flora and fauna. The first humans came here early on, when it was more of an archipelago, attracted by the bountiful supply of seals, fish and birds. Gaviksfjärden is part of the High Coast. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The western slope of Skuleberget. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. AROUND 20,000 YEARS AGO, Sweden was completely covered in glaciers, with the High Coast in the County of Västernorrland marking the thickest point of the ice. The land was weighed down by the massive, three kilometre-thick ice sheet. As the ice began to melt, the landscape slowly ‘sprang’ back to its original position. This significant land uplift was a determining factor in inscribing the High Coast on the World Heritage List. Till-capped hills create a distinctive landscape The High Coast is a beautiful and rugged landscape dominated by sweeping mountain contours, steep cliffs plunging into the sea and inlets snaking between the islands. Here the geological changes remain so dramatic that they can be experienced within a lifetime, as the land continues to rise by around 8 mm per year.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The High Coast is one of the places on Earth where the land continues to rise in elevation following the retreat of the last inland ice sheets. This isostatic rebound is well illustrated and the distinctiveness of the site is the extent of the total isostatic uplift which, at 285 m, exceeds others. The area is an exemplary location for research into isostatic rebound, a phenomenon first recognised and studied here. The High Coast was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. 24 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN One particular feature is the till-capped hills that mark the highest coastline, 286 metres above the current sea level. Since these peaks were never washed by the sea, the layer of moraine remained intact, providing a cap of glacial till. This material proved perfect for plants, creating the forested hilltops that are such a prominent feature of today’s landscape. The green caps are particularly clear where the slopes below have been battered by the sea as the land has risen. world view was challenged when researchers in the early 19th century discovered that the land was rising instead. The explanation, relating to the effect of the Ice Age, showed that the planet was far older than the Bible stated. Exotic plantlife The flora and fauna along the High Coast show incredible diversity, both in water and on land. There is a variety of coniferous forest, as well as unusual deciduous trees such as hazel, lime and elm. The cliffs towards the north are home to exotic alpine species such as tufted saxifrage, alpine club moss, alpine lady’s mantle and highland rush, and there are rock cresses that are unique to the High Coast. Land uplift changed the world view Observations of land uplift in the far north have influenced science, religion and society around the world. In the 18th century, it was generally believed that the sea was still receding after the biblical Great Flood. This Bådamalen is a shingle field out in the bay of Norrfällsviken. It grows each year as the land rises. Photo: © Patricia Rodas/Dragos Alexandrescu. The substantial land uplift has also affected the conditions for human life along the coast. Within a distance of around 3 km from the current shoreline, there is a concentration of remains bearing witness to human activity here over the past 7,000 years. The different shorelines over the ages are dotted with settlements and trapping pits from the Stone Age, as well as Bronze Age cairns and Iron Age burial mounds, not to mention harbours and foundations from more recent historical periods. The High Coast was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, and in 2006 the area was expanded to include Kvarken Archipelago in Finland. The High Coast and Kvarken Archipelago are polar opposites in terms of landscape. The High Coast has a dramatic landscape of hills, mountainous islands, a rugged coastline and deep bays. Kvarken Archipelago is made up of a flat, rocky landscape with low moraine ridges, mighty erratic boulders and a mosaic of shallow bays. HIGH COAST/KVARKEN ARCHIPELAGO Kramfors Tourist Office tel. +46 612-801 20 www.turistinfo.kramfors.se Örnsköldsvik Tourist Office tel. +46 660-881 00 www.ornskoldsvik.se/turism Västernorrland County Administrative Board tel. +46 611-34 90 00 www.varldsarvet hogakusten.se www.worldheritage highcoast.com High Coast Getting there The World Heritage site can easily be reached from the E4 motorway, with information available at the gateways to the site. Naturum Höga Kusten is a visitor centre in Docksta, just off the E4 at the northern foot of Skuleberget, 40 km south of Örnsköldsvik and 70 km ­north of Härnösand. Sidensjö Örnsköldsvik E4 Bjästa Åmynnet Köpmanholmen Skuleberget Docksta andsån Bjärtå Lugnvik Herrskog Ullånger Skuleskogens nationalpark Ulvöarna Mjällom Nordingrå HIGH COAST Bönhamn Klockestrand Barsta Högakustenbron Additional information Naturum Höga Kusten is open March–October with exhibitions, a café and guided tours. More info on the World Heritage site is presented at key locations across the landscape. Hyndtjärn lake with Knäppa and Paberget behind. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 26 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN D E C O R AT E D FA R M H O U S E S OF HÄLSINGLAND This World Heritage site comprises seven farms from the 19th century.­­ The farms and their associated farm buildings represent a highpoint in a building tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. The suites of rooms and the buildings are richly decorated with paintings. The unique feature of the H ­ älsingland farmhouses is that they have more and larger rooms for festivities than farms in any other part of the world. In addition, an unparalleled number of decorated interiors have been preserved in Hälsingland. DECORATED FARMHOUSES OF HÄLSINGLAND 27 Main house at Jon-Lars farm in Långhed, Alfta, built in 1853. Photo: © Jakob Dahlström. THE DECORATED FARMHOUSES OF HÄLSINGLAND were built by independent farmers whose wealth was based on agriculture, livestock farming, trade, forestry and production of linen goods. The farms represent various ways of furnishing and decorating rooms and buildings for festive occasions. They are decorated according to the wishes of the farmers, with a great deal of craftsmanship and artistry. Inspiration is drawn from towns, churches and manor houses. Freeholders with a taste for luxury The farmers were able to afford paintings and buildings that were only used a few times a year. The extravagance of the decorated farmhouses may be explained by the fact that many farmers had long been freeholders of independent status who were able to make their own decisions about their incomes, lives and homes.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The large, impressive farmhouses of Hälsingland, with their highly decorative rooms for festivities, reflect an extraordinary combination of timber building and folk art traditions, the wealth and social status of the independent farmers who built them, and the final flowering of a long cultural tradition in Hälsingland. The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012. Paintings in guest building on Jon-Lars farm from 1862. Photo: © Jakob Dahlström. 28 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN ‘Herrstugan’ – festive building at Kristofers in Stene, Järvsö. Photo: © Jakob Dahlström. Kurbits-style painting in an upper room of the main house at Fågelsjö gammelgård. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The houses, outbuildings, summer pasture buildings and farms that make up the World Heritage site were created in the 19th or late 18th century. Their design, decoration and sense of luxury follow the tastes of the time, but sparing no expense on large and lavish buildings had long been a feature of life on the Hälsingland farms. There are paintings dating back to the Middle Ages and large and ornately decorated rooms were being built for festive occasions as early as the 17th century. The painting technique marks out the use and status of the rooms, ranging from marbling and stencilling in the hallway to figurative paintings in the reception rooms. To give the most important room a formal grace, the walls were often adorned with large landscapes, cityscapes or beautiful floral designs.  