Sigtuna Favorites

Favorite thing: Should you need information on what to see or do, where to eat or how to go/walk around to the places you want to visit, Sigtuna Turistbyrån is there for you. Here you can also get free maps and they can help you get tickets to local events.

Address: Stora Gatan 33, Sigtuna. Their phone number is +46859480650 and they can be contacted by e-mail at turism@sigtuna.se.
Website: http://sal.sigtuna.se/turism/.
Practical info: they're open all year round except for some red days. During the summer they're open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 11am-5pm. September: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday 11am-4pm. October to May: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm, Sunday noon-4pm (except for the 4 Sundays in Advent, then it's 11am-4pm).

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Favorite thing: Sometimes you don't know who you're going to encounter while traveling. The first cuddly mister (or missus) on this trip was taking some sun on a little street close to Strandvägen. The second one was around Maria Church. They both let me pet them and scratch them behind their ears and on their chins.

Favorite thing: In August, 1187 the huge fleet arrived from the east of Europe and rushed on Sigtuna. In persistent fight it broke vessels protecting city, threw out troops which broke inside and destroyed desperately resisted defenders.

Sigtuna was completely plundered, burnt, and in the former greatness never revived any more. Now it is a small town with the population of four thousand person. Political influence of Sigtuna departed to Stockholm based in 40 km from it.

Favorite thing: Very brief records about the destruction of Sigtuna in 1187 contain in the Swedish annals which are known in editions of the XV century. Data of annals are an unique certificate to modern events about Sigtunian campaign and about capture of Sigtuna.

Historians argue about a destruction of Sigtuna in 1187. Swedish annals specify certain pagans. They understand Karelians, Russians and Estonians as pagans. One of researchers of the XVIII as that proof that Russian had made the destruction of Sigtuna in 1187, brought two local names on lake Melaren: bay Rysseviken and cape Rysseudden. The legend about abduction by Russian the Sigtunian gate concerns to the XVI or even to the XV century.

Birger Jarl founded Stockholm in 1252 in the passage which is connecting Melaren to the sea and blocked access to the lake for enemies from the sea. But Sigtuna had already died!

Favorite thing: A convenient position and security from the sea were the major factors which influenced at the appearance of Sigtuna on this very place in the end of the Xth century.

The Swedish kings for strengthening of their authority, as it is known, started moving of christianity in the country from the beginning of the XI century. Persistent struggle between christianity and heathenism stretched on the whole century.

In this struggle the Swedish kings based on support of Sigtuna - the first city of the country where the new religion had completely won; within the whole XI century Sigtuna was the center of politics of Swdish kings.

Favorite thing: Sigtuna is situated on a coast of a gulf of the Melaren lake. This picturesque lake has extent about 120 kilometers. It is located in a hollow of a tectonical-glacial origin only on 0,3-0,6 meters above the sea level. Melaren has a very complex configuration: numerous gulfs, bays, capes, about 1200 islands.

The lake is connected by channels with the Baltic sea and the lake of Elmaren. Sigtuna is on the distance of 47 kilometers from Stockholm which is located at the border of the lake with a gulf of the Baltic sea.

Favorite thing: Sigtuna isn't exciting, but it's a nice place for an afternoon walk. The lakeshore has a nice little path looking out onto some of the other islands in Lake Malaren. As well, there is the old little downtown strip and of course the ruins. A leisurely if unexciting few hours worth of stuff awaits in Sigtuna.

Favorite thing: Go for a stroll along Stora Gatan and into the side streets, down to the waterfront and so on. You will see 18th and 19th century wooden houses, cosy cafés, three church ruins and ten or so rune stones if you keep your eyes open - one is even in someone's garden!

Fondest memory: My viking fanatic Yorkshire husband lying on the ground in all sorts of positions, trying to photograph all the rune stones he found. It was like one great Christmas for him :-)))