Kings Grave Kivik

Kungagraven is a cairn about seventy-five metres across on the Osterlen coast, and what makes it matter is inside: a stone cist whose eight slabs are carved with figures - horses, a chariot with wheels shown flat, people in procession, lurs being blown, symbols nobody has explained. Nothing else in northern Europe has this. The grave was robbed for stone in 1748, which is when the slabs came to light, and the cairn was reconstructed in the 1930s around them, so the mound is modern work and the cist is not. Dating puts the burial around 1400 BC. A passage leads in to the chamber, which is lit and can be entered in season.

What to look for

• Eight carved slabs - horses, a chariot, processions, lurs.
• A cist entered by a passage - lit, open in season.
• A cairn reconstructed in the 1930s - the mound is modern.
• A burial of about 1400 BC - Bronze Age.

When to go

May to September, when the chamber is open. An hour.

Before you go

The mound itself is a reconstruction. Opening is strictly seasonal and short. The carvings are worn and dimly lit. Osterlen is busy in July and August.

Nearby

Kivik and its apple orchards are south; Stenshuvud is further down the coast.

Key facts