Discover Ödeshög: Culture and Nature

Ödeshög combines local history with opportunities to enjoy nature and get active. Ödeshög Church is in the town center; Omberg, the Rök Runestone and other attractions are in the surrounding area.

Churches and Historic Sites

Ödeshög Church is centrally located in town and originally dates back to the 12th century. It is one of the three surviving Romanesque churches with an east tower in Östergötland County. A runestone is built into its north wall. The east tower is considered an unusually well-preserved medieval structure.

The wrought-iron churchyard gates are also noteworthy: they bear the inscription ODESHOG and the year 1792, and are stamped by Boxholms bruk. The gates are considered unusual and of great cultural and historical value. Ödeshög’s local heritage center was established in 1935 on the town’s former festival grounds.

Nearby stands the Rök Runestone, erected in the 9th century by a man named Varin in memory of his deceased son. There is a permanent exhibition next to the runestone. At the Alvastra Pile Dwelling, remains of a settlement were discovered in the Dags mosse bog; finds date back to the Stone Age, around 5,000 years ago. For guided visits to these and other sites, Wettersaga offers full-day tours as well as shorter guided tours at Omberg, Alvastra, the Rök Runestone and Lake Vättern. These can be booked year-round.

Hiking Trails and Nature

Ödeshög has numerous hiking trails, from short walks to full-day routes. They lead through forests, over slopes and along the clear waters of Lake Vättern. Nearby, the Omberg Ecopark offers two hiking options of different lengths: a 0.7-kilometer beech forest trail and a 27-kilometer circular route around the mountain, which is part of the Östgötaleden trail. The beech forest trail is suitable for people with visual impairments and accessible by wheelchair, stroller or rollator.

The Kråkeryd Nature Reserve near Ödeshög has limestone-rich dry grasslands. The flora there is unusually rich in species for a bedrock habitat and includes spiked speedwell, bloody cranesbill, dyer’s madder, sandwort and field wormwood. These plant examples give an impression of what distinguishes the dry grasslands from ordinary meadows.

Cycling and Activities on the Water

There are several cycling routes to choose from in Ödeshög. The cycling map provides information about local routes, places to go for repairs and worthwhile stops along the way. The Omberg Ecopark has two other named cycling routes: Cykelled Norr starts and ends at Ommaborgen, while Cykelled Söder starts and ends at Stocklycke. Their stated start and end points make it easy to tell the two routes apart.

You can explore Omberg from Lake Vättern by kayak or canoe. This gives you access to caves and small bays that cannot be reached from land. Near Ödeshög, you can also fish for perch, pike and roach in Lake Visjön. Two rowboats without motors can be rented there for half- or full-day fishing trips; a fishing license is required.

The Klockargårdsängen activity area includes a playground, barbecue area, pétanque court, disc golf course and skate park. The disc golf course has nine holes and winds through the area’s parkland. These local amenities complement the longer hiking and cycling routes in the surrounding area.

Getting Around Locally

Narr Chocolate is a family business that has specialized in coating nuts, fruit and berries with chocolate and yogurt since 1993. Its shop offers more than 300 varieties of high-quality sweets to fill your own bag, as well as a view of the production area.

Maps and brochures about attractions in the municipality and the rest of Östergötland are available at Ödeshög Library. Local tourist information is also available in the entrance area of Rasta/Preem on the E4. Ödeshög has direct access to the E4; exit 106 takes you to the central parts of town within a few minutes. These tips can help you decide which places to include in your stay.

Discover more destinations: Ramkvilla, Gräsberg.

Go to the main travel guide: Jönköping.