World Heritage sites in Sweden

In 1985, Sweden, backed the World Heritage Convention. Six years later, in 1991, the Royal Domain of Drottningholm was designated as the first Swedish World Heritage Site.

The view of what a World Heritage Site could be has constantly developed. The latest Swedish nominations have entailed a broadening of the content of the World Heritage List. The Varberg radio station in Grimeton and the Struve Geodetic Arc are historical technological and scientific World Heritage Sites, of which there are very few on the World Heritage List. The Decorated farmhouses of Häsingland represent a national building tradition and form of artistic expression, a category that is also not very common on the list.

Of the 15 Swedish World Heritage Sites, 13 are cultural heritage sites, one is a natural heritage site (the High Coast/Kvarken archipelago), and one is a combined cultural and natural heritage site (the Laponian Area).

World Heritage Sites in Sweden, from north to south:

The Laponian Area in Norrbotten County: inscribed 1996. One of the last great wildernesses of Western Europe, and at the same time the cultural province of the Saami. Läs mer på laponia.nu
Struve Meridian Arc: inscribed 2005. Consists of 265 main station points from Hammerfest in Norway to Izmail on the Black Sea. The station points were one way of establishing the size and shape of the Earth. Läs mer på Struves meridianbåge – Riksantikvarieämbetet
Gammelstad Church Town: inscribed 1996. 400 church cottages used only temporarily in connection with religious festivals and holidays.Läs mer på www.visitgammelstad.se
The High Coast/Kvarken archipelago: inscribed 2000. Here, the rate of land uplift is the highest in the world, and it can be seen how inland ice, uplift, and the waves of the sea have formed – and continue to form – the landscape. Läs mer på varldsarvethogakusten.se/
The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: inscribed 2012. Decorative art and folk art that shows the high point of a long tradition of construction among farmers in Hälsingland, who built spaces for celebration.
Falun and the Copper Mining District: inscribed 2001. The Great Copper Mountain (Stora Kopparberget) with the mine and the province around it is a unique relic of Sweden’s earliest industrial history. Läs mer på falun.se/varldsarvet-falun.html
Engelsberg Ironworks: inscribed 1993. A well-preserved ironworks with buildings and intact industrial facilities. www.engelsberg.se
Birka and Hovgården: inscribed 1993. A Viking-era town and demesne that had extensive trade connections from 700 to 900 CE. Läs mer på Birka och Hovgården – Riksantikvarieämbetet
The Royal Domain of Drottningholm: inscribed 1991. An unusually well-preserved royal castle after a French model, with features such as the China Palace and a unique palace theater. Läs mer på Drottningholms slott, Drottningholms slottsteater och Statens fastighetsverk
Skogskyrkogården, Stockholm: inscribed 1994. A sacred landscape space considered to be one of the most important creations in modern architecture. Läs mer på skogskyrkogarden.se
Rock Carvings in Tanum: inscribed 1994. Europe’s largest concentration of rock carvings from the Bronze Age. Läs mer på vitlyckemuseum.se
Hanseatic Town of Visby: inscribed 1995. A characteristic Hanseatic town with ring wall, church ruins, and small-scale construction from the Middle Ages and onward. Läs mer på gotland.se
The Varberg Radio Station in Grimeton: inscribed 2004. Part of a global network of radio transmitters from the period after the First World War. Läs mer på grimeton.org
Agricultural Province of Southern Öland: inscribed 2000. Throughout the centuries, farmers have formed the province here. Läs mer på sodraoland.com

Naval Port of Karlskrona: inscribed 1998. The world’s best-preserved and most complete naval port. Läs mer på orlogsstadenkarlskrona.se