Alvastra Abbey

Alvastra was founded in 1143 by monks sent from Clairvaux, among the first Cistercian houses in Sweden, on land given by the king below the wooded ridge of Omberg. It ran for four centuries and was dissolved at the reformation, after which the stone was carted off to build Vadstena castle, leaving the low walls and part of the church that stand now - enough to read the plan of nave, transepts and cloister but nothing above head height in most places. Birgitta spent time here before founding her own order at Vadstena. The site is open ground, free, with the ridge rising behind it and the lake a short way west.

Highlights

• The plan of a Cistercian house - church, cloister and ranges in outline.
• Low walls of the 1140s foundation - among the earliest in Sweden.
• Stone robbed for Vadstena castle - the reason so little stands.
• Omberg ridge behind - and Lake Vattern to the west.

When to go

May to September. An hour.

Practical notes

Very little stands - this is a ground plan, not a building. There is no visitor centre and interpretation is thin. It is exposed. Reaching it needs a car.

Nearby

Omberg is immediately north; Vadstena is further north along the lake.

Key facts