Tierp: Ironworks History, Bogs and Coast

A preserved anchor forge, where anchors were forged until 1883, now houses a museum in Söderfors. It offers a striking introduction to Tierp Municipality, where traces of ironworks history meet bogs, forests and coastal landscapes. Depending on whether you’re interested in historic sites, nature trails or birdlife, you’ll find different highlights for your trip.

Ironworks history and historic sites

The anchor forge in Söderfors was built in 1786. The anchors on Ankarsbacken recall the long tradition of making anchors for the navy and shipping, as well as the ironworks’ 200th anniversary. The English Park was laid out in 1795 by Adolf Ulric and Anna Johanna Grill. A Greek temple, built in 1797, stands in the park. The park is still used for celebrations, music and spending time in nature.

Karlholmsbruk was founded in 1729 by Charles De Geer and preserves historic ironworks buildings and waterworks. The Lancashire forge is exceptionally well preserved: its original hearths, bellows and drop hammers are intact. It is used for concerts and exhibitions and is included in guided tours of the ironworks setting. Several Vallon ironworks in the municipality are open to the public.

Lövstabruk was once Sweden’s largest ironworks and was founded by Louis de Geer in the 1620s. Visitors can take a guided tour of the manor house; visiting opportunities may vary by season. Klaverens Hus displays around 350 pianos. Strömsbergs bruk also tells the story of working and living around an ironworks: the complex along the quiet watercourse includes forges, workers’ homes, storerooms and a manor house. It is considered one of the best-preserved examples of a complete ironworks community in Sweden.

Bog trails, forests and coast

Florarna is Uppland’s largest bog area. The nature reserve has marked trails and boardwalks, and is also suitable for winter ski tours. Three stages of the Upplandsleden trail pass through Tierp Municipality, from the Florarna bog area in the south to the Dalälven in the north. Along the way, the trail passes through bogs, cultural landscapes and forests. This offers two distinct nature experiences: a bog landscape with designated trails and a longer route through varied landscapes.

On the Hållnäs peninsula, trails lead through nature and extensive fields of shingle. Hållnäskusten is a flat, mosaic-like coastal landscape with shallow bays, lagoons and pools, as well as forest and rocks. The area is also an important habitat for the rare pool frog and the orchid Gulyxne. At the peninsula’s far end, the Hållnäsleden trail links nature reserves and scenic coastal locations. Near Fågelsundet, a two-kilometre trail runs through the forest, over rippled rocks and past orchids.

Fågelsundet itself is an old fishing village on the northern tip of Hållnäs. Its coastal heritage includes boathouses from different periods, cookhouses and places for drying nets and fishing gear. In Fagerviken, you can try smoked fish. Björns skärgård is protected as a nature reserve, a Natura 2000 site and a bird sanctuary. It is home to 3,000 breeding pairs of coastal birds, as well as Sweden’s largest colony of the rare Caspian tern. Björn is most easily reached by boat from Fågelsundet.

Churches, burial grounds and guided tours

Vendels kyrka is one of the largest and most magnificent medieval churches in Uppland. The boat graves discovered there in 1881 date from around 550 to 1050 AD and gave the Vendel Period its name. North of the church, by the car park, is the Vendeltidsmuseet, run by the Vendel local history association. Ottarshögen was built in the first half of the 6th century and is among the oldest royal burial mounds in the Lake Mälaren region. The mound is part of a burial ground with more than 60 graves.

Tierp is also home to Borgenkyrkan, a mission church built in 1976 and an example of how tradition and modernity were combined in 20th-century Swedish church architecture. Its colourful pointed-arch windows let soft, atmospheric light into the church. Guided tours at Örbyhus slott offer another way to explore history: tours of Erik XIV’s prison, the castle park and the carriage museum are available for almost the entire summer season. The castle is also associated with the deposed king’s death from arsenic poisoning in 1577.

Discover more destinations: Söderfors, Karlholmsbruk, Skärplinge, Lövstabruk, Tierp, Älvkarleby, Uppsala, Håbo.

Go to the main travel overview: Uppsala.