Oland

Oland is a long, low, sun-drenched island reached by a great bridge from Kalmar, famous for its old windmills, its wildflowers and the royal family's summer residence. Its southern half is the Stora Alvaret, a vast treeless limestone plain of thin soil and rare flowers, a UNESCO agricultural landscape farmed the same way for millennia.

Background

Sweden's second-largest island is also the smallest of its traditional provinces, covering 1,342 square kilometres and stretching 137 km in length but only 16 km in width. The Öland Bridge, 6 kilometres long, has crossed the Kalmar Strait since 30 September 1972. People settled the island about 8000 BC, and Stone Age settlements stood at Alby by 6000 BC. Nineteen Iron Age ringforts have been identified, and Eketorp, the only one fully excavated, yielded over 24,000 artifacts. Wulfstan of Hedeby, writing around 900 AD, named the island "Eowland". The arms granted to Öland in 1560 had been mixed up with those of Åland, an error found only in the 20th century.

Source: Wikipedia, "Öland"

What you'll find

• Stora Alvaret - the vast treeless limestone steppe, ablaze with flowers in spring.
• The windmills - hundreds of old wooden mills dotting the island.
• Solliden Palace - the royal summer residence and its gardens.
• Bird migration - the Ottenby point at the southern tip, a great bird station.

When to go

Late spring for the alvar wildflowers at their peak; summer for beaches, the palace gardens and warm days. Spring and autumn bring huge bird migrations to the southern tip.

Good to know

The alvar is a subtle, flat landscape whose magic is the flowers and the sense of space rather than dramatic scenery. It is a long island, so a car helps. Summer is busy with Swedish holidaymakers, and the royal presence draws crowds to the south.

Nearby

Kalmar and its castle are across the bridge; the glassworks of Smaland lie on the mainland.

Key facts