Ekerö Municipality
Encyclopedia
Ekerö Municipality is a municipality
in Stockholm County
in east central Sweden
. The name comes from the island Ekerö
, and literally means "Oak Island". Its seat is located in the town of Ekerö
.
Ekerö is the only municipality in the Lake Mälaren
region composed exclusively of islands. Land elevation
has reduced the number of islands to 140, the largest of which, distinguished on the map below, are Adelsö
, Munsö
, Ekerö
, Färingsö
, and Lovö
. 2000 years ago, during the Roman Iron Age
, Färingsö was more of an archipelago of 20 islands.
Originally, when the first local government acts were implemented in Sweden in 1863, eight rural municipalities were created, each corresponding to an old parish
. The municipal reform of 1952 grouped them in two new larger entities. The next reform in 1971 merged them into the present municipality.
World Heritage Site
s. One is Birka
, an old Viking Age
village, and the other is Drottningholm Palace
and its surroundings.
Drottningholm, located on the Lovön
island, was originally a Renaissance
palace built by King John III
for Queen Catherine Jagellon. Starting in 1661, Queen Dowager Hedvig Eleonora had the old neglected palace rebuilt into a new French Baroque
palace to the design of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder
, a work later completed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
, Carl Hårleman
, and Jean Eric Rehn. Since 1984 it is the official residence of the Royal Family
, but large parts of the park are accessible to the public. The palace features several uniquely preserved structures, including the Palace Theatre
, inaugurated in 1766 and still delivering operas using the preserved original machinery; and the Chinese Pavilion
, the Rococo design of Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz
filled with Chinese luxury delivered by the Swedish East India Company
.
Birka on the Björkö
island is the oldest urban structure in Sweden, founded in the mid 8th century. In the 9th century, Ansgar
, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, made two failed attempts to convert its inhabitants. The settlement was finally abandoned in the late 10th century for unknown reasons. The excavations of the approximately 1.100 graves in the area started in 1871 and have continued since. A museum was create in 1995, and in summers various boats carry large numbers of tourists to the island.
On the Adelsö
Island is Hovgården
, together with Birka a world heritage site, featuring barrows, thick walls, and runestones. There is also Alsnö hus
, the ruins of the summer residence of Magnus Barnlock
were the Ordinance of Alsnö
created the foundation of Swedish nobility
, and a romanesque church from the 12th century.
Next to the royal palace is the residential area Drottningholmsmalmen ("Drottningholm Ridge/Esker
") which draws its history back to the Torvesund manor built in 1579-80 and which served as a place of refuge for the Jesuits following the Reformation
. During the 18th century, soldiers, carpenters and other craftsmen working at the royal palace settled in the area. Intentions were to develop it into a suburb to the palace like at the Versailles Palace, and this end the area was granted the status of a city to attract entrepreneurs and artists to the royal court. During the reign of King Gustav III had several building erected, including the Långa raden (the "Long Row") to accommodate the royal body guard. By 1815 78 properties existed in the area. However, it failed to develop in the direction sketched-out by the Gustav III, and instead evolved into a summer residence area inhabited by wealthy burghers, the large-scales villas in a wide range of styles have given the area its characteristics. In the middle of the 20th century several buildings by well-known Swedish architects, including Nils Tesch, Ralph erskine
, Peter Celsing
and Bengt Lindroos
, were added.
Kanton is a group of 20 buildings next to the Chinese Pavilion
built in the 1750s and 1760s intended to be a mercantile
prototype settlement. 70-80 people lived there for a few decades producing luxury items for the royal court and the nobility, including some of the interior of the China Pavillin. The buildings later inspired author Elsa Beskow
to some of her fairy tales.
Kungshatt ("King's Hat") is a rocky island south of Lovön where, according to a legend, a king Erik Väderhatt ("Eric Weather Hat"), so named because of his fortune with the winds which he could foretell with his hat, escaped his enemies by jumping from the cliff with his horse. The location for this event was furnished with a copper hat, now substituted with an iron hat.
