Discover Täby: Church Art, Rune Sites and Nature Trails

Church paintings, runic inscriptions and paths through wetlands reveal different sides of Täby. The area also has a lakeside recreation area, historic farm buildings and an arts and cultural centre. When planning your trip, it is worth considering the destinations by their respective themes: some convey the region’s history, while others lead through landscapes or offer space to relax.

Church, farm and local history

Täby Church dates from the mid-13th century. The church, its Stigluckor (churchyard entrance structures) and its bell tower are protected ecclesiastical heritage sites under Chapter 4 of the Swedish Heritage Conservation Act. Its west vault features the best-known motif in Täby’s paintings: the “Death’s Chess Game.” The site thus combines a long architectural history with a particularly striking image.

Rönninge by lies east of Lake Rönninge in a small-scale, cultivated valley. The landforms of a rift-valley landscape shape its varied terrain. The site has been restored as a publicly accessible demonstration farm. In a car-free setting, visitors can experience life and traditions from before the modernisation of agriculture after the Second World War. Täby’s local heritage museum is housed in a former 19th-century storehouse. Its rooms and workshops include a small classroom, a kitchen, a tailor’s shop, a shoemaker’s workshop and a carpenter’s workshop.

Karby Gård also offers a distinctive cultural experience: it is an arts and cultural centre whose main building hosts several art exhibitions each year. It also has a printmaking workshop and a café serving pastries and light meals. The exhibition programme, workshop programme and café offering may change.

Runes and historic routes

In Runriket, around Lake Vallentuna, you can discover rune stones and runic inscriptions at nine different sites. The area includes an open-air exhibition, an adventure park and a reconstruction of the Viking Age monument Jarlabankes bro. The monument itself is a 150-metre-long, 6.5-metre-wide causeway, probably built in the 1050s. Two rune stones stand at its northern end. From Jarlabankes bro, you can go around the lake and then continue into Runriket by bicycle, car or bus.

The approximately three-kilometre-long Stolpaleden trail through Stolpaskogen offers a different perspective on cultural history. There are 14 information boards along the way. The Ensta krog recreation centre borders Stolpaskogen directly; it has walking and exercise trails, fire pits, a wind shelter, a playground and an outdoor gym. Buses stop at the Ensta krog stop on Stockholmsvägen, and you can take the Roslagsbanan to Ensta station. Check the current timetable before travelling.

The three-kilometre forest and nature trail near Täby prästgård runs through Täby prästgård Nature Reserve and an area of national heritage interest for its cultural history. Traces of human activity along the route date from the Bronze Age to the present day; there is also a Viking Age burial ground. This sets the route apart from Stolpaleden, whose information boards focus on the natural and cultural history of Stolpaskogen.

Trails, water and nature

Skavlöten lies in Rönninge by–Skavlöten Nature Reserve, at the northern end of Lake Rönninge. The recreation area has a bathing spot with a beach and bathing jetties. Exercise trails starting at the recreation centre are 1.25, 2.5 and 5 kilometres long and illuminated; another trail is 10 kilometres long. The different lengths provide a practical guide for planning how much time to spend on the trails.

The approximately six-kilometre-long, blue-marked Sjöslingan trail passes wetlands and a Natura 2000 site, and runs alongside a prepared rest area near Käringsjön. In the direction of Lake Ullna, you can walk through wetlands on a boardwalk without getting your feet wet. Small boardwalk platforms with seating and signs are placed at regular intervals; the signs describe the surroundings in haiku by Tomas Tranströmer.

When the ice is thick enough, an approximately five-kilometre ice-skating track is prepared on Lake Rönninge. The activity therefore depends on ice conditions. Naturkartan, an outdoor guide for web and mobile, can help you find trails, barbecue areas and other places of natural interest in Täby. If you would like an overview of local cultural history, the Täby main library has a permanent exhibition, “Täby’s history—from ancient times to the present day.” It introduces the local cultural heritage and encourages visitors to explore culturally significant sites in the municipality.

Discover more destinations: Täby, Värmdö, Stockholm, Upplands Väsby, Järfälla, Lidingö, Vaxholm, Solna.

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