I had one full week in Öland, so I knew I would have ample time to fully explore and comprehend this somewhat elusive WHS. My ancestors are from two small villages Northeast of Borgholm. Moreover, since this was Midsummer, one of the most important holidays in Sweden, I was fairly busy meeting relatives, celebrating the holiday, visiting family grave sites, and exploring the Northern portion of the Island via my cousins car or bike riding.

Late June gave me nearly 18 hours of daylight, and at 8am I left Borgholm for a truly all-day trip to every key portion of the inscribed area of Southern Öland. This took much research, including reading the vague nomination file, which rarely identifies specific sites and the pictures are hardly visible (captions). Here is a list of key places to help the would be traveller. This list is not exhaustive, there are various other runestone markers, stone fortress ruins, and historic churches that I hope to see during a return visit.

Iron Age landscapes

• Gettlinge Grave Field
• Mysinge Grave Field
• Eketorp Fortress (reconstructed)

Viking Age

• Karlevi Runestone (de facto Northern border marker of the core zone)

Middle Ages

• Resmo Church
• 'Geatish'-style farmstead in Nasby (Radby)
• Line Villages (Southeastern Öland, Nasby to Gårdby)
• Gammalsby Coastlands (Gammalsbyören)

Royal Hunting Reserve (17th Century)

• King Karl X Gustav's Wall (1653)
• Ottenbylund (hunting reserve)

Industrial Age (18-19th Century)

• Alum Works in Degerhamn (Södra Bruket)
• Långe Jan Lighthouse & Ottenby Bird Observatory

Stora Alvaret (Hike/Walk)

• Möckelmossen

Ramsar Sites

• Ölands Ostkust, Gammalsbyören
• Ottenby

This day trip lasted until about 10pm. My fellow travelers did not find the Line Villages as interesting as me, so I only stopped a handful of times between Nasby and Kvinneby. Here you will find multiple line villages and Radby (row villages), a terraced village settlement known for farms lined up along a central street. Additionally, you will come across 'Geatish'-style farmsteads, I freely explored one such farmstead in Nasby. I did receive some curious looks as I stepped out the car on one or two occasions, but without trespassing I was still able to see quite a few examples of these distinctive settlements / farmsteads of Southern Öland.

Various features of these villages are outlined in the nomination file and on display for visitors, but don't expect any interpretation.

1) The interior Stora Alvaret plains on one side and the coastal land/pastures on the other

2) The layout of the line / row villages abut the street and often buildings form a courtyard representative of 'Geatish'-style farmsteads (cattle-yard in the center, barns form a rectangular perimeter)

3) Dry-stone rock walls often define property boundaries, including pasture / grazing

4) Fortified churches, with the oldest dating from the 12th century, though often with 19th century add-on's (towers, interior) or reconstructions. Usually located at the Northern or Southern end of the village, not in the center

The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland

"It preserves abundant traces of its long settlement history and continues to demonstrate human ingenuity and resourcefulness in utilizing a physical landscape and environment that are not at first sight favorable to human settlement and exploitation." - nomination file

Visiting the listed sites above, the holistic experience better enabled me to understand the OUV of Öland. I would encourage visitors to change their route. Everyone seems to take the Western road South to Ottenby, as did I. However, the Line Villages are on the Eastern coastline, and so is the stunning Gammalsby Coastlands, which has (faint) but viewable traces of ancient settlements (camping is available). Some of the Line Villages and 'Geatish'-style farmstead's have been modernized with renovations, yet many authentic clusters remain. While the vast majority are private and cannot be accessed, one can witness the layout rather well from the exterior. If you begin your trip on the Eastern coastline, you will be rewarded with opportunities to best explore the line villages, visit art galleries (some in old barns), hike coastal lands or the Stora Alvaret, and enjoy a small cafe or fica before you reach the Southern tip of Öland. On your return to either Borgholm or Kalmar, enjoy the Iron Age burial sites, which you don't have to worry in regards to timing.

Flickr Album