Svartsjö Palace
was originally a Folkung
mansion. The palace King Gustav Vasa
and his sons had built here was destroyed by fire in 1687. The Rococo palace, built 1735-39 to the design of Carl Hårleman
and later expanded by Queen Louisa Ulrika
, was neglected for centuries before being restored. Its Baroque
and English garden
s are preserved.
The Hilleshög Church is a mostly Romanesque
edifice, built in granite
and brick
, with some parts from the 17th and 18th centuries and later additions. Many of the paintings in the interior, dating back to the end of 13th century and they early 15th century, were painted over in the 18th century but were restored in the 1920s and in 2002, together with some of the furniture.
Ekebyhov Palace is a mansion created around 1630. Its main building is a wooden structure begun in 1674 and completed in 1704. The gardens of the palace boasts several unique plants and features a café. It is owned by the municipality.
Skytteholm was one of the mansions Johan Skytte
, mentor of King Gustav II Adolphus
, had built in the Lake Mälaren region. Founded in 1631, its present appearance is mostly from around 1920. It is today mostly used for conferences.
In the 1950s, ancient remains were found on the island of Helgö
. The excavations that followed unveiled eight groups of buildings and objects from Ireland
, Egypt
, and India
dating back to the 8th century offering a hint of the extent of the trade of the era. The settlement is, however, believed to be considerably older and have reached its peak around 500-600 CE. On Helgö is also the Kaggeholm Palace, with a history stretching back to 1370, the palace was built in the 1720s.
The Barrow of Björn Ironside
on Munsö
Island is part of the Iron Age
grave field Munsö-Husby. On Munsö is also Munsö Church, one of three round church
es in the Stockholm area. Probably built in 1187, it contains several medieval wooden sculptures.
. All bus routes have connection with the Stockholm metro
at Brommaplan.
south-west of Stockholm.
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
in Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
in east central Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The name comes from the island Ekerö
Ekerö
Ekerö is a locality and the seat of Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 10,322 inhabitants in 2005.Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA fame lives on the island ....
, and literally means "Oak Island". Its seat is located in the town of Ekerö
Ekerö
Ekerö is a locality and the seat of Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 10,322 inhabitants in 2005.Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA fame lives on the island ....
.
Ekerö is the only municipality in the Lake Mälaren
Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
region composed exclusively of islands. Land elevation
Post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound is the rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, through a process known as isostasy...
has reduced the number of islands to 140, the largest of which, distinguished on the map below, are Adelsö
Adelsö
Adelsö is an island in the middle of Lake Mälaren in Sweden, near southern and northern Björkfjärden. The administrative center of the important Viking settlement Birka was situated at Hovgården on Adelsö.-Geography:...
, Munsö
Munsö
Munsö is a village and a former island in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden. Because of post-glacial rebound, this island in Lake Mälaren is now connected to the island Ekerö.The village has a 12th-century round church....
, Ekerö
Ekerö
Ekerö is a locality and the seat of Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 10,322 inhabitants in 2005.Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA fame lives on the island ....
, Färingsö
Färingsö
Färingsö or Svartsjölandet is an island in Sweden's Lake Mälaren. It covers an area of 79km². The island is a part of Ekerö Municipality. The largest village on the island is Stenhamra. The island is also named after the village of Svartsjö....
, and Lovö
Lövo
- External links :*...
. 2000 years ago, during the Roman Iron Age
Roman Iron Age
The Roman Iron Age is the name that Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius gave to a part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands....
, Färingsö was more of an archipelago of 20 islands.
Originally, when the first local government acts were implemented in Sweden in 1863, eight rural municipalities were created, each corresponding to an old parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. The municipal reform of 1952 grouped them in two new larger entities. The next reform in 1971 merged them into the present municipality.
