Öland is just a short drive away from Kalmar, across the 6 kms long Öland Bridge. The island is 137 km long and 4 to 16 kms wide.
Attractions include 400 windmills, 34 churches, 16 ancient fortifications, 34 orchid species, the highest lighthouse in Sweden and the largest windmill in Scandinavia, one of Europe's longest bridges, the largest castle ruin in northern Europe, the Alvaret - a bare limestone biotype not found anywhere else in the world - a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Öland is one of Sweden's main vacation areas and has more sun than any other Swedish province. There are lots of restaurants and plenty to see and do. For detailed information see www.olandsturist.se
A UNESCO World Heritage site
On Öland, there are places that are important from a conservation point of view, such as the Great Alvar Plain (Stora Alvaret). The flora is exceptional and animals unique and Öland is the only place in the world where they can be found. The linear village, the cultivated land and the grazed land together form a whole, which constitutes a world heritage, "The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland".
The southern part of the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea is dominated by a vast limestone plateau. Human beings have lived here for some five thousand years and adapted their way of life to the physical constraints of the island. As a consequence, the landscape is unique, with abundant evidence of continuous human settlement from prehistoric times to the present day.
The landscape of Southern Öland takes its contemporary form from its long cultural history, adapting to the physical constraints of the geology and topography. It is is an outstanding example of human settlement, making the optimum use of diverse landscape types on a single island.
Eketorp Fort
On Öland, there are 19 known prehistoric forts dating back to the Iron Age when Öland was very rich and densely populated. The flat landscape gav few possibilities for protection and therefore the ring fort, which is very typical for Öland, was constructed.
Eketorp is the only fort that has been totally excavated. This was done between 1964 and 1974 by the National Heritage Board. The excavations revealed that the fort had had three significant settlement phases, two during the Iron Age and one during the Middle Ages.
Eketorp is a reconstruction of a fortified settlement Photos: Kalmar Turistbyrå/kalmar Kommun and Ölandsturist AB