Let’s investigate the best things to do in Vasteras.
Vasteras, who was born in the Middle Ages on the Svartan River, has spent the last few centuries stumbling down to the picturesque beach of Lake Malaren. By this lovely body of water dotted with tiny islands, new neighborhoods are being developed. The largest inland harbor in Sweden is located there, and family-friendly attractions including a Viking village and an indoor water park have just developed nearby.
Although Vasteras’s historic core underwent renovation in the 1960s, the charming Kyrkbacken neighborhood, a former slum, nevertheless has historical significance. Additionally, you can spend the night in a silver mine, explore an ancient burial site near Anundshog, and get a behind-the-scenes tour of Skultuna, a storied brass foundry that produces fine home furnishings.
1. Anundshog
Sweden’s largest barrow can be found less than 10 kilometers to the east of Vasteras (burial mound). This structure, which is 64 meters wide and nine meters tall, is at least 1500 years old.
It is asserted to be the final resting place of the House of Yngling’s semi-legendary King Bröt-Anund.
At this location on the Badelunda Ridge, humans have been present since at least 2500 BC. Up until the Middle Ages, people came here for “Things” and religious rituals.
Two stone ships at the bottom of the mounds and the Eriksgatan, a line of runestones extending from the east side of the barrow, are connected to these.
This indicates the length of the road that the early Swedish kings had to travel in order to gain the approval of the “lawmakers.”
2. Vasteras Cathedral
The city’s cathedral was dedicated in the 1200s, and numerous additions and renovations have been made since then.
The most recent was in 1958–1961, but there is no shortage of opulent artwork and buildings from the Renaissance and Middle Ages.
The magnificent altar settings were made in 15th-century Lubeck, the Hanseatic League’s capital.
The reputedly insane King Erik XIV is buried at Vasteras Cathedral.
It is said that his tomb, which has a Carrara marble sarcophagus over a sandstone base, was too short for his body and that his feet had to be amputated.
Be on the lookout for the ceramic pulpit, which has an intense yellow-green glaze, among the newer ornamentation from the early 1960s.
3. Vallby Open Air Museum
A traditional Swedish outdoor museum is located along the river from the city center.
Up to 40 historic structures from all throughout the county of Västmanland have been pieced together and transported to this attraction.
A manor house, copper works, a whole town square, a blacksmith, a village school, and a Christian mission building are a few of the attractions.
A picture of everyday life in the past is painted by actors in each of the buildings, and traditional crafts are shown by trained tradespeople.
Children can interact with young goats and lambs at the farmyard and watch the draught horses working in the fields.
The museum’s workshops produce the handicrafts that are sold in the gift shop.
4. Kungsbyn Animal Park
The Kungsbyn Animal Park is a little but well-run zoo that is highly recommended if you’re in Vasteras with young children in your family.
There are several opportunities for young children to interact with both exotic and domestic animals here.
They can meet goats and sheep, take pony rides, and observe the feeding of moose.
Children who are more daring can touch and handle the snakes and iguanas in the terrarium at the wildlife park.
Tractor rides, renting out tiny electric buggies (zooms), and finishing at the park’s inviting restaurant are all available on the side.
5. Kokpunkten Actionbad
You have probably never visited a water park like this, according to our wager.
On the east side of the city, Kokpunkten is an amusement park with eight storeys of slides and pools.
Right on the shore of Lake Mälaren, the imposing structure, which will celebrate its centennial in 2017, is a well-known feature of Vasteras’ urban landscape.
After the factory was shut down in 1992, it was gradually transformed into this special attraction during the 2000s.
Teenagers and the youngest clan members can have fun, but adults can also unwind. This takes the form of saunas and an heated outdoor pool that overlooks the lake on the eighth floor.
6. Engso Castle
You’ll find this antique building if you head west to the magnificent island of Engso.
The oldest floors, from the fifteenth century, are medieval.
The architect Carl Harleman transformed the upper floors into a refined Rococo style in the 18th century.
The castle is owned by a foundation that lets guests view the exquisite 18th-century interiors throughout the summer.
These are embellished with antique furniture, chandeliers, stuccowork, parquet flooring, and paintings from the eighteenth century.
Anders Luxemberg, King Karl XII’s “court dwarf,” is rumored to be among the castle’s gang of ghosts, making it one of Sweden’s most spooky locations.
7. Stromsholm Palace
In the early 19th century, Stromsholm was a popular destination for the Royal Family; nevertheless, for the following 100 years, it served as the Swedish Army’s riding and driving academy.
The palace was built in the sixteenth century, and in 1681, the current Baroque facade was created. The “Gustavian” interiors, which are a bit more recent and originate from the middle of the 1770s, are still exactly as they were when royals like Karl XIV Johan used to take vacations here.
