Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kvarnholmen, Kalmar's Town Center
Today, downtown Kalmar is on the island of Kvarnholmen. Get your bearings
with the following walk, and then—if you're interested—dig into its mu-
seums.
Kvarnholmen Self-Guided Walk
—Most action centers on the lively,
restaurant-and-café-lined square called
Larmtorget,
a few steps uphill from
the train station. This is the most inviting square in town for outdoor din-
ing—scout your options for dinner later tonight. The fountain depicts David
standing triumphantly over the slain Goliath—a thinly veiled allusion to King
Gustav Vasa, who defeated the Danes (the fountain's reliefs depict his arrival
in Kalmar in 1520). The area just to the north, up Larmgatan, is a charming
old quarter (with a restored old water tower and the historic Västerport gate)
that's worth exploring.
But for now, we'll stroll straight through town on the main pedestrian
shopping street,
Storgatan.
Because Kvarnholmen is a planned Renaissance
town (built after the devastating 1647 fire consumed the Old Town), it's laid
out on a regular grid plan. This uniformity makes it a bit less appealing than it
could be, and a 1960s push to “modernize” the town stripped away whatever
Old World character the place once enjoyed. Still, the lack of traffic on most
