The Swedish Värmland region is covered with spruce and pine and crisscrossed with narrow lakes and rivers. The Klarälven river is among its most beautiful. Here, we take you along one of the most beautiful rivers in Sweden.
The river begins turbulently in Norway, where it is called Trysilelva, but gradually becomes broader, winding and sluggish before emptying into Lake Vänern near the province’s largest town Karlstad.
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Highlights of Karlstad include the cathedral from 1930, the longest arched stone bridge in Sweden (168m/550ft), and a popular park, Mariebergsskogen. The Klarälven was the last Swedish river used for floating logs. The practice ended in 1991, but in Dyrälevn, 17km (10 miles north of Karlstad), the Dyvelsten Flottningsmuesum (Dyvelsten Log Rafting Museum) once showed how it was done. The future of the museum is uncertain (July 2021). However, you can still drift down the gentle Klarälven yourself on self-assembled raft.
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At Ransäter, 40km (25 miles) north of Karlstad, on the Klarälven, the Hembygdsgården (Heritage Village) includes museums devoted to mining, forestry, agriculture and rural life, which paint a fascinating picture of the Värmland of yesteryear.
Related: The Great Lakes in Sweden
Ransäter hosts an annual Scandinavian folk music festival in July.
One of the Most Beautiful Rivers in Sweden, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top) Photo by visithagfors.se