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Two girls are standing and reading an information board at the Mittlandsleden trail on Öland.

alexander hall

Apr 13 2026

ten excursion gems

#6 castle to castle, middle island

well-preserved terraced villages, species-rich deciduous forests & unique castles

A girl stands outside the gate at Gråborg on Öland.

alexander hall

Mittlandskogen – Europe's largest continuous deciduous forest area
Gråborg – Öland's largest ancient castle with historical significance
Ismantorp Castle – well-preserved ancient castle with several entrances
Himmelsberga Museum – a living cultural environment with Öland's history

Mittlandsleden – 50 km hiking trail through the nature and culture of central Sweden
Rönnerum–Abbentorp – hiking trails in varied midland forest
Combination of hiking, ancient ruins and authentic village environments
Perfect for nature experiences, history and day trips on central Öland

alexander hall

1. Midland Forest

Welcome to one of Europe's largest continuous deciduous forest areas, which offers a variety of fine hiking trails and very high natural values. The area consists of deciduous forest, grazed grassland, fields and wetlands. The deciduous forest makes up almost half of the Central Region and consists mainly of hazel-rich oak forest, hornbeam forest, ash and elm. The area is a large mosaic landscape with cultural and natural values and is unparalleled in Europe.

Here are thousands of remains from Iron Age farmers. House foundations that form entire farms and loosely grouped villages, kilometer-long fence systems, cattle streets, wells and graves. Mittlandet also has a very rich animal and plant life with 100s of red-listed species. Particularly noteworthy is the mushroom flora, which is of international importance and includes a fifth of all the country's red-listed mushrooms. Enjoy all of Mittlandet's treasures along winding hiking trails surrounded by old oaks, lush hazel bushes and ruins that bear witness to the past. Stop and fantasize about what life once looked like here several hundred years ago.

Helena Elm

2. Grey Castle

Gråborg is Öland's largest ancient castle and also one of Sweden's largest facilities of its kind, with an area of 210x160 meters and a wall height of 4-7 meters. The castle was built during the Iron Age and was used as a defense facility until 1677 in the war against the Danes.

Helena Elm

3. St. Knut's Chapel

St. Knut's chapel, 200 meters north of Gråborg, indicates that the castle had great importance during the Middle Ages. The chapel was built in the 1100th century but was already abandoned in the 1500th century. Today, only the western gable and the triumphal arch remain.

Adjacent to the historic castle and St. Knut's Chapel is a well-equipped picnic area with barbecue areas, shelter and toilet, making it an excellent place for excursions and barbecues all year round.

4. Ismantorp ancient castle

Ismantorp's castle is the best-preserved ancient castle on Öland with its 95 house grounds. The castle has a diameter of 127 meters and a height of 2,5 meters. The castle has nine gates, which from a defense point of view must have been a disadvantage as gates are the weakest points. Explanations have instead been sought within Old Norse mythology, where the number nine plays a large role. During excavations, few finds have been made, which indicates that the castle was never permanently inhabited and perhaps it was never a defensive castle either.

5. Öland Museum, Himmelsberga

Himmelsberga village is a double row village with surrounding farms on both sides of the street. The barns surround the courtyard where the main house is located in a sheltered position at the far end. In 1957, Öland's local history association bought two of the farms to preserve a row village for posterity and created the open-air museum Ölands Museum Himmelsberga. The museum has since developed with several farms, an art gallery, gallery, coffee shop and shop.

A family sits and has coffee in a courtyard at Himmelsberga Museum on Öland.

UpZoneStudios

hiking in the central forest

The 50-kilometer-long Mittlandsleden offers a scenic hike through Öland's central region with ancient remains, village environments and rich plant and animal life.

In the Rönnerum–Abbentorp area there are three orange-marked trails that take you through protected midland forest with deciduous trees and hornbeam. Here you pass several of Öland's most important cultural environments, such as Odensflisor, Ismantorp's ancient castle and Rönnerum's ancient village.