DECORATED FARMHOUSES OF HÄLSINGLAND www.halsingegardar.se Gävleborg County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-225 10 00. www.lansstyrelsen.se/ gavleborg Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland The land brought prosperity Prosperity came not only from the land around the main farm, but also from summer pasture, hunting grounds and fishing waters. A Hälsingland farm had three types of agricultural land: open fields, ley fields and meadows. The most important land, however, was the forest, which provided the pasture and feed required for the livestock to thrive over the year. The better the forest, the more animals it could sustain, and the more animals, the greater the prosperity. Of the thousand or so Hälsingland farms still in existence, the following were selected for inscription on the World Heritage List: Kristofers in Stene, Järvsö Gästgivars in Vallsta, Arbrå Jon-Lars in Långhed, Alfta Pallars in Långhed, Alfta Fågelsjö gammelgård (Bortomåa), Los Bommars in Letsbo, Ljusdal Erik-Anders in Asta, Söderala. Getting there The seven World Heritage farms are spread across Hälsingland and the surrounding area. Contact the local tourist offices or visit halsingegardar.se for directions to each farm. Matfors Kvissleby E4 Sveg Kårböle Ljusdal Los Järvsö Hamra Delsbo Hudiksvall Iggesund DECORATED FARMHOUSES OF HÄLSINGLAND Älvdalen Orsa Arbrå Edsbyn Alfta Bollnäs Söderhamn Söderala Mora Rättvik Ockelbo Additional information Hälsingland has four visitor centres for the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland and farms that are open to visitors: www.stenegard.se www.erik-anders.se www.ovanaker.se www.bollnas.se/turism Most of the World Heritage farms are privately owned homes and are only open to the public for limited periods of the year. Others can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Even the porches have a lavish design that varies by parish. Pictured here is a porch at the Pallars farm in Långhed. Photo: © Jakob Dahlström. 30 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN MINING AREA OF T H E G R E AT C O P P E R M O U N TA I N I N FA LU N Around Falun and the Great Copper Mountain (Stora Kopparberget), mining created a special and unique industrial landscape with its roots in prehistoric times. Copper furnaces and free miners’ estates sprang up around the mine. The deep pits and the many slag heaps have created a distinctive cultural landscape. MINING AREA OF THE GREAT COPPER MOUNTAIN IN FALUN 31 IT IS POSSIBLE to trace the rapid technological advances through the preserved construction, which show how ore was mined and how the pumps kept the water at bay. The method of running the mine, extracting the ore and producing copper shows incredible mining expertise. Some of the leading lights of Swedish science worked here, including Christoffer Polhem, J T Geisler and J G Gahn. A special technique for mapping underground mines was also developed here in the 17th century. Much of the western world’s copper came from here In the 17th century, Falu Mine accounted for 70 percent of the western world’s copper production. It took on special significance when the world’s greatest nation of the 17th century – Spain – introduced copper coinage. In addition to coins, copper was used to roof cathedrals and palaces all over Europe. Copper was also important for the casting of church bells and bronze cannons. Falu Mine has been a tourist attraction for centuries. Visitors get to experience the conditions under which copper ore was mined in dark and damp shafts. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  Hult Manor was built in 1794. The free miners who mined the ore from the Great Copper Mountain built magnificent estates with numerous timber buildings and attractive gardens. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The historic industrial landscape around the Great Copper Mountain in Falun constitutes one of the leading sites for mining and metals production. Mining ceased here in the late 20th century, but over many centuries it exercised a strong influence on the technical, economic, social and political development of Sweden and Europe. The Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001. 32 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN View of Falu Mine with the town of Falun in the background. Photo: © Richard Lindor. Town charter after 900 years of copper mining Today, the Great Copper Mountain and its surrounding landscape provide a unique monument to Sweden’s earliest history as an industrial nation. Copper mining actually began back in the 8th century. The oldest preserved document is a contract of exchange from 1288, in which Bishop Peder of Västerås takes back his share in the mine. In 1347, a mining charter was awarded by King Magnus Eriksson. In 1641, Falun gained a town charter after European model. The many preserved buildings from the 17th century onwards form an important part of the cultural environment. At the mine, there are administrative buildings, wheelhouses and buildings constructed around the Creutz headframe. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. mine shaft, known as headframes. There is also an ore crushing line and a washing table where the ore from the mine was separated from the waste rock. The landscape around the Great Copper Mountain is dotted with attractive manors and estates such as Gamla Staberg, Sveden and Heden. Falun’s wooden buildings combine with the remnants of its mining past in the form of slag heaps and the huge open pit of Stora Stöten to form a barren but colourful setting, with a palette that shifts from black to Falun red and tawny yellow.  MINING AREA OF THE GREAT COPPER MOUNTAIN IN FALUN Dalarna Museum tel. +46 23-76 55 00 www.dalarnasmuseum.se Falu Mine, tel. +46 23-78 20 30 www.varldsarvetfalun.se Falu Municipality, tel. +46 23-830 00 Visit Södra Dalarna AB tel. +46 771-62 62 62 www.visitsodradalarna.se Dalarna County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-225 00 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/dalarna Not a bird flew by Emissions from the copper mining and smelting turned the buildings in and around Falun black. When fairytale writer H C Andersen visited the Great Copper Mountain in 1849, he wrote: “There was no greenery anywhere to be seen, not a blade of grass stuck up on the verge, not a bird flew by.” Falu Mine has a long tradition as a tourist destination. The oldest known use of the word ‘turist’ in the Swedish language is in a watercolour painted at the Great Copper Mountain in 1824. A mining museum opened in 1922, and there has been a mine open to the public since 1970. Together with a guide, visitors can take an exciting stroll through the mountain, 67 metres underground. Falun Getting there Falu Mine and the World Heritage visitor centre are located around 700 metres west of Stora Torget on Route 50 from Borlänge towards Söderhamn. From the south via Hedemora or Gävle, or north from Mora–Rättvik, there are road signs to the mine on Route 80. From the west, Route 293 from Leksand joins Route 50 by the mine. Bjurs Sågmyra Grycksbo Toftbyn Sundborn FALUN Sveden Danholm Hosjö Aspeboda Svartskär The timbered district of Elsborg lies near Falu Mine and housed many of the mine workers during the zenith of production. Much of the original architecture still remains in place. Photo: © Jonas Lindgren. Additional information In addition to the World Heritage visitor centre, the site includes many attractions such as the public mine, museums, gardens, historic buildings and much more besides. Glossary Slag is the waste material formed in the production of metals. Slag heaps are mounds of waste from the production of metals such as iron, lead, copper and silver. Headframes are tall buildings erected around the top of a mine shaft to house machinery or other equipment to empty the mines of water, or to carry ore and waste rock out of the shaft. Washing tables use water to separate the ore from the waste rock. Water was usually poured over a surface laid with material brought up from the mine. 34 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN ENGELSBERG IRONWORKS Engelsberg Ironworks in the mining district of Norberg in Västmanland is an example of the growth of the iron industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ironworks estate includes the manor house and park, the office building, workers’ houses and the industrial buildings. The well-preserved site enables visitors to follow the technological progress of the iron industries prior to the 1860s when new techniques enabled the mass production of steel. ENGELSBERG IRONWORKS 35 The forge in the park of the ironworks estate. Photo: © Mats Frii/Raä. DURING THE MIDDLE AGES peasants who were producing iron set up a smelting works beside the waterfall in the river to produce pig iron from the ore of the mines in Norberg, 20 kilometres to the north. They ran their blast furnaces and ore mining as a collective, while being individually responsible for transport and producing their own charcoal from the surrounding forests. The introduction of the blast furnace heralded rapid development of the iron industry first in Europe and then worldwide. The use of the waterwheel to drive the bellows of the blast furnaces and forges, and, at a later date, water-powered hammers, marked the next step in the march of progress. All pig iron the world over is produced in blast furnaces to this day. All the technical equipment has been preserved complete with refining hearths and water-powered hammers. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The street at Engelsberg Ironworks. This is where the smiths and workers lived in small houses with their own garden, each home to several families, close to the patriarchal ironworks owner in the manor house. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä. The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: Engelsberg is an outstanding example of an influential European industrial complex of the 17th to 19th centuries, with important technological remains and the associated administrative and residential buildings intact. Engelsberg Ironworks was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. 36 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN The smelting works at Engelsberg consists of a roasting kiln and a blast furnace. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä. From a collective of peasant miners to an ironworks estate During the 17th century the peasant miners lost control of the iron industry. At Engelsberg the former communal forge was replaced in 1681 by a new form of operation – a privately owned ironworks estate. The entire ironworks revolved around the blast furnace next to the waterfall and the owner’s home – the manor house. Over the years Engelsberg Ironworks came to consist of about fifty buildings. As well as the blast Brewery and bakery at Engelsberg. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä. furnace and forge, there was also a weighing building, in which the charcoal and the ore were weighed. A building known as ‘krogen’ served food and spirits, and provided a place to sleep for workers paid by the day. Engelsberg Ironworks is largely preserved as it stood after the last phase of building work in 1890. Here you can see the manor house with its four wings, two office buildings, the head gardener’s house, the granary, workers’ houses and the barn. In the manor house garden is the hammer forge where the pig iron from  ENGELSBERG IRONWORKS Fagersta Municipality tel. +46 223-440 00 Fagersta Tourist Office tel. +46 223-131 00 www.fagersta.se/turism www.ekomuseum.se www.engelsberg.se Västmanland County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-224 90 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ vastmanland the blast furnace was refined in a hearth with hot liquid slag and worked with a hammer to produce bar iron. The bar iron was then sold to be forged into various products. Engelsberg Ironworks Getting there Local commuter trains run from Västerås. The manor house dating from 1775 with its kitchen wing. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The equipment still works today The blast furnace is particularly unique. It was built in 1778 as a timber-clad blast furnace with the insulation between the wooden walls and the shaft consisting of soil and mulch. It was rebuilt in line with new principles in the 19th century. At that time the height of the shaft was increased, a blower added, and the air blown into the furnace was pre-heated. A roasting kiln was also added where the iron ore was heated to remove sulphur and crystal water. These innovations paved the way for the global inroads made by the blast furnace. The international spread and application of the new technology can be seen in the manor house forge. Here there are two Franche-Comté hearths, which were converted to the Lancashire process at the end of the 19th century. These were different methods for refining the pig iron into malleable iron, after which it could be forged to create bar iron. The waterwheel, ore crusher, blower and hammer are still operational today. In 1917 a new, more modern Lancashire forge was built by Consul General Axel Ax:son Johnson (1876–1958) for his company Avesta Jernverk with six hearths, a steam-driven hammer and a rolling mill powered by electricity. Fagersta Västanfors Norberg Karbenning Sundbo ENGELSBERG IRONWORKS Västervåla 66 Virsbo Additional information Guided tours of Engelsberg Ironworks take place all year round, contact Fagersta Tourist Office for information. Since the 1970s the archive of the Johnson companies has been kept at the ironworks and since 1999 the Ax:son Johnson Foundation has held academic seminars and summer schools here. Glossary Refining means lowering the amount of carbon in the pig iron to make it more malleable. The carbon content needs to be lower than 2 percent. Franche-Comté hearths are covered hearths on French lines. This hearth refining method turns the pig iron into malleable iron. Cast steel process means reducing the high carbon content of pig iron by about 4 percent using oxygen to create malleable steel, which in the process is in molten form. Lancashire hearths are covered hearths on English lines. This hearth refining method turns the pig iron into workable iron and is the most recent of the older hearth refining methods. 38 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN BIRKA AND HOVGÅRDEN On the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren you can see one of the most complete and well-preserved Viking Age trading and meeting places in Northern Europe. Hovgården on the neighbouring island of Adelsö was ­ an aristocratic settlementat the same period and further up to the sixteenth century. Precisely what the connection was between both places is unknown, but it is likely that it was the aristocrats at Hovgården who founded Birka for political and economic reasons. Birka and Hovgården together make up the World Heritage site. ­ BIRKA AND HOVGÅRDEN 39 Hovgården. Burial mounds with Adelsö church in the background. The remains of Alsnöhus can be seen in the foreground. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. BIRKA WAS FOUNDED in the mid-8th century and abandoned in the late 10th century. The site is first mentioned in Vita Anskarii, a biography of the German monk Anskar’s two missions to Sweden, written by Archbishop Rimbert in the 870s. The area bears witness to the extensive trading journeys and long-distance networks of the period. Visitors to Hovgården can still see the traces of the different eras in a large number of ancient monuments: terraces for dwellings and farm buildings, three large burial mounds called Kungshögarna (Royal Mounds), a flattened mound usually known as Tingshögen (Thing Mound) and a large cemetry. Inside the area the remains of jetties, a quayside and slipways mean it is also possible to imagine the site of the harbour. The ruins of the medieval castle, Alsnöhus, are also found here. Visitors at Borgberget with the Anskar monument. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Aerial photograph of Björkö. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The Birka-Hovgården complex bears exceptionally well-preserved testimony to the wide-ranging trade network established by the Vikings during the two centuries of their phenomenal economic and political expansion. Birka is one of the most complete and undisturbed examples of a Viking trading settlement of the 8th to 10th centuries AD. Birka and Hovgården was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. 40 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Visitors at Birka. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. ‘The Black earth’, an early settlement The first archaeological excavations at Birka took place in the 1680s. The most extensive are the excavations of the graves on site in the late 19th century and the 1990s excavations of the town-like settlement area termed ’Svarta jorden’ (the Black earth). Within this densely built-up area at least the earliest buildings were planned and divided into plots separated by narrow streets and ditches. The dwellings were small and many of them contained workshops. Objects tell of casting bronze and making jewellery, combs and beads, ironworking, and working with textiles and furs. On terraces built on the edge of the town stood larger longhouses and the water outside the ‘Black earth’ area contains the remnants of a complex harbour facility. Viking Age settlements were also found on other parts of the island but it is thought that this is more a case of ordinary farms. The settlement area was surrounded by an embankment about 700 metres long, which was probably symbolic rather than performing a genuine defensive function. The many gateways in the embankment lead out to the cemeteries, which lie in a band around the settlement.  