Sweden, even though it’s a small country, is known for several achievements. However, many people don’t realize that this country is high on the UNESCO list of countries with World Heritage Sites. Sweden has 15 UNESCO sites in different parts of the country considered incredible value to humanity. Here are 8 UNESCO sites you must see In Sweden.
These sites are listed with some of the most popular sites globally, such as the Great Wall of China, Egypt’s Pyramid, the Acropolis, and other remarkable locations in the world. This article discusses a few of these UNESCO sites in Sweden.
Royal Domain Of Drottningholm
This has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. Located in Lake Malar, on an island within the suburb of Stockholm, this 1766-built theatre, well-preserved castle, and Chinese pavilion is one of the best examples of the northern European royal residence in the 18th century. The design of this castle was inspired by the Rococo and Baroque styles that were trendy at the time and the Palace of Versailles.
This castle remains the private residence of the royal family of Sweden today. However, visitors have free entry to the building and the significant parts, such as the reception halls.
Naval Port Of Karlskrona
This site is situated in the southern part of Sweden and dates as far back as 1680. This well-preserved naval port is an excellent example of what a European naval town looked like in the 17th century. There are not many dockyards anywhere, with docks and buildings explicitly designed for constructing sailing warships. This is what you have in the Naval Port of Karlskrona.
This port is built with fortifications, harbor, naval dockyard, with several installations in different parts of the historic town. Karlskrona city has many places for people to stay and is very accommodating with the sea view. Visitors also have a variety of bars, cafes, and restaurants to choose from.
Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland
Öland, a famous city off the southeastern coast of Sweden, is a well-known summer destination. This island is also where the summer residence of Sweden’s royal family is located, so you should not be surprised if you run into one of them in this city during the summer.
The southern part of this city has a large limestone plateau dominating that part of the land with a relatively dry climate. While these physical constraints exist, this land has been inhabited by people that have adapted their life to this island for 5000 years. According to custom essay writing, you can reach this island from Kalmar via a six-kilometer bridge.
Birka and Hovgarden
These are two distinct islands, the Adelson Island, and Bjorko Island. This island jointly occupies a well-preserved archaeological site where you can find some of the traces from the Viking age in this region. Birka was a significant town within Europe at the time because of its trading and commercial activities. It also hosted the first Christian gathering in Sweden in 831, led by St. Ansgar. It also has a museum, prototypes of old houses, and many facilities around this site for visitors. However, the archeological site itself doesn’t have any buildings.
Church Town Of Gammelstad, Lulea
Lulea, a famous city in the northern part of Sweden, is known to house one of the most-preserved church towns in the world. Church town is a type of unique village found around the north of Scandinavia. It is made of wooden houses to house worshippers from very distant places and face unpleasant travel conditions. These houses were used mainly on Sundays and when there are religious festivals. The town of Lulea still has 434 wooden houses in existence from the 15th century when the church built them.
Engelsberg Ironworks
This is the most complete and best-preserved example of ironworks in Sweden. In the 17th & 18th centuries, Sweden was a significant force in ironworks production, and this site shows how they did it. The residential, administrative, and technological buildings were conserved and remained in their original state. So, this smelting house from the 18th century, along with all of its associated installations from that period, are very intact. Together, they give the full detail of the technology and equipment of Sweden’s traditional jarnbruk.
Tanum rock carvings
Tanum has several intriguing rock carvings which have landed it its spot on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, and these carvings are an excellent example of artwork from the Bronze Age. In the Bohuslan region in western Sweden, there are about 1500 well-documented rock carving sites. This includes the tanum rock carvings where the inhabitants at the time carved different images on the many smooth rocks on the landscape. An example of the most famous carvings from this period is the Vitlycke carving which depicts a bridal couple. You can explore these rock carvings through a six-kilometer-marked pathway.
Laponian area
The Laponian area is located in the north of Sweden, just over the Arctic Circle, encompasses many national parks, and is home to the indigenous people of Lapp and Sami. This area is one of the largest areas and the last one where evidence of ancestral life was found in the world based on seasonal livestock movement (reindeer – which is still practiced to date). Although this area is under threat from the conveniences of the modern world like motor vehicles, most of it is still intact.
UNESCO Sites You Must See In Sweden – Conclusion
There are no less than 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sweden, and only a few of those are mentioned in this article. Some of the others are the Hanseatic town of Visby, the high coast, the grimeton radio station, and decorated farmhouses of halsingland.
UNESCO Sites You Must See In Sweden is written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian by Charlie Svensson. Charlie is a fast, engaging freelance writer. Skilled in content writing and blogging. The favorite topics of his posts are education, social media, marketing, SEO, motivation blogging and self-growth. Excellent adaptability of skills to reach diverse audiences.
Feature image (on top): Laponian area, photo by Natural World Heritage Sites