Öland's South - Hiking in the Bird Sanctuary, Windmills, and Castle Ruins

Today we headed to the south of the island of Öland.

Our first stop was the former castle complex Bårby borg, whose fortress walls were built in a semicircle on a cliff.

Today, not much remains of the former fortress, but one can gaze over fields towards the sea.

Before continuing with castles, we stopped at the Ottenby Bird Station right at the southern tip.

This bird sanctuary sees tens of thousands of migratory birds passing through each year.

We didn't drive all the way to the Naturum but stopped at a smaller hiking parking lot to take a short hike with a bird observation tower.

We spotted many birds during this time - even with binoculars - but didn’t see them.

The journey continued to Eketorp Castle.

The castle complex dates back to the Roman Iron Age and was used repeatedly as a fortress until the 13th century.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the site was extensively excavated.

It was then reconstructed and partially rebuilt to represent its former appearance for visitors.

Some of the reconstructed buildings were even accessible.

There were also staff members in historical attire demonstrating activities like baking bread or blacksmithing as in the time of the fortress.

After a coffee break, we headed back north, passing five windmills in Lerkaka.

Agriculture was the primary means of livelihood on Öland, and thus owning a windmill in the 19th century became a status symbol for the island's farmers.

At one time, there were about 2000 of them on the island; today, there are probably fewer than 400 left.

We had one more castle ruin on our itinerary: Borgholm Castle.

The medieval castle complex was later transformed into a Renaissance castle but was devastated in the Kalmar War with Denmark.

The castle was rebuilt in Baroque style; however, it burned down in a major fire in 1806.

It was left to decay but became an attractive romantic ruin in the 19th century for travelers interested in castle ruins.

Today, one can get married here (when we were there, a large wedding party was enjoying the champagne reception in the castle ruins), listen to concerts, or visit the exhibition on the castle's history and the remaining rooms.

The second floor is still partially accessible, even though the roof is no longer intact.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, there was also a temporary exhibition scattered throughout the castle on “Lost Places”, where photographs were fittingly displayed in the vaults of the former castle.

After another night on Öland, it would be back to the mainland tomorrow.