BIRKA AND HOVGÅRDEN Birka – the Viking town STRÖMMA group www.stromma.se/sv/Birka tel. +46 8-560 515 40 Ekerö Municipality www.ekero.se/ Uppleva _och_gora/Turism/ tel. +46 8-560 392 00 Café Hovgården Birka and Hovgården World Heritage site www.cafehovgården.se Stockholm County Administrative Board tel. +46 8-785 40 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ stockholm Finds are testimony to different religions Today there are six grave fields on the island: Hemlanden, Borgs hage, Kvarnbacka, Kärrbacka, Grindsbacka and Ormknös with a total of more than 3,000 visible graves. During the Viking Age period it is likely that the cemeteries were more continuous than they are today. Despite the fact that the graves date from roughly the same period, they demonstrate different burial rituals, customs and traditions. The people buried in the graves came from many different places and the grave goods include objects linked to several different religions. On the highest point of Björkö is the Borg hill fort, a hilltop surrounded by an embankment 350 metres long. At times during the Viking Age era, the embankment was topped with a wooden palisade. Just next to the hill fort there is a fortified area called Garnisonen (the Garrison) where weapons and the remains of fires have been found. Excavations show that the lifestyles and habits of the people of Birka and Hovgården in the Viking Age period it is differed from those of the majority of the inhabitants of the Mälaren basin at that time. They featured more exclusive handicrafts, trade and long-distance contact. Research is producing new and exciting results all the time. Birka and Hovgården Getting there During the summer, Birka can be reached by scheduled boats from several places around Lake Mälaren. It is also possible to visit in your own boat. Hovgården can be visited all year round and is accessible by public transport from Brommaplan or by car/boat. Märsta Bålsta Vallentuna Upplands Väsby Åkersberga Täby Lidingö BIRKA AND HOVGÅRDEN Södertälje Tumba Boo Stockholm Västerhaninge Further information Birka and Hovgården are owned and managed by the state. Together with Ekerö Municipality and Stockholm County Administrative Board the parties form an Administrative Council for the World Heritage site. Additional information can be found at: www.raa.se/ upplevkultur­arvet/varldsarv/birka-och-hovgarden. ­Work with the public within the World Heritage site is run by a number of companies, businesses and organisations. Glass beads were used in women’s clothing and in jewellery. These are from the museum at Birka. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 42 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN R OYA L D O M A I N O F D R OT T N I N G H O L M Drottningholm is an unusually well-preserved royal estate on the island of Lovön near Stockholm. The area has been used for entertainment and summer trips since it was built. Today the palace is the official residence of the King and Queen of Sweden. The World Heritage site, which is also a s ­ tate-owned historic building, includes the palace, the theatre Drottningholms Slottsteater, the Chinese Pavilion, the park and gardens, the Kanton area and part of the satellite town of Malmen THE ROYAL DOMAIN OF DROT TNINGHOLM 43 Drottningholm’s theatre retains the intact auditorium, well-preserved sets, and stage machinery from the 18th century. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. DROTTNINGHOLM PALACE was created drawing on influences from Italian and French 17th-century architecture. The interiors were designed to demonstrate Sweden’s powerful cultural and political status at the time. Skilled European craftsmen were invited to work on the expensive interiors and spaces created under the leadership of renowned Swedish architects. Well-preserved, Drottningholm is one of Sweden’s most impressive royal palaces. Unique theatre Dating back to the 18th century, Drottningholm’s theatre is unique, not only from a Swedish perspective but on the world stage. Its inventive and completely preserved stage machinery is still in use to this day. The baroque theatre mechanisms enable fast scene changes in full view of the audience, not to mention wind, thunder and aerial displays above the stage. The wings are replicas of the preserved originals. Theatre foyer. Today the theatre is a working stage with events and performances all year round. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The ensemble of Drottningholm – castle, theatre, Chinese pavilion and gardens – is the best example of a royal residence built in the 18th century in Sweden and is representative of all European architecture of that period, heir to the influences exerted by the Château de Versailles on the construction of royal residences in Western, Central and ­ Northern Europe. Drottningholm became Sweden’s first World Heritage site in 1991. Drottningholm Palace is on the island of Lovön in Lake Mälaren. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 44 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN The Chinese Pavilion in Drottningholm park. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Accompanied by music played on historical instruments, the theatre offers unique performances experienced in their original setting. Travel through time in Drottningholm’s park The park reflects changes in garden design over the centuries and is rare in that its different styles have been preserved. With their strictly French ethos, the baroque gardens are the oldest part of Drottningholm’s park. They boast the world’s largest collection of works by Dutch sculptor Adriaen de Vries. The less formal rococo park near the Chinese Pavilion contains elements of mixed forest. The main feature of this English-inspired landscaped park is a winding canal with islands and lakes. China in Sweden The Chinese Pavilion is extraordinarily well preserved. Its interiors and collections represent the 18th-century fascination with Chinese culture. The pavilion boasts a special position among Chinese-inspired palaces in Europe in view of its size and architectural features, as well as the consistently executed theme. The pavilion tells the story of distant lands, a reflection of Sweden’s trade with the Far East in the 18th century. Bronze statue by sculptor Adriaen de Vries. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  THE ROYAL DOMAIN OF DROT TNINGHOLM Drottningholms slottsförvaltning tel. +46 8-402 62 80 www.royalcourt.se Drottningholms Slottsteater tel. +46 8-556 931 00 www.dtm.se Stockholm County Administrative Board tel. +46 8-785 40 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ stockholm Manufacturing in Malmen The street Kantongatan was built in the mid-18th century primarily for the production of silk, lace and fine metalwork. Homes, still in use today, were built for the royal court. Kanton is testimony to state industrial policy, influences from foreign countries and the terms on which court life was lived. The nearby craftsmen village, Malmen, formed a manufacturing community with homes for the craftspeople needed to build the palace, and, later on, court functionaries. A number of buildings were built for palace administration. There was also an inn and accommodation for Drottningholm’s guests. Some of the buildings have retained their original function and the façades of Malmen are an important part of the historic environment. Drottningholm Getting there Green Metro line towards Hässelby, get off at Brommaplan. Buses run from Brommaplan that pass Drottningholm on their way to the islands in Lake Mälaren, Mälaröarna. Strömma Kanalbolaget runs daily boat trips from Stadshuskajen in central Stockholm to Drottningholm during the summer. tel. +46 8-587 140 00 www.strommakanalbolaget.com Märsta Bålsta Vallentuna Upplands Väsby Åkersberga Täby Lidingö DROT TNINGHOLM Kanton 1 on Kantongatan, Drottningholm. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Södertälje Tumba Boo Stockholm Västerhaninge Additional information Since 1981 Drottningholm has been the permanent residence of the Swedish royal family. The rooms in the southern part of the palace are reserved for members of the royal family but the rest of the palace and the park are largely open to the public all year round. There is also the opportunity to book group tours, join a guided tour, or attend tours on a particular theme or special tours ­designed for children. 