Heritage
The municipality contains two UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s. One is Birka
Birka
During the Viking Age, Birka , on the island of Björkö in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö...
, an old Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
village, and the other is Drottningholm Palace
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. It is built on the island Lovön , and is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces. It was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a residence of the Swedish royal court for most of...
and its surroundings.
Drottningholm, located on the Lovön
Lovön
Lovön is an island located in the Swedish Lake Mälaren in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County. It was a municipality of its own until 1952, when it was joined with Ekerö Municipality. Lovön's greatest attraction is Drottningholm Palace and its many public gardens, which were built on the island...
island, was originally a Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
palace built by King John III
John III of Sweden
-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
for Queen Catherine Jagellon. Starting in 1661, Queen Dowager Hedvig Eleonora had the old neglected palace rebuilt into a new French Baroque
French Baroque architecture
French Baroque is a form of Baroque architecture that evolved in France during the reigns of Louis XIII , Louis XIV and Louis XV...
palace to the design of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder
Nicodemus Tessin the Elder
Nicodemus Tessin the Elder was an important Swedish architect.-Biography:Nicodemus Tessin was born in Stralsund in Pomerania and came to Sweden as a young man. There he met and worked with the architect Simon de la Vallée...
, a work later completed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle-most generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which have had a lasting influence on...
, Carl Hårleman
Carl Hårleman
Baron Carl Hårleman was a Swedish architect.Hårleman was born in Stockholm, son of the garden architect and head of the royal parks and gardens Johan Hårleman, who hade been ennobled in 1698, and began his architectural training under Göran Josua Adelcrantz...
, and Jean Eric Rehn. Since 1984 it is the official residence of the Royal Family
Swedish Royal Family
The Swedish Royal Family since 1818 consists of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. They are entitled to royal titles and style , and some perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state...
, but large parts of the park are accessible to the public. The palace features several uniquely preserved structures, including the Palace Theatre
Drottningholm Palace Theatre
The Drottningholm Palace Theatre is an opera house located at Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, which has been described by Per-Erik Öhrn, the theatre’s former artistic director, as "the Swedish jewel in our European cultural heritage crown of centuries-old theatres".Currently the...
, inaugurated in 1766 and still delivering operas using the preserved original machinery; and the Chinese Pavilion
Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm
The Chinese Pavilion , located on the grounds of the Drottningholm Palace park, is a Chinese-inspired royal pavilion built in 1753. The pavilion is currently one of Sweden's Royal Palaces....
, the Rococo design of Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz
Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz
Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz was a Swedish architect and civil servant. Adelcrantz's style developed from a rococo influenced by Carl Hårleman, the leading architect in Sweden in the early years of his career, to a classical idiom influenced by the stylistic developments in France in the mid-to-late...
filled with Chinese luxury delivered by the Swedish East India Company
Swedish East India Company
The Swedish East India Company was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1731 for the purpose of conducting trade with the Far East...
.
Birka on the Björkö
Björkö
Björkö can signify:# In Sweden:## Björkö, a Lake Mälaren island in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, the location for the excavation and World Heritage Site Birka....
island is the oldest urban structure in Sweden, founded in the mid 8th century. In the 9th century, Ansgar
Ansgar
Saint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. The see of Hamburg was designated a "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North".-Life:After his mother’s early death Ansgar was brought up in Corbie Abbey, and made rapid...
, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, made two failed attempts to convert its inhabitants. The settlement was finally abandoned in the late 10th century for unknown reasons. The excavations of the approximately 1.100 graves in the area started in 1871 and have continued since. A museum was create in 1995, and in summers various boats carry large numbers of tourists to the island.
Other notable historical sites
Other historical sights of interest are several runestones and other Viking remains, eight medieval churches, and old towns.Adelsö
Adelsö is an island in the middle of Lake Mälaren in Sweden, near southern and northern Björkfjärden. The administrative center of the important Viking settlement Birka was situated at Hovgården on Adelsö.-Geography:...
