Explore West Sweden through five cultural highlights spanning a thousand years of history and creativity. From Viking Age remains and Baroque architecture to contemporary art, Swedish porcelain and forward-thinking textile design, these places reveal different sides of the region’s cultural heritage.
Step back a thousand years at Kata Farm (‘Kata Gård’) in Varnhem. Archaeological excavations here revealed the remains of one of Sweden’s oldest churches, built on a Viking Age estate. Walk around the church ruins, peer through glass floor panels at ancient graves and see the rune-carved gravestone of Kata, a woman who ruled the estate in the late Viking Age. The church crypt remains intact and is perhaps Sweden’s oldest preserved room. Nearby, explore the ruins of 12th-century Varnhem Abbey and its well-preserved abbey church, where several medieval Swedish kings are buried.
Explore two very different sides of Swedish architecture on the shores of Lake Vänern. Läckö Castle has medieval origins, but owes much of its present Baroque appearance to Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, who transformed it in the 17th century. Just 300 metres away, Naturum Vänerskärgården – Victoriahuset offers a contemporary contrast. Designed by White Arkitekter, its wooden façade takes inspiration from the reeds of the Vänern archipelago. Inside, discover more about the wildlife, geology and cultural history of Sweden’s largest lake.
Discover 300 years of Swedish porcelain and design at Rörstrand Museum in Lidköping. Founded in Stockholm in 1726, Rörstrand moved its production to Lidköping in the 1930s, helping to establish the city as a centre for Swedish porcelain. Housed in part of the former factory, the museum traces the story through thousands of objects, sketches and archive material. Look out for design classics such as Mon Amie and Swedish Grace and discover the artists, craftspeople and factory workers behind one of Sweden’s best-known porcelain brands.
Art meets the sea at The Nordic Watercolour Museum (‘Nordiska Akvarellmuseet’) in Skärhamn on the island of Tjörn. Opened in 2000, the museum explores watercolour and contemporary art through exhibitions featuring Nordic and international artists. Its striking waterfront setting is part of the experience, with views across the rocky archipelago. Get inspired by the exhibitions, then try your own hand at painting in the museum’s open studio – or combine your art fix with a swim in the sea.
Textile heritage meets forward-thinking design in Borås, a city shaped by Sweden’s textile industry. Head to the Textile Fashion Center, housed in a former factory, where the Textile Museum explores fashion and textile production from past to present. The complex is also home to the Swedish School of Textiles and research into new materials and technologies. Beyond textiles, Borås has turned its streets and squares into an open-air gallery, with large-scale murals and contemporary sculptures dotted around the city.