Page 135 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sweden

EASTERN SVEALAND  133

5 Norrtälje 6 Skokloster
Uppland. * 18,000. @ 676 from Uppland. Tel 08­402 30 70. £ SL train
Stockholm. n Lilla Brogatan 3, from Stockholm to Bålsta, then bus
0767­650 660.  _ Norrtälje 311. 4 from Uppsala. Open May &
Blues & Rock Festival (late Jul). Sep: 11am–4pm Sat & Sun; Jun–Aug:
∑ norrtalje.se 11am–5pm daily. & 8 - =
An idyllic town, built of wood, One of the best preserved
Norrtälje is the natural hub of Baroque castles in Europe,
Roslagen, the area which covers Skokloster, on Lake Mälaren,
large parts of the Uppland coast. contains a unique collection
Norrtälje received its town of furniture, art, weapons,
Albert Engström’s studio on the granite charter from Gustav II Adolf in textiles and books. Construction
cliffs outside Grisslehamn 1622, when an important was started in 1654 for army
armaments factory was commander Carl Gustav
4 Grisslehamn established here. In the second Wrangel, who accumulated
half of the 19th century, the incredible treasures during
Uppland. * 250. @ 637 from
Norrtälje.  _ Postrodden boat town became a seaside resort, the Thirty Years War (1618–48).
race to Åland (Jun). not least due to the health­ This magnificent building was
giving properties of the mud a way for Wrangel to show off
The choppy Åland Sea found in Norrtälje Bay. his success, but he only
constantly batters the red Thousands of summer ever lived here for a few
granite cliffs of northern Väddö residents from Stockholm still weeks. Time seems
at Grisslehamn. This is the closest head for Norrtälje. The town to have stood
point in Sweden to Finland and centre and the buildings along still at the
the reason for the town’s the Norrtäljeån castle: the
existence. Today’s ferry crossing river retain their Banquet Hall,
to Eckerö takes only two hours, 18th­century for example,
but things were much tougher features. The church remains
in the 17th and 18th centuries was built in 1726 incomplete,
when this was the main link and the town hall dates with all the tools
with the eastern outposts of from 1792. Attractions lying where the
the Swedish empire. Until 1876, include Roslagsmuseet Viking ship in Norrtälje craftsmen left
the post was rowed across the in the old armaments them. The most
water by local fishermen in factory, focusing on seafaring sumptuous rooms are the
open boats. To commemorate and coastal life. Pythagoras is armoury and library.
the “post rowers”, a race is held an unusual museum in a former Next to the castle is Sweden’s
across the Åland Sea every year diesel engine factory and one second oldest brick church.
in similar boats. of Sweden’s best preserved Built in the 13th century for
Today, apart from those industrial relics. nuns of the Cistercian order, it
making the ferry crossing, still contains a 13th­century
the sleepy fishing port of E Roslagsmuseet triumphal cross. In the 17th
Grisslehamn attracts Väddö’s Hantverkargatan 23. Tel 0176­576 30. century, it became the Wrangel
many holidaymakers. 7 family church. The churchyard
Delicious fresh fish can be E Pythagoras contains several runestones,
bought from the red sheds on Verkstadsgatan 6. Tel 0176­100 50. some of which are signed by the
the harbourside. Open mid­Jan–mid­Dec: noon–4pm Viking rune master, Fot, who was
In 1902, painter and writer Tue–Sun. & 8 - active in the mid­11th century.
Albert Engström (d. 1940) moved
to Grisslehamn. He became
much loved for his priceless
characters such as the tramp,
Kolingen, and the Roslagen
figure, Österman. The Albert
Engströmsmuseet, a recon­
struction of his home containing
Engström’s art and memorabilia,
was moved to Augustberg
in 2006.
E Albert Engströmsmuseet
Augustberg. Tel 0175­308 90.
Open late Jun–Aug; rest of year by
appointment only. & 8 - The Baroque Skokloster Castle, beautifully situated on Lake Mälaren

132-133_EW_Sweden.indd 133 11/07/16 11:49 am