Page 261 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sweden

SOUTHERN NORRLAND  259

q Ådalen power stations – the
Faxälven tributary is
Ångermanland. Road 90. @ from home to 36 alone.
Örnsköldsvik. n Kramfors Tourist
Office, 0612-800 00. _ Kramfors Particularly worth visiting
Town Festival (weekend before is Nämforsen, where in
Midsummer). summer visitors can
view the large power
As the forestry industry station and occasionally
flourished, Ådalen, the river see the mighty waterfall
valley leading to Junsele, became burst into life. The islands
a hotbed of trade unionism in the falls are an
and earned the nickname outstanding site for rock
“Red Ådalen”. In 1931, the year carvings. From 4000–2500
of the Great Depression, a most BC, hunters carved out
unlikely event occurred: the over 2,500 figures.
military shot indiscriminately Arken, designed by architect Per Eddi
into a peaceful strikers’ march in Byggstam, 1991
Lunde, killing five people. Lenny w Örnsköldsvik
Clarhäll’s powerful sculpture Ångermanland. £ to Sundsvall or hall which, thankfully for
depicting the drama stands Mellansel, then bus/taxi. @ ~  Ö-vik’s remarkably large artists’
beside Sandöbron bridge. n Lasarettsgatan 5, 0660-881 00. colony, was saved as an
Already in the mid-18th _ Harbour Festival (1st weekend in exhibition space. The beautifully
century, Livonian Christoffer Jul), Dragonboat Festival (late Aug). restored junior secondary
Kramm set up a water- ∑ ornskoldsvik.se/turism school houses Örnsköldsviks
powered sawmill on the site Museum, which displays the
which in 1947 became the Nolaskogs is one of the names history of Nolaskogs.
town of Kramfors. Cargo ships by which this part of northern Attractive new architecture
were able to navigate 50 km Ångermanland is known. It can be seen in the development
(31 miles) up the river and the means “north of the forest” – of the inner harbour, where
lower valley became a magnet the wild frontier forest of Skule Arken – a centre for offices,
for the forestry industry. The (see p260). university buildings and a
line of factories is now almost Its main town, Örnsköldsvik, library – forms an exciting
entirely gone. Further up river, or Ö-vik as it is often called, backdrop. One of its glass-
however, there are numerous was founded in 1842. Unusually roofed courtyards houses the
for the time, it was named Hans Hedbergs Museum
after a non-royal figure, the dedicated to the Swedish
county governor Per Abraham sculptor (see p30).
Örnsköld. There are good
views of the town from Environs
Varvsberget and from the top Next to an excavation site in
of the ski-jumping tower on Gene fornby, 5 km (3 miles)
Paradiskullen. Many of the south of the town, a 6th-
town’s older buildings have century farm has been
been lost to modern develop- reconstructed, where people
One of the many rock carvings in ments. A few exceptions come to live and work as
Nämforsen from around 4000 BC include the delight ful town they did in the Iron Age.
The most striking medieval
Surströmming, a Fishy Delicacy church in the area is the
octagonal Själevads Kyrka
The coast of Southern Norrland has a speciality which many Swedes, from 1880, which was voted
not only the people of Norrland, consider to be the ultimate delicacy, Sweden’s most beautiful church
although the majority probably detest it. This treat is fermented in a nationwide poll.
herring, known as surströmming, which, after around eight weeks of
fermenting, is canned. When the can is opened it produces what is, E Örnsköldsviks Museum
to say the least, a characteristic aroma, which aficionados consider Läroverksgatan 1. Tel 0660-886 01.
absolutely divine. The fishing villages along the High Coast (see Open Midsummer–Aug: daily; other
pp260–61), such as Ulvöhamn, are the centre of times: Tue–Sat. Closed public
production, and a market is now opening holidays. - =
up as far afield as Japan. The fermented
herring is eaten reverentially, almost E Arken
ritually, in early autumn, accompanied by Strandgatan 21. Tel 0660-785 00.
small almond-shaped potatoes and Public areas: Open daily. Hans
chopped onion. It is best washed down with Hedbergs Museum: Open ring
Can of Surströmming copious amounts of beer and snaps. Tourist Office 0660-881 00 for info.
Closed public holidays. - 0

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