The extensive art collection includes a series of equestrian paintings by the great artist David Klocker Ehrenstrahl from the 17th century.
8. Kyrkbacken
Around the Rudbeckianska Gymnasiet (literally, the Rudbeckian Grammar School), in the northern parts of the town center, is where Vasteras’ most charming ancient neighborhood is located.
In what used to be the city’s more modest neighborhood, one and two-story houses may be found in a maze of alleys.
Up until the middle of the 20th century, this area was a slum; the bourgeois and clerical aristocracy lived there.
The municipal executioner lived there; he was not even permitted to share water with other residents; instead, he was forced to drink from a well that had been maintained as a garden.
Kyrkbacken was spared demolition when the rest of Vasteras received a makeover following World War II and continues to have its charming cobblestone lanes and painted wooden cottages.
9. Vastmanlands County Museum
There is a museum explaining the history and culture of the larger Vastmanland County at Karlsgatan 2 in the heart of Vasteras.
A treasure found in ancient graves outside the city in Badelunda is one of the displays you must see.
It is the largest gold treasure ever discovered in a woman’s grave and dates to around the third century AD. It is made up of bracelets, rings, and necklaces.
You may also discover how pottery is traditionally made, see a medieval wooden home, and browse Stone Age items.
Children are urged to solve problems on their own at all times.
The city’s Art Museum, which hosts transient exhibitions of Swedish and Nordic contemporary art, is housed in the same structure.
10. Botaniska Tradgarden
In a prime spot right next to the cathedral is the oldest garden in Sweden created expressly for botany students (at the Rudbeckianska Gymnasiet).
This well planned garden was created in the middle of the 18th century by a student of the great taxonomist Carl Linnaeus, and all of the species are identified using the system Linnaeus devised.
Summertime, when the garden is at its most colorful and you can bring ice cream or a picnic to enjoy next to the pond, is when it is at its best.
Pick up a map of the garden from the library right next door if there is a specific plant you want to look for.
11. Vasteras Flygmuseum
A 1930s-era Air Force hangar at Vasteras Airport was transformed into an aviation museum in 1997. If you’re interested in aviation, Vasteras has a cave of wonders that not many visitors get to visit.
The hangar is filled with dozens of antique aircraft, at least 40 of which are capable of taking off.
The Convair 440 Metropolitan, a Saab 35 Draken fighter jet that operated up until the 1990s, and a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 are a few noteworthy models. The Swedish Air Force also owns four cutting-edge flight simulators and an old link trainer simulator.
12. Tido Castle
This royal estate, which was more of a palace than a castle, was built in the first part of the 17th century in the Dutch Renaissance style.
Axel Oxenstierner, the Lord High Chancellor and a trusted advisor to King Gustavus Adolphus and later Queen Christina, was its owner at the time.
There is a museum of old toys inside as well as the opulent state residences, which you can enter to tour.
Next to the current structure are the remains of the castle from the fifteenth century.
And for a brief period in the 1530s, Queen Consort Margaret Leijonhufvud, Gustav Vasa’s wife, owned this house.
13. Sala Silvergruva
At this Silver Mine, about 30 minutes north of Vasteras, you can immerse yourself in Swedish history for a unique day trip.
From the 1400s to the 20th century, the mine was in operation sporadically, and during that time, 450 tons of silver were brought to the surface.
The mine’s eerie chambers, which have been shaped over 500 years, will be shown to you on a guided tour.
The length of these visits can vary; the longest one can last up to four hours and descend more than 150 meters.
The year-round average temperature down here is 2°C.
If space is available, you can spend the night in a hotel suite with an extra-thick quilt on the bed that is 155 meters below the surface!
14. Skultuna Brassworks
The Skultuna Brassworks are a short drive north of the city and are another excursion with a metallic theme.
The tour will showcase the numerous exquisite pieces that were developed and forged on the premises of this workshop, which has been in operation since 1607.
Hjalmar Norrström, a 19th-century industrial designer whose handcrafted ornaments were given as formal gifts by Sweden’s kings, is one of its most well-known designers.
One of his most well-known works is a brass baptismal font that is on display at the brassworks and won a Gold Medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition.
In addition to a large outlet store with Skultuna home goods and other Swedish designer homeware brands, there is a cafe along the river.
15. Frosakers Brygga
As we’ve seen, Västers has a rich Viking background, which is brought to life at a family amusement park east of the city.
25 wooden vessels, including exact reproductions of longships and reconstructions of historic ships like a 14th-century Hanseatic commerce vessel found in Skanör harbor in 1991, are docked at the lake. A historically realistic Viking hall is located on dry land.
This is the focal point of a community where visitors can learn the basics of making beer, flatbread over a blazing fire, sailing, rowing, sailing races, testing their archery prowess, and using a catapult.
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