Island is Hovgården
Hovgården
Hovgården is an archaeological site on the Lake Mälaren island of Adelsö in Ekerö Municipality in central-eastern Sweden. During the Viking Age, the centre of the prospering Mälaren Valley was the settlement Birka, founded in the mid-8th century and abandoned in the late 10th century and located...
, together with Birka a world heritage site, featuring barrows, thick walls, and runestones. There is also Alsnö hus
Alsnö hus
Alsnö hus are the ruins of an old castle and a palace at the Hovgården settlement. It is located on Adelsö island, in Lake Mälaren in central-eastern Sweden...
, the ruins of the summer residence of Magnus Barnlock
Magnus III of Sweden
Magnus III Ladulås of Sweden, Swedish: Magnus Birgersson or Magnus Ladulås was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290....
were the Ordinance of Alsnö
Ordinance of Alsnö
The Ordinance of Alsnö is an act by king Magnus Ladulås of Sweden, probably produced in Alsnö hus in September 1280, giving exemption from land taxation to those nobles who committed to produce a heavy cavalryman to the king's service. This established the frälse, the tax-exempt secular nobility...
created the foundation of Swedish nobility
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility were historically a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, part of the so-called frälse . Today, the nobility is still very much a part of Swedish society but they do not maintain many of their former privileges...
, and a romanesque church from the 12th century.
Next to the royal palace is the residential area Drottningholmsmalmen ("Drottningholm Ridge/Esker
Esker
An esker is a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North America...
") which draws its history back to the Torvesund manor built in 1579-80 and which served as a place of refuge for the Jesuits following the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. During the 18th century, soldiers, carpenters and other craftsmen working at the royal palace settled in the area. Intentions were to develop it into a suburb to the palace like at the Versailles Palace, and this end the area was granted the status of a city to attract entrepreneurs and artists to the royal court. During the reign of King Gustav III had several building erected, including the Långa raden (the "Long Row") to accommodate the royal body guard. By 1815 78 properties existed in the area. However, it failed to develop in the direction sketched-out by the Gustav III, and instead evolved into a summer residence area inhabited by wealthy burghers, the large-scales villas in a wide range of styles have given the area its characteristics. In the middle of the 20th century several buildings by well-known Swedish architects, including Nils Tesch, Ralph erskine
Ralph Erskine
Ralph Erskine is the name of:*Ralph Erskine , British-Swedish architect*Ralph Erskine , the 18th century Scottish clergyman...
, Peter Celsing
Peter Celsing
Peter Celsing was a Swedish modernist architect.Celsing studied at the architectural school of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. He later became professor of architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology...
and Bengt Lindroos
Bengt Lindroos
Bengt Ingmar Lindroos was a Swedish architect. He designed the Kaknästornet television tower in 1967. Lindroos started drafting houses for a local builder at the age of 17 years and received his formal education at the Royal Institute of Technology from 1942-45.After being employed by Sven...
, were added.
Kanton is a group of 20 buildings next to the Chinese Pavilion
Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm
The Chinese Pavilion , located on the grounds of the Drottningholm Palace park, is a Chinese-inspired royal pavilion built in 1753. The pavilion is currently one of Sweden's Royal Palaces....
built in the 1750s and 1760s intended to be a mercantile
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
prototype settlement. 70-80 people lived there for a few decades producing luxury items for the royal court and the nobility, including some of the interior of the China Pavillin. The buildings later inspired author Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow was a Swedish author and illustrator of children's books...
to some of her fairy tales.
Kungshatt ("King's Hat") is a rocky island south of Lovön where, according to a legend, a king Erik Väderhatt ("Eric Weather Hat"), so named because of his fortune with the winds which he could foretell with his hat, escaped his enemies by jumping from the cliff with his horse. The location for this event was furnished with a copper hat, now substituted with an iron hat.
