Southern Sweden Tour - Day 16

Southern Sweden Tour - Day 16

After a good night's sleep and a warm welcome from the sun this morning, we decided over breakfast to take a trip to Norrköping.

So we saddled up our 'Steed' again and set off.

First, we rode along the water for quite a while, but then we must have taken a wrong turn, ending up on the highway to Norrköping. Although we are allowed to ride there with the scooter, we prefer not to.

Eventually, we arrived in Norrköping.

We could park our 'Steed' right at the entrance to 'Folkparken'.

Folkparken is located on the North Promenade. The park is designed in the English style and is the largest in Norrköping, covering 20 hectares. John Philipsson, the then-chairman of the city council, gifted the park to the city of Norrköping in 1895 with the aim of giving the hard-working factory workers a chance to relax and unwind in nature when they were not working in the textile industry. The People's Park has significant cultural and historical value.

The Matthäuskirche is also located in Folkparken.

The Matthäuskirche was inaugurated in 1892. It was built in the neo-Gothic style and designed by the architect Helgo Zettervall, who was then regarded as the country's most significant architect and a representative of neo-Gothic brick architecture. The 64-meter-high tower is the tallest point in Norrköping.

It is not precisely dated when Norrköping was founded, but a founding in the early Middle Ages seems likely. People began to settle along the wide river that flows east into Bråviken, using the water and hydropower for mills and fishing.

After crossing the park and walking a bit along the street, we reached the industrial landscape.

Norrköping is known for its beautiful old industrial buildings that are coming back to life, as well as the stream that rushes through the city center.

The industrial landscape (consisting of many old factory buildings) is a historical document, comparable to the medieval city walls of Visby and the old town of Stockholm during the great powers' time. The industrial landscape of Norrköping comprises the central parts of the city with many interesting buildings.

Suddenly, we found ourselves in the middle of the biggest sporting event of the summer, the Swedish Championship week, which takes place from June 24 to 29, 2025, in Norrköping. We had no idea about this beforehand. After our tour of the industrial landscape, we ended up at the Paracycle - Handbike.

After having a drink in one of the many cafés, we made our way back to our 'Steed' and headed home to the camper. This time, we made sure to check the route WITHOUT the highway on Google Maps beforehand.

We ended the evening quietly.