Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Storatorget
For a provincial place, Härnösand reeks of grandeur and self-importance, each of its
proud civic buildings a marker of the confidence the town exudes. The main square,
Storatorget
, was once declared by local worthies as the most beautiful in Sweden
and it's easy to see why: its western edge is proudly given over to the governor's
residence, built in Neoclassical style by the court architect, Olof Tempelman, using
local brick.
Konsthall
Arts Centre • Storatorget 2 • June-Aug Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-3pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri 8am-5pm • Free
Inside the Neo-Renaissance former provincial government building, on the
southwestern edge of Storatorget, you'll find both the town's tourist office (see
opposite) and the
Konsthall
, whose small collection of contemporary Swedish art is
worth a quick glance on your way in and out of the tourist office.
7
Domkyrkan
Franzéngatan 14 • Daily 10am-4pm
From Storatorget take a stroll up Västra Kyrkogatan to the heights of the Neoclassical
Domkyrkan
, the smallest cathedral in the country. Dating from the 1840s, it
incorporates elements from earlier churches on the site; the Baroque altar is from the
eighteenth century, as are the VIP boxes in the nave.
Östanbäcksgatan
From the Domkyrkan, turn right and follow the road round and back down the
hill until you come to the narrow old street of
Östanbäcksgatan
, with its pretty
painted wooden houses from the 1730s. This is one of the oldest parts of town,
Östanbäcken, where the houses were among the first to be built after the
Russian incursions.
Rådhuset
For a taste of the town's architectural splendour, take a walk up the hilly main street,
Nybrogatan
, to its junction with Storgatan: the Neoclassical pastel orange
Rådhuset
here, complete with white semicircular portico, originally served as a school and home
to the diocesan governors. While further up the hill, at the corner of Brunnshusgatan,
the headquarters of the regional administration is particularly beautiful, housed in a
Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau building with a yellow ochre facade. From the top of
Nybrogatan, there are good
views
back over the town and the water.
Murberget
Late June to early Aug Tues-Sun 11am-4pm • Free •
W
murberget.se • It's a 30min walk up here from the town centre, or, alternatively,
buses #2 and #52 run from Nybrogatan in front of the Rådhuset
Whilst in town it's worth retracing your steps back down Nybrogatan to the train
station, from where Stationsgatan (turning into Varvsallén) turns right, passing through
the docks on its way to the impressive
open-air museum
at
Murberget
, the second
biggest in Sweden after Skansen (see p.58).
The first building to take up its location here was a bell tower, which was moved from
the village of Ullånger on the High Coast to its current position in 1913. There are
around eighty other buildings, most notably traditional Ångermanland farmhouses and
the old Murberget church, once a popular venue for local weddings. Look out for the
Rysstugan
, the one and only wooden building to escape the devastating fire caused by the