46 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN Skogskyrkogården, the Woodland Cemetery in Enskede in southern Stockholm, was created between 1917 and 1940 by architects Gunnar ­ Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz. On a pine-clad ridge they created a sacred space in the landscape with several small chapels set in an interplay with the natural world that surrounds them. The whole area is considered to be one of the most important creations in modern architecture. SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN 47 AT SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN visitors can see the design aim that characterised Swedish architecture before and after the Second World War on a large scale. A modern society demanded beautiful and functional solutions – an approach which also applied to the last resting places of the dead. A major international architecture competition was announced in 1915 to design a new cemetery in southern Stockholm. Buildings and landscape form an architectural entity Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz’ winning entry took the natural setting as its starting point. The architects designed the entire cemetery, from the landscaping to the tiniest light fitting. The whole cemetery was completed in 1940, but the first chapel – Asplund’s Woodland Chapel – was built in 1920. As a whole, the site offers a blend of nature and architecture in perfect harmony. Lewerentz’ input primarily involved the landscape itself and the Chapel of the Resurrection, completed in 1925 in the classical style. Designing the buildings was mainly Asplund’s preserve. The crematorium, including the three crematorium chapels, completed in 1934–40, remains a key work representing the building design of the architect himself and of the 1930s. Almhöjden. The meditation grove is reached via a long flight of steps. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  Chapel of the Holy Cross with the granite cross designed by Asplund in 1939. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. ­ The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: Created by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz between 1914 and 1940, Skogskyrkogården is a foremost example of blending architecture with a designed cultural landscape from the 20th century to form a cemetery. This creation has had a major influence on the design of cemeteries the world over. Skogskyrkogården was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994. 48 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Chapels for farewell and remembrance The architecture competition set major demands in terms of a number of different practical functions. Cremation instead of burial was one of the criteria, for example. The crematorium, with its three chapels – Faith, Hope and the Holy Cross – is sited close to the large entrance to the Woodland Cemetery, with its monumental granite cross on the lawn. Chapel of the Holy Cross. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Chapel of the Holy Cross, entrance hall. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN Stockholms kyrkogårds­ förvaltning tel. +46 8-508 301 00 Stockholm City Museum tel. +46 08-508 316 20 www.skogskyrkogarden.se Stockholm County Administrative Board tel. +46 8-785 40 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ stockholm Skogskyrkogården A space for art The choices of materials and decoration are as rich as the chapel designs are restrained. Asplund invited many prominent artists to contribute towards the cemetery. Skogskyrkogården includes works by Sven Erixson, Bror Hjort, Ivar Johnsson and Otte Sköld. The graves themselves are arranged in sections within the pine forest. In 2013 a new crematorium was built, designed by Johan Celsing. The Woodland Cemetery visitor centre, housed in a former service building designed by Asplund, is open every day during the summer. Admission is free. There is a shop selling books, plus exhibitions and a café. Public guided tours are run on Sundays during the summer season. The visitor activity is run by Stockholm City Museum, which can also arrange special group tours. Getting there Take the green Metro line no. 18 towards Farsta and get off at Skogskyrkogården. By car take the Nynäsvägen road (highway 73) and turn off onto Sockenvägen at Enskede. Märsta Bålsta Vallentuna Upplands Väsby Åkersberga Täby Lidingö Boo Södertälje SKOGSKYRKOGÅRDEN Västerhaninge Additional information Skogskyrkogården has a visitor and information centre with exhibitions, a café and a shop. Guided tours are conducted regularly during the summer or can be booked all year round by arrangement. The cemetery is open to visitors around the clock, all year round. Seven Springs Way with the Chapel of Resurrection in the background. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 50 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN R O C K C A R V I N G S I N TA N U M Visiting Tanum in northern Bohuslän is like travelling straight back to the world of the Bronze Age in around 1800–500 BC. This is the site of Europe’s largest concentration of rock carvings. Around 500 groups of wildly varying carvings are spread across the smooth rockface. ROCK CARVINGS IN TANUM 51 TANUM IS AN EXAMPLE of Bronze Age art. The wide range of subjects depicted in the Tanum area show many aspects of life in Bronze Age Europe, enabling us to gain an insight into a period of human history spanning 3,000 years. Vitlycke carvings. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Uniquely preserved in the rock In prehistory, pictures probably weren’t as common as they are now. Most pictures which might have been found on hides or on objects made from wood or bone, for example, have been obliterated. However, rock carvings have been preserved in many places in the world, and are the oldest preserved form of art. The fact that the location and the subjects were deliberately chosen and carved into the rock by their creators means they tell us where in the landscape the people of the time wanted these pictures to be visible. Vitlycke carvings. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The rock carvings in Tanum are an outstanding example of Bronze Age art of the highest quality. The range of motifs, techniques and compositions on the Tanum rock carvings provide exceptional evidence of many aspects of life in the European Bronze Age. The continuity of settlement and consistency in land use in the Tanum area, as illustrated by the rock art, the archaeological remains and the features of the modern landscape in the Tanum region combine to make this a remarkable example of continuity over eight millennia of human history. The rock carvings in Tanum were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994. Litsleby man. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä 52 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Aspeberget. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Wealth of imagery – before writing There are around 1,500 known rock carvings in northern Bohuslän and new ones are being discovered all the time. A large and unusually varied number are found in Tanum. Around twenty different types of figures have been found here: cup marks, ships, sleds, animals, people, hands and feet, trees and weapons. Subjects such as seafaring, fishing, hunting and ploughing are shown. What the images meant, we can only guess. It is likely that they depicted the social lives of the people of the Bronze Age, their spiritual experiences, beliefs and rites. Rock carving ceased with the introduction of the written language to the Nordic countries a few hundred years BC. A whole story? Figures in rock carvings are often seen as individual motifs. What is unusual about Tanum is that there are several larger carvings that seem to form part of a larger entity. The carvings at Fossum are one such example. Here the around 130 figures, placed close together and almost never overlapping, give a clear impression of a particular context. It is likely that the carvings were made by a single person over a brief period of time. The rockface shows several hunting scenes and beautifully drawn deer. The rock carvings at Fossum. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. A changed landscape The carvings were originally close to the sea. Today’s landscape looks different from the way it did during the Bronze Age as the level of the land is now about twenty metres higher than it was then. Today’s fields were shallow bays at the time, rich in birds and fish. Particularly impressive rock carvings in the World Heritage site are Vitlycke, Aspeberget Tegneby, Fossum, Litsleby, Gerum and Kalleby. The rock carvings can be damaged by weathering caused by frost and heat cracks, and by acidification, although this has decreased in recent years. A great deal of work is being done to document and protect the rock carvings for the future. ROCK CARVINGS IN TANUM Tanum Municipality tel. +46 525-180 00 www.tanum.se Vitlycke Museum tel. +46 525-209 50 www.vitlyckemuseum.se Västra Götaland County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-224 40 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/ vastragotaland Tanum Getting there Vitlycke Museum, in the heart of the World Heritage site, 1 km south of Tanumshede in northern Bohuslän, is a good place to start. From the E6 take the turning to Tanumshede. Follow the signs from Tanum church. The museum is open during the summer season. Raftötången E6 Navestad Vitlycke Ulmekärrsand Grebbestad Litsleby TANUM Aspeberget Mo Fjällbacka Rabbalshede Additional information Designed by Carl Nyrén in the shape of a ship, the unique museum building in Vitlycke opened in 1998 and houses exhibitions, a café and a shop. Next to it is a Bronze Age farm with reconstructed buildings as a small village might have looked in the Bronze Age. Here visitors can use period tools to try out what life was like 3,000 years ago or visit the sacrificial site by the pond a little way away from the houses. The museum is open in June−August. Vitlycke Museum, built in 1998. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 54 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN T H E H A N S E AT I C TO W N OF VISBY With its well-preserved townscape and many medieval buildings, Visby is one of the most complete fortified towns from the early Middle Ages in the Baltic region. The later Hanseatic period between about 1161 and 1360 is particularly clearly evident in the town. Besides the town walls and medieval buildings, Visby also has a large number of church ruins and an almost completely preserved street layout. THE HANSEATIC TOWN OF VISBY 55 The main square and the ruins of St. Katarina’s church. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. VISBY’S MEDIEVAL CURTAIN WALL is the best preserved town wall in Northern Europe. It was built in limestone in the 13th century and is approximately 3.6 kilometres long. Step back to the Middle Ages Inside the wall the medieval townscape is still retained. Along the streets there are more than 200 trading houses, warehouses and homes dating from the 12th to the 14th century. The townscape also includes 15 churches, a medieval school and a hospital. At the time a hospital was a care home for the elderly, the sick and the poor, which also served as a place for pilgrims to spend the night. The majority of the religious buildings were built by religious orders. Just outside the town walls, church ruins and other medieval buildings can also be seen. It has been discussed whether or not these should be included in the World Heritage site. The medieval townscape is largely preserved. The greatest difference between today’s street network and the medieval one is probably the fact that rising land levels drained the medieval port area. Otherwise the street network is largely unchanged. The many silver treasures from the Viking period found on the island demonstrate the strategic location of Visby and Gotland in the Baltic Sea. At the same time, trade took on great importance during the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly through the Hanseatic League. Gargoyle on St. Maria’s Cathedral. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: Visby is an outstanding example of a north European medieval walled trading town which preserves with remarkable completeness a townscape and assemblage of high-quality ancient buildings that illustrate graphically the form and function of this type of significant human settlement. The Hanseatic Town of Visby was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995. Ruins of St. Göran’s church viewed from Galgberget. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 56 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Visby curtain wall with caponier, an extended part of the defences, known as the ‘piggy bank’. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. A centre for eastbound trade The Hanseatic League was an organisation of German merchants and towns on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In the mid-14th century Visby took on a leading role among the North-East Hanseatic towns. The town gained great importance for eastbound trade, particularly the important trade with Novgorod. Visby was also a starting point for crusades to the Baltic countries. However, its great importance and strategic location were cause for conflict, dragging the town and the island into the major political disputes of the time. As far as Visby was concerned, the various claims to the town and the whole island asserted by the rulers of Sweden, Denmark and Mecklenburg in the second half of the 14th century had major consequences. The best known is Valdemar Atterdag’s raid on Gotland in 1361 which ended with a battle outside the curtain wall in which many of the island’s peasant population met their deaths. The mass graves from the battle have been found and provide a macabre insight into the impact of a medieval battle. The sites of the mass graves are marked above ground. After the battle the town was seized and shortly afterwards declared Danish. Danish rule was the turning point The Danish Crown had won. The victory came to change the conditions of trade, which saw Visby’s importance diminish. This was followed by a gradual decline. By the early 19th century Visby had become a tourist destination and tourism increased as the site began to be appreciated as a historic site. THE HANSEATIC TOWN OF VISBY Region Gotland tel. +46 498-26 90 00 www.gotland.se Gotland Tourist Office tel. +46 498-20 17 00 www.gotland.com Gotland County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-223 90 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/gotland Visby Getting there Daily ferries run to and from Visby from a couple of ports on Sweden’s east coast. Flights between Gotland and the mainland run all or part of the year from airports including Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Väskinde Bro VISBY Hejdeby Endre Vibble Follingbo Barlingbo Träkumla Akebäck Västerhejde Additional information Medieval Week is a festival held every year on Gotland. For over 30 years Visby has been packed with visitors for this week in August, with markets, performances and plenty of period activities. The popular Gotland Museum, Fornsalen, occupies its own bit of town in the heart of the World Heritage site on Strandgatan in Visby. It houses exhibitions, a café, restaurant and shops in the genuine period environment of the World Heritage site. Skolgatan with the ruins of Drotten church viewed from Klinten. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 58 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN G R I M E TO N R A D I O S TAT I O N This is the place where an early and crucial step in the development of modern, global wireless radio communication was taken. The Radio ­ Station at Grimeton outside Varberg was built as part of a global network of radio transmitters. With its impressive antenna towers, it is both one of the largest structures in western Sweden and a unique monument of technological history. GRIMETON RADIO STATION 59 127 metres high, the antenna towers are an impressive and monumental landmark. Photo: © Magnus Nylén. IT WAS 1901. Guglielmo Marconi had succeeded in transmitting the first wireless telegram across the Atlantic to the USA. In the wake of Marconi’s successful attempt, a number of radio stations were built around the world. What they all have in common is that they used various pre-electronic techniques to generate radio waves; electric arcs, electric sparks or large, rotating high-frequency generators. State of the art 1924 Varberg Radio Station in Grimeton was built in 1922–24, at a time when the need for secure and fast connections to the US was becoming increasingly important. The transatlantic cables were vulnerable, particularly in wartime. In 1920 the Swedish Parliament therefore decided to invest almost 5 million kronor in a new ‘large-scale radio station’. The station, supplied by the Radio Corporation of America, was fitted with what was at the time ultra-modern equipment. The Grimeton transmitter was first used on 1 December 1924 and the station was officially opened by King Gustaf V on 2 July 1925. It was part of an international network of similar radio stations and came to take on great importance for transatlantic telegram traffic.  