Lake Takern

Tåkern, in the municipalities of Mjölby, Vadstena and Ödeshög, is counted among northern Europe's foremost bird lakes: some 44 km² of water at 93 metres above sea level, 12 km long and 8 km wide, or about 10 by 5 km by other counts, with an average depth of only 0.8 metres, draining by the Mjölnaån into Lake Vättern. Its life as a bird lake began in 1842-1844, when the water was lowered from 2.5 to 0.8 metres to win 1,600 hectares of farmland and 500 more of wet ground; the drainage disappointed, a plan of 1902 to dry the lake out completely was never carried out, and the birds thrived instead. A collection to protect them was started in 1927, the level has been regulated since the 1960s to even out high and low water, and the lake and its shores have been a nature reserve since 1975 as well as a Ramsar and Natura 2000 site. About 260 bird species have been recorded here, more than in any other bird area in Sweden; in dry summers the lake shrinks, and in cold winters it freezes right through. People lived around it throughout the Stone Age, and the later Mesolithic settlements ring the shore like a string of pearls. Selma Lagerlöf describes Tåkern in chapter 18 of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, and Bengt Berg wrote a book about its birdlife, published in 1913.

Background

Lake Tåkern in Östergötland County is counted among northern Europe's foremost bird lakes. Although 12 km long and 8 km wide, it averages only 0.8 metres in depth, and lies about 20 km west of Mjölby, bordering Omberg to the west. The lake became a haven for birds after its water level was lowered in 1842-1844, and in the 1960s the level was regulated to avoid large swings. The whole lake and its shores have been a nature reserve since 1975, closed to the public from April to the end of July except for the visiting areas and trails, and it is protected under the Ramsar Convention.

Source: Wikipedia, "Tåkern"

What's there

• A bird lake - about 260 species recorded, more than anywhere else in Sweden.
• The wetlands - the wide marshy shores left when the lake was lowered in 1842-1844.
• The observation towers - at the visiting areas of Hov, Svälinge, Väversunda and Glänås.
• Naturum Tåkern - the visitor centre at Glänås on the south shore.

When to go

April to May and September to October; from 1 April most of the reserve is closed, but the four visiting areas and their trails stay open.

Things to know

From 1 April to 30 June, or to the end of July by other accounts, visitors may go only to the four visiting areas and their trails. The lake is very shallow: in dry summers it shrinks, and in cold winters it freezes right through.

Nearby

Omberg is about 10 km to the west-south-west and Vadstena about 12 km to the north-north-east, in a straight line; Mjölby is about 19 km to the east.

Key facts