Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A VIKING VISIT IN BIRKA
May-Sep), on Björkö in Lake Mälaren, makes a fantastic day trip. A Unesco World Heritage
Site, it was founded as a village around AD 760 with the intention of expanding and con-
trolling trade in the region.
The village attracted merchants and craft workers, and the population quickly grew to
about 700. A large defensive fort with thick dry-stone ramparts was constructed next to
the village. In 830 the Benedictine monk Ansgar was sent to Birka by the Holy Roman
Emperor to convert the heathen Vikings to Christianity; he hung around for 18 months.
Birka was abandoned in the late 10th century when Sigtuna took over the role of com-
mercial centre.
The village site is surrounded by the largest Viking-age cemetery in Scandinavia, with
around 3000 graves. Most people were cremated, then mounds of earth were piled over
the remains, but some Christian coffins and chambered tombs have been found. The fort
and harbour have also been excavated. A cross to the memory of St Ansgar can be seen
on top of a nearby hill.
Exhibits at the brilliant
Birka Museum
( 08-560 514 45; 11am-3pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm
Sat & Sun) include finds from the excavations, copies of the most magnificent objects, and
an interesting model of the village in Viking times.
Round-trip cruises to Birka on Strömma Kanalbolaget's Victoriafrom Stadshusbron in
central Stockholm make for a full day's outing (and are the only way to reach the site).
The cruise price (Skr360) includes a visit to the Birka Museum and a guided tour in Eng-
lish of the settlement's burial mounds and fortifications. Ferries run from early May to
mid-September, departing from Stadshusbron in Stockholm at 10am. (No ferries run
during the Midsummer holidays.)
Kapellskär
Kapellskär is so tiny it can't really even be described as a village - there's little to it except
for a campsite, a hostel and a large ferry terminal. The coastline, however, is spectacular,
dotted with small, still-working fishing villages, and the surrounding countryside is de-
lightfully pastoral. Most people come here for ferry connections to Finland and Estonia.