The radio station in the evening light. Photo: © Magnus Nylén. The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The Varberg Radio Station at Grimeton is an outstanding monument representing the process of development of communication technology in the period following the First World War. The Varberg Radio Station is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a type of telecommunication centre, representing the technological achievements by the early 1920s, as well as documenting the further development over some three decades. Varberg Radio Station at Grimeton was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004. 60 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN  GRIMETON RADIO STATION World Heritage site Grimeton Radio Station tel. +46 340-67 41 90 www.grimeton.org Halland County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-224 30 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/halland A masterpiece by the ‘magician of radio’ The pride of Grimeton, and the heart of the radio station, is the longwave transmitter – the Alexanderson alternator. It is named after the Swedish-American inventor and engineer Ernst Fredrik Werner Alexanderson (1878–1975). Alexanderson, who the Americans nicknamed the ‘magician of radio’ was a pioneer in electrotechnology and electronics. During his lifetime he had over 300 patents granted and was one of the first to experiment with radio and television tech­ nology. The longwave transmitter at Grimeton is the last preserved complete and functional Alexanderson transmitter in the world. Morse telegraph in the radio station building. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. Grimeton Radio waves from giant antenna towers Another important – and eye-catching – part of the radio station is the six antenna towers, 127 metres high, designed by Henrik Kreüger. The towers are sited 380 metres apart and with cross-arms 46 metres wide. Eight antenna wires run between the towers to form the aerial system. The radio waves are emitted from vertical antenna elements, one from each tower. In the shadow of the towers are the well-preserved station buildings, designed by architect Carl Åkerblad. There is also a small village next to the station with staff housing. The radio station symbolises the importance of communication between people in different parts of the world and the importance of freedom of speech as a fundamental human right. Getting there The radio station antenna towers can be seen to the east of the E6 at Varberg. From the E6: Take exit 54. Follow the brown and white signs to Radiostationen Grimeton. From Ullared/Värnamo on Route 153: Follow the brown and white signs from Gödestad church. From Varberg: Route 153 to Värnamo. Follow the brown and white signs after passing over the E6/E20. Buses run from Varberg and Ullared. Surte Gråbo Torslanda Mölnlycke Lindome Kungsbacka Lerum Floda Fri Öckerö Göteborg Landvetter Borås Bollebygd Viskafors Kinna Svenljunga Gottskär E6 E20 Veddinge GRIMETON Varberg Tvååker Additional information Visitor and information centre with exhibitions, café and a shop on site.. AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF SOUTHERN ÖLAND 61 A G R I C U LT U R A L L A N D S C A P E OF SOUTHERN ÖLAND The World Heritage site of the Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland is a better place than most to follow the story of the interaction of people and nature over millennia. Over the centuries farmers have shaped the landscape, which is now a World Heritage site. Parish of Gräsgård. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. 62 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN Modern agriculture at Gettlinge grave field in Södra Möckleby parish. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. ÖLAND IS THE FOURTH largest island in the Baltic Sea in terms of surface area, and the World Heritage site covers for just over a third of the island. Although Öland has undoubtedly been inhabited since the inland ice released its grasp about 11,000 years ago, human influence did not have an impact until the late Stone Age, between approximately 4000 and 1800 BC. It was then that people began to farm the land and keep animals. The agricultural revolution of the 19th century saw the abolition of this division into owned land and common land. The outlying land was no longer farmed and instead became forest. On Öland, however, the climate did not make this possible and instead the old division was retained. Today the people of Öland farm land that has been farmed for generation after generation and graze their animals on land that has been grazed for thousands of years. It is for this reason that the agricultural landscape was declared a World Heritage site. Outfields still in use to this day In the past, a distinction was made between land that was owned and outlying land. The owned land consisted of arable and pasture land. The outlying land – the alvar plain and shore meadows – was used for grazing. Sheep grazing along Kalmar sund, Ottenby kungsgård. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä.  The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: The landscape of southern Öland takes its contemporary form from its long cultural history, adapting to the physical constraints of the geology and topography. The landscape is an outstanding example of human settlement, making the optimum use of diverse landscape types on a single island. The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2000.  AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF SOUTHERN ÖLAND Öland Tourist Office tel. +46 485-890 00 www.olandsturist.se www.sodraoland.com Kalmar County Administrative Board tel. +46 10-223 80 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/kalmar Linear villages and stone walls From the mid-13th century until the early 14th century, major changes took place in construction on Öland. During this period the old villages were arranged as linear villages, with farms in a row along the main road. The arable and grazing areas were gathered together to form a single large field in which all the farms in the village owned a share. To provide protection from grazing farm animals and wild animals, fields and meadows were enclosed with stone walls. Outside these farms lay the alvar plain and the shore meadows which were used for grazing. The villages functioned in this way until the agricultural reform of the first half of the 19th century (enskifte). Its aim was to divide all the land between the farms of the village so as to ensure that everyone had access to the different types of land – arable, pasture, alvar and shore meadows. It was at this time that many of the walls typical of Öland were built. Southern Öland Getting there The World Heritage site consists of the whole of southern Öland from Färjestaden southwards. The agricultural landscape of southern Öland can be reached by car via the Öland bridge on highway 136 to the south or by bus from Kalmar and Färjestaden. Kalmar Algutsrum Färjestaden Arentorp Skogsby Gårdby Vickleby Sandby Resmo Mörbylånga Stenåsa Kastlösa SOUTHERN ÖLAND Smedby Hulterstad Degerhamn Gräsgård Eketorp Segerstad Windmills, Resmo parish. Photo: Pål-Nils Nilsson/Raä. Grönhögen Ottenby Ås Ölands södra udde (Långe Jan) Additional information Naturum Ottenby visitor centre and the bird station are on the southern cape of Öland, at the foot of the light­ house Långe Jan. Naturum Ottenby is open from March to October and has a restaurant, accommodation and guided tours. 64 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN N AVA L P O R T O F KARLSKRONA The Karlskrona World Heritage site is one of the world’s best preserved and most complete naval ports. It is an outstanding example of a naval port inspired by similar towns in other countries. In its turn, Karlskrona has served as a role model for many towns in Europe with a similar function. NAVAL PORT OF KARLSKRONA 65 Stumholmen from the air. Photo: © Jan Norrman/Raä. NAVAL BASES PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE in the centuries when the size of the country’s fleet was a crucial factor in European Realpolitik. At the height of Sweden’s power in the 17th century, a southern naval base was needed to keep together and defend Sweden’s lands, which at the time incorporated Finland, Estonia, Latvia and parts of northern Germany. Headed by Erik Dahlbergh, the foremost fortification experts of the period built a modern naval base complete with the latest in technical solutions. Its strategic location in the centre of the Baltic Sea was one important reason for the city being founded. European role model Karlskrona was founded in 1680 and was one of the most modern and most efficient naval bases of its day. The town’s shipyard, architecture, layout and construction and defensive technology attracted a great deal of attention throughout 18th-century Europe. For over 100 years the shipyard, in a class of its own in terms of its technology and its architecture, was the militaryindustrial centre of the Baltic Sea region.  