Öland and Kalmar - Part 9 - Eketorp

We saved the best for last (well in my opinion anyway).. As we walked through the ruined forts, Cameron kept saying he wondered what the forts would have looked like before they were ruined.  Eketorp was a reconstruction of one of the old ringforts and gave some answers.

Along the road to Eketorp are a series of signs showing landmarks in history from the founding of the fort originally:

1989 - Information Technology, Globalisation, Broadband, Fall of the Berlin Wall, EU, World Heritage

1914-1989 Wars, World Wars, Genocide, Technical Development, Moon Mission, Welfare State, Öland Bridge

1720-1789 Science, Knowledge, Information, Revolution, French Revolution, Carl Von Linne, Windmills

1560-1720 Superpowers, Religious Wars, Kingship, Quill, Lutheran Catholic, The Swedish Bureucracy, Hunting Parks

1520-1560 Gustav Vasa, Peasant Uprisings, Renaissance, Kingdom Heritage, Martin Luther, Gustav Visa, Dacke Feud

1397-1520 Kalmar Union, Explorations, Knightly Ideals, World Map, Jeanne D'Arc, Union Battlers, Thirty Year War (Ofredsår)

1060-1397 New Field, Cathedrals, pestilence, Genghis Khan, Crusades, Legislation, Church Building

800-1060 Viking Times, Trade, Plundering, Contact, Viking Trips, Christianization, Runestones

0-800 Iron, Christianity, Islam, Smithing, Roman Empire, Astronomy, Castle Building

Eketorp was built in the iron age and expanded in the Middle ages. It was originally a ringfort, then a medieval safe haven and finally a cavalry garrison. It has since been repaired and reconstructed as a tourist site.

Eketorp Fortress

Outside the walls

The Gates

Inside the walls - foundations

Central Building

Reconstructed animal pens

Demonstration of how the arches are made

Panoramic shot of the inside of Eketorp

Alana on the walls

Reconstructed houses

Reconstructed Smithy

Exploring the houses

I give a history lesson

Alana practicing being an archer in the medieval garrison (she was a Clash of Clans archer)

Cameron being a Clash of Clans Barbarian

The well

The Ironage layout of Eketorp - Eketorp Fort

The next configuration - Iron Age

The Medieval Garrison of Eketorp

The walls

Panoramic view from the walls

Panoramic view, looking back into Eketorp from front wall

Panoramic view into Eketorp from side wall

Looking toward gate house from side wall

Having finished up at Eketorp we began the 4hr drive home.  We will probably have to return to Öland at some point as we missed the entire northern part of the island and quite a few of the sites in the bottom.

It was a great trip, but we were exhausted when we got home.

Öland and Kalmar - Part 8 - Ottenby

Our next stop was through the Alvar and down to the southern tip of Öland, a place called Otterby.  Formerly used as a reserve for the King's deer, it is now a bird sanctuary and bird watching area as well as housing the Långe Jan lighthouse.

(well our next stop was a lake in the middle of the Alvar but was crowded and we didn't see much, so we then tried a seal sanctuary but besides a swan there wasn't much there, so we had lunch and moved on to Otterby.)

Our first sight in Ottenby was swimming cows.. There was a fence to keep the cows out of the bird sanctuary, but the cows were wading out into the water and around the fence. (I say swim but they ended up with water just past the tops of their legs so they were still wading)

Making the swim

Coming back in

Welcome to Ottenby

Map of Ottenby

Långe Jan Lighthouse

Långe Jan

Bird Sanctuary

We considered climbing the lighthouse, but a school group had arrived and it was packed, so instead we went into one of the bird hides to watch the birds:

We were treated to some nice displays. I think they were Swallows

Even the kids liked watching the birds come up close

We then headed out and around the deer wall.  There was actually a deer wall that ran the whole way across the island, from the time when it was used as a wildlife park.

Deer and the deer wall

Model of Saint Johannes Kapell

Stone Cross

The stone cross and model mark the former site of Saint Johannes Chapel. It was built by merchants in the 13th century and abandoned in the Reformation in the 16th century. Parts of the chapel were used to build the Långe Jan Lighthouse in 1780.

Öland and Kalmar - Part 7 - St Knut's Church and Gråborg (22-May)

Our next stop was another fort, Gråborg by the ruins of Saint Knut's Church.

The village outside Gråborg

An old anvil

Thatched roof building

After passing through the village, we came to the ruins of Saint Knut's Church:

Saint Knut's Church

Saint Knut's Chruch

The Chapel of Saint Knut was named after a medieval Danish King (Canute). It was most likely founded in the 12 century and fell into disuse in the Reformation in the 16th century.

Saint Knut's Church

Passing the chapel we came to the wall leading up to Gråborg fortress:

Towards Gråborg

Gråborg is Sweden's largest prehistoric circular fort. It was built during the collapse of the Roman Empire. It was rebuilt in the 12 century, when two dynasties fought over the Swedish throne.- Bugislev of the Sverker family is believed to have built the fort and Saint Knut's Chapel planning for his future.  The Erik dynasty won and both Gråborg and the chapel were abandoned.

Entrance to Gråborg

Outside Gråborg we found a fierce army ready to invade:

Army

Ready to charge

Heading in to Gråborg

The arch

Entry (this is the photo Kris is taking two shots above..)

Gråborg was huge:

Gråborg

Gråborg from the far end

360 degree shot of the inside of Gråborg

Walls

Some man-made canals ran through Gråborg, and as we left we saw that they were used to route the creek outside through the fort.

Canals

Rocks lining the canals

Kristine by the far wall

The exit