Discover Sundsvall: City History, Culture and Nature

Sundsvall offers several distinct starting points for a stay: the stone-built cityscape of Stenstan, collections and historic buildings, as well as nature and recreation areas. Kulturmagasinet adds to these themes with events throughout the year. If you are looking for a hotel in Sundsvall, these places can help you decide which aspects of the city you would like to focus on during your trip.

Stenstan and the city’s history

Stenstan tells the story of a defining event: after the Sundsvall fire of 1888, the district was rebuilt in stone to prevent new fires. It is considered Sweden’s most intact example of a city of the 1890s type. Its spacious architecture, inspired by major European cities, shapes an area with shops, restaurants, cafés and meeting places. This brings the historic rebuilding and present-day city life together. If you want to get to know Sundsvall through its history, Stenstan is a natural place to start.

Museum and cultural programme

The collections at Sundsvalls museum include finds from the Högom burial ground, objects related to the forestry industry and the city’s history, as well as Swedish contemporary art. The topics therefore range from archaeological finds to industrial and city history, and contemporary art. Depending on your interests, you can focus on one of these distinct collection areas.

Events are held at Kulturmagasinet throughout the year: guided tours, lectures, craft activities, films, dance, concerts and theatre performances. This range offers various opportunities to include culture in your travel plans. Kulturmagasinet is located in central Sundsvall and can be reached by bus, bicycle, car or on foot. There are several specified ways to get to an event.

Norra Berget: historic buildings and views

The Norra Berget open-air museum comprises around 40 historic buildings from different places in Medelpad. The buildings and their surroundings are used to bring history to life. These include Kyrkladan, one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in Norrland. Unlike the stone-built reconstruction in Stenstan, the focus here is on conveying history through historic buildings and their surroundings.

Norra Berget is located in an area designated as a nature reserve and offers walking trails as well as views over Sundsvall. Alongside the historic attractions, walks and city views offer additional interests to consider when planning your trip. You can choose the place based on whether you are looking for historic buildings, trails through nature or views over the city.

Recreation areas and getting around

Södra Berget Bike Arena offers cycling trails through the forests of Norrland. The trails are classified by difficulty: green, blue, red and black. These ratings let you distinguish between the trails according to their stated difficulty and consider which level suits your plans.

Friluftscentrum on Södra Berget is a starting point for the Södra Berget recreation area. Södra Berget Arena is open every day, all year round.

The Sidsjö recreation area is located by Lake Sidsjön, three kilometres southwest of the city centre. This location helps you place the area geographically if you would like to include a recreation area alongside central city attractions in your plans.

Himlabadet is next to the sports hall at Universitetsallén 13 in Sundsvall. For visitors who are considering accessibility in their plans, the details are specific: the swimming centre is fully accessible. A wide path runs around the entire pool area, allowing wheelchair users to move throughout the facility.

Discover more destinations: Indal, Liden, Njurunda, Svartvik, Stöde, Kvissleby

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