The fortified tower on the island of Godnatt was built in 1857–63. It was part of the internal ring of fortifications outside the naval port of Karlskrona. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. The World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription: Karlskrona is an exceptionally well preserved example of a European planned naval town, which incorporates elements derived from earlier establishments in other countries and which was in its turn to serve as the model for subsequent towns with similar functions. Naval bases played an important role in the centuries during which naval power was a determining factor in European Realpolitik, and Karlskrona is the best preserved and most complete of those that survive. The Naval Port of Karlskrona was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1998. 66 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SWEDEN The gunpowder and defensive tower on Mjölnarholmen was built in around 1730. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg/Raä. A unique example for over 300 years The central parts of the naval port, with the shipyard area, naval base and surrounding defences, are an example of the art of fortification spanning 300 years. Unlike similar naval bases elsewhere in Europe, Karlskrona has been updated and lives on. ­ The buildings of the naval port are well preserved and the majority are still in use. The shipyard is still running, producing civil and military vessels. The origi­ nal shipyard dating from the 1680s was once Sweden’s largest workplace. A colourful plastic fleet. Photo: © Jyrki Komulainen/Folio.  NAVAL PORT OF KARLSKRONA Karlskrona Municipality tel. +46 455-30 30 00 Visit Karlskrona tel. +46 455-30 34 90 www.visitkarlskrona.se www.orlogsstadenkarlskrona.se www.marinmuseum.se Blekinge County Administrative Board +46 10-224 00 00 www.lansstyrelsen.se/blekinge Getting there The World Heritage site is geographically spread across a number of islands, in central Karlskrona, in Lyckeby and at Skärva. Sweden’s naval power can still be seen today In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Karlskrona can be seen as a symbol of a new European power. The broad streets and the impressive square with its public buildings bear this out. In this classic grid layout, the centre of the non-military town, the square, Stortorget, is at the highest point. It is surrounded by religious buildings and buildings exemplifying the administration of justice. The two churches on the square represent the two fundamental church designs of the Renaissance, the circular temple and the basilica. In 1782 the shipyard in Karlskrona gained a new manager in Fredric Henric af Chapman, and a new era dawned. His job was to create an entirely new navy for the war being planned by Gustav III. He ran the shipyard as what was virtually a production line, building ten ships of the line and ten frigates in a short space of time. The construction of Karlskrona also had an impact on the rural area that surrounded it. The new town and the navy needed vast amounts of food, timber, tar and iron. Particularly during the construction of the naval shipyard and times of war, demand for goods from the surrounding countryside was high. In the nearby village of Lyckeby two old windmills were built, later to be replaced by a larger mill – Lyckeby Crown mill. The mill served two bakeries on Trossö and Stumholmen. Around Karlskrona there are several small manors that grew alongside the town, where from the late 17th century onwards burghers, officials and officers bought up the homes of private farmers and created rural estates. These served as farms which delivered goods to the fleet, and as summer homes. Skärva, built by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman in the 1780s, is one well-preserved example of these kinds of properties. Karlskrona Skärva KARLSKRONA Ljungskär Trossö Koholmen Basareholmen Kurrholmen Gonatt Aspö Drottningskär Kastellet Kungsholmen Tjurkö Additional information The visitor centre for the World Heritage site is in the ­ church of the Trinity, Trefaldighetskyrkan on Stortorget. Guided tours can be booked through Visit Karlskrona. Parts of the World Heritage site located inside the military area can also be visited in the company of a certified guide. NOTES 68 World Heritage sites in Sweden – date visited ● Laponian Area, Lappland..................................................................................................................................................................................................... ● Struve Geodetic Arc, Norrbotten ...................................................................................................................................................................................                             ● Church Town of Gammelstad, Norrbotten...............................................................................................................................................................                          ● High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago, Ångermanland ..............................................................................................................................................         ● Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, Hälsingland ........................................................................................................................................                                   ● Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun, Dalarna ....................................................................................................................                         ● Engelsberg Ironworks, Västmanland ...........................................................................................................................................................................                                ● Birka and Hovgården, Uppland........................................................................................................................................................................................                               ● Royal Domain of Drottningholm, Uppland .............................................................................................................................................................                     ● Skogskyrkogården, The Woodland Cemetery, Södermanland.....................................................................................................................                          ● Rock Carvings in Tanum, Bohuslän ...............................................................................................................................................................................                   ● Hanseatic Town of Visby, Gotland .................................................................................................................................................................................                                ● Grimeton Radio Station, Halland.....................................................................................................................................................................................               ● Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland, Öland .............................................................................................................................................                     ● Naval Port of Karlskrona, Blekinge..................................................................................................................................................................................                           Get to know Sweden’s World Heritage This book describes Sweden’s fifteen World Heritage sites. A World Heritage site is a site of ­ special cultural or natural value that relates the history of the Earth and its people. The Royal Domain of Drottningholm became the first of Sweden’s World Heritage sites in 1991, and most recently the Decorated Farmhouses of H ­ ­ älsingland were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. We hope the book will spark an interest in finding out more and going to visit these fascinating places! Swedish National Heritage Board – www.raa.se I Swedish National Commission for UNESCO – www.unesco.se Swedish Environmental Protection Agency – www.naturvardsverket.se