Svartsjö Palace
Svartsjö Palace is a palace situated in Svartsjö on the island of Färingsö in lake Mälaren. It is a 30 minute car ride from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.-History:...
was originally a Folkung
Folkung
In modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites:# The medieval "House of Bjelbo" in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings....
mansion. The palace King Gustav Vasa
Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
and his sons had built here was destroyed by fire in 1687. The Rococo palace, built 1735-39 to the design of Carl Hårleman
Carl Hårleman
Baron Carl Hårleman was a Swedish architect.Hårleman was born in Stockholm, son of the garden architect and head of the royal parks and gardens Johan Hårleman, who hade been ennobled in 1698, and began his architectural training under Göran Josua Adelcrantz...
and later expanded by Queen Louisa Ulrika
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
, was neglected for centuries before being restored. Its Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
and English garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
s are preserved.
The Hilleshög Church is a mostly Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
edifice, built in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, with some parts from the 17th and 18th centuries and later additions. Many of the paintings in the interior, dating back to the end of 13th century and they early 15th century, were painted over in the 18th century but were restored in the 1920s and in 2002, together with some of the furniture.
Ekebyhov Palace is a mansion created around 1630. Its main building is a wooden structure begun in 1674 and completed in 1704. The gardens of the palace boasts several unique plants and features a café. It is owned by the municipality.
Skytteholm was one of the mansions Johan Skytte
Johan Skytte
Johan Skytte was a Swedish politician.Skytte was son of the Mayor of Nyköping, Bengt Nilsson Skräddare...
, mentor of King Gustav II Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, had built in the Lake Mälaren region. Founded in 1631, its present appearance is mostly from around 1920. It is today mostly used for conferences.
Helgö
Helgö is an island in Ekerö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden. Helgö is an island situated in Lake Mälaren. The island's greatest width is about 1.5 km, it is about 5 km long and covers 48 hectares. -Excavations at Helgo :...
. The excavations that followed unveiled eight groups of buildings and objects from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
dating back to the 8th century offering a hint of the extent of the trade of the era. The settlement is, however, believed to be considerably older and have reached its peak around 500-600 CE. On Helgö is also the Kaggeholm Palace, with a history stretching back to 1370, the palace was built in the 1720s.
The Barrow of Björn Ironside
Björn Ironside
Björn Ironside was a semi-legendary king of Sweden who would have lived sometime in the 9th century. Björn Ironside is said to have been the first ruler of a new dynasty...
on Munsö
Munsö
Munsö is a village and a former island in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden. Because of post-glacial rebound, this island in Lake Mälaren is now connected to the island Ekerö.The village has a 12th-century round church....
Island is part of the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
grave field Munsö-Husby. On Munsö is also Munsö Church, one of three round church
Round church
A round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. Round churches are often found in Sweden and Denmark and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.Round churches should not be confused with the older types of...
es in the Stockholm area. Probably built in 1187, it contains several medieval wooden sculptures.
Nature
There are several outdoor activities that can be enjoyed, such as fishing and bicycling, as the nature is always nearby. Each of the islands also offers distinctive experiences and sights.Public transport
Ekerö is served by the Stockholm public transport systemPublic transport in Stockholm
Public transport in Stockholm consists of bus, metro, regional/suburban rail, light rail, tram and archipelago boat operation in Stockholm County, Sweden. The bus and rail is organized by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik , SL, which is owned by the Stockholm County Council...
. All bus routes have connection with the Stockholm metro
Stockholm Metro
The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...
at Brommaplan.
Roads
The county road 261 offers connection to motorists from Brommaplan and other western suburbs of Stockholm. There is only one bridge connecting the municipality with the mainland, but there is also a car ferry taking motorists to Botkyrka MunicipalityBotkyrka Municipality
Botkyrka Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the town of Tumba....
south-west of Stockholm.
External links
- Ekerö Municipality - Official site