Sweden Guide
The southwest
There is a real historical interest to the southwestern provinces of Halland, Skåne and Blekinge, not least in the towns and cities that line the coast. The flatlands and fishing ports south of Gothenburg were traded almost constantly between Denmark and Sweden from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, and several fortresses today bear witness to the region's medieval buffer status.
Halland, facing Denmark, has a coastline of smooth sandy beaches and bare, granite outcrops, punctuated by a number of small towns. Most charismatic is the old society bathing resort of Varberg, dominated by its tremendous thirteenth-century fortress. The small, beautifully intact medieval core of Falkenberg is also notable, while for beaches and nightlife, regional capital Halmstad is a popular base.
Further south, in the ancient province of Skåne, the coastline softens into curving beaches backed by gently undulating fields. This was one of the first parts of the country to be settled, and the scene of some of the bloodiest battles during the medieval conflict with Denmark. Although Skåne was finally ceded to Sweden in the late seventeenth century, the Danish influence died hard, and is still evident today in the thick Skåne accent, often incomprehensible to other Swedes, and in the province's architecture. The latter has also been strongly influenced by Skåne's agricultural economy, whose centuries of profitable farming have left the countryside dotted with castles – though the continued income from the land means that most of these palatial homes are still in private hands and not open to the public.
Read more ▼
- Practical Information ▼
- City/Town ▼