Oskarshamn: Maritime History, Street Art and Outdoor Trails

Oskarshamn offers a variety of ways to spend your stay enjoying culture and outdoor activities. Its museums focus on wooden sculptures, maritime history and Gustavian art; street art brings art to building walls and public spaces. For walks and exercise, options include a coastal trail on Uvö, exercise trails in Havslätt and mountain biking routes.

Museums and Maritime History

The Döderhultarmuseet displays a unique collection of nearly 200 of Döderhultarn’s finest wooden sculptures. Groups can book guided tours of the museum. The Sjöfartsmuseet has a different focus: exhibits include items related to specialized trades, ship models and navigation equipment. The museum also offers insights into the development of shipping in the Oskarshamn region.

A large children’s play area complements the Sjöfartsmuseet. There, the galley and wheelhouse of the ship Thyra invite children to cook and steer the ship at sea. The exhibitions and play area offer different ways to explore the subject of shipping, from navigation equipment and ship models to simulated activities on board.

Fredriksbergs herrgård also offers its own perspective on history and collections. The ceremonial rooms of Fredriksbergs herrgård showcase examples of Gustavian-era architecture, art and furniture. The manor house was built in 1783 by cavalry captain Peter Reincke Cederbaum and his wife, Maria Fredrika Wernberg. It also houses an 18th-century mineral collection.

Maritime history can also be found at the harbour: the Båt- och maskinmuseet at Norra Kajen displays wooden workboats built at various shipyards in Oskarshamn Municipality. The museum ship Nalle is moored outside the museum in Oskarshamn harbour. Alongside the maritime collections, the focus is therefore also on actual workboats and a museum ship.

Street Art in Public Spaces

Oskarshamn Street Art features colourful murals on building walls and in public spaces. The project began in 2020. An art walk between the murals offers a different way to engage with art than visiting museums and historic spaces. The large-scale public art of Oskarshamn Street Art is accessible around the clock, all year round.

Walks and Outdoor Exercise

On Uvö, a pleasant walking trail follows the coast, just south of Saltvik in Oskarshamn. The nature trail is about 2.2 kilometres long and takes around 45 minutes at a brisk pace. There is a car park at the end of Rotviksvägen, just before the bridge to Uvö.

The Havslätt outdoor recreation area has three exercise trails measuring 7.3, 5.0 and 2.4 kilometres. The shortest trail is lit. Comparing the distances given, the nature trail on Uvö, at about 2.2 kilometres, is slightly shorter than the shortest trail in Havslätt, at 2.4 kilometres; a walking time of around 45 minutes at a brisk pace is also given for Uvö.

There are three mountain biking trails behind Oskarshamn Hospital. They vary in length and difficulty, providing specific points of comparison when planning a bike ride.

When looking for a hotel in Oskarshamn, you can first consider whether museums, historic spaces, street art or outdoor trails will be the focus of your stay. Then compare hotel offers based on your personal accommodation preferences.

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Go to the main travel overview: Oskarshamn.