Visingsö
Encyclopedia
Visingsö is an island
in the southern half of the lake Vättern
in Sweden
.
Visingsö lies 30 km north of the city Jönköping
and 6 km west of Gränna
from which two car ferries connects the island. The island is 14 km long and 3 km wide, with a total area of 24 km².
According to legend
, a Giant
named Vist created Visingsö by throwing a lump of soil into the lake so that his wife could use it to step over the lake.
Furthermore, in the 17th century the influential Brahe family
resided in Visingsborg, a castle on the eastern side of the island.
Both Näs Castle and Visingsborg are presently ruins and well known landmarks of Visingsö.
The Swedish Navy
planted oak
trees on the island in the 19th century to provide strategically important timber for future ship construction. The timber is now ready but no longer required for ship construction. Consequently, Visingsö is partially covered by oak forests, the rest being farmland.
Panorama over Visingsö from Brahehus
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the southern half of the lake Vättern
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
in 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....
.
Visingsö lies 30 km north of the city Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
and 6 km west of Gränna
Gränna
Gränna is a locality situated in Jönköping Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 2,578 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated in Småland on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern, about 35 km north of Jönköping....
from which two car ferries connects the island. The island is 14 km long and 3 km wide, with a total area of 24 km².
According to legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
, a Giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
named Vist created Visingsö by throwing a lump of soil into the lake so that his wife could use it to step over the lake.
History
In the 12th and 13th century, Näs Castle on the southern end of Visingsö was the residence for the fragile Swedish monarchy. Four Swedish kings died there: Karl Sverkersson, Erik Knutsson, Johan Sverkersson, and Magnus Ladulås.Furthermore, in the 17th century the influential Brahe family
Brahe
Brahe is the name of a Scanian noble family that was influential in both Danish and Swedish history but has its family roots in Swedish origin. The first member of the family is speculated to have been Verner Braghde from Halland. Better documented is Peder Axelsen Brahe who appears in late 14th...
resided in Visingsborg, a castle on the eastern side of the island.
Both Näs Castle and Visingsborg are presently ruins and well known landmarks of Visingsö.
The Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
planted oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees on the island in the 19th century to provide strategically important timber for future ship construction. The timber is now ready but no longer required for ship construction. Consequently, Visingsö is partially covered by oak forests, the rest being farmland.
Brahehus
The ruins of Brahehus Castle are situated outside Gränna in Jönköping County in the province of Småland, Sweden. From the ruins you have a fantastic view of lakes Vättern and Visingsö. Built for Count Per Brahe the Younger in the 1640s, the castle is now close to the E4 highway....