There are places with untouched pristine nature. Back in 1909, the parliament adopted a law on national parks. Since then, Sweden's national parks have been used exclusively for recreational, research and tourism purposes. Let's find out how many national parks are in Sweden, and briefly look at the most famous of them.
Sweden's most popular national parks
In total, the country has 29 national parks, and several more are planned to be created in the near future. Most of these territories are covered by forests. So, among the main environmental areas of Sweden we will name the following:
- It is located in an area with wildlife, beautiful mountains, cold and clean air. These places are popular with travelers for hiking, and a well-designed infrastructure allows both beginners to travel and experienced tourists to make complex multi-day trips here. In Herjedalen, mountain lovers and extreme sportsmen will like it.
- (Sweden), located in the province of Lappland, is one of Europe's oldest national parks. It was created with the aim of protecting highland landscapes. There are no tourist routes laid out, and the area in which Sarek is located is considered the rainiest in Sweden. Among the eight mountain peaks with a height of more than 2000 m there is Mount Sarekchko, which is considered almost impregnable. On this territory there are about 100 glaciers. The mountains of Sarek Park are intended only for experienced tourists and climbers.
- located in Elvdalen. This is one of the youngest national parks in Sweden, discovered by the King of Sweden in 2002. This area looks like a high plateau, pierced by rivers. Mountain peaks and alpine meadows create a unique landscape. More than half of the park’s territory is the tundra. Here is located, the height of which is 93 m. The oldest tree in the world grows in this national park. Scientists believe that his age is about 9550 years.
- - A landscape park located in northern Sweden, in the Norrbotten Lena. This area is located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. In Abisko there is a canyon of the river of the same name, as well as Lake Turnetres, which is half a year under the ice. From mid-June to mid-July, the sun shines in these parts around the clock. In this harsh climate, arctic fox and reindeer, wolverine and wolf, brown bear and many polar birds have taken root perfectly.
- located in southern Lapland, in the Lena Westerbotten. The main part of the park is mountains covered with coniferous forests. Mostly pine and spruce grow here, sometimes birch and alder are found. A large population of beaver settled along the rivers and streams of the park; marten, squirrel, and elk are found. In the forests live various songbirds, several species of woodpeckers, etc.
- Norra quill - A park located in Kalmar Lena. Its territory is covered by ancient pine forests. The age of some trees here exceeds 350 years. Over the past 150 years, not a single tree has been cut down in the park.
- Pielekaiscovered with birch forest, named after the mountain of the same name - a symbol of these places. There are several lakes in the southern part of the park. A hiking trail leads through Pielekais to the mountains and wastelands of northern Sweden.
- Sture Mosse - National Park of Sweden, located in Lena. On its territory there is the largest swamp in the south of the country. On the shores of Lake Chevshyon there are many birds. Peatlands located in the park make this area an important ecological system.
- located on the border with. This is a rift valley, on the territory of which virgin forests have remained untouched. Clefts formed here millions of years ago as a result of avalanches, turned into lakes.
- Elk Park Gordho Park located close to. It opened recently - in 2009, Elk is a symbol of this city and one of the national animals of Sweden. In the park you can watch whole herds of moose grazing peacefully in the meadows. There are so many of these animals that every fall in the park they open a moose hunt.
SWEDEN NATIONAL PARKS
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For Sweden's national parks, it is vital that they be visited. Therefore, most of them work in open mode, with the possible exception of the Sarek National Park in Laponia, covering 2,000 square kilometers of untouched space. Wear hiking shoes, a backpack, and anywhere else. This is really worth doing.
Sweden's national parks are scattered throughout the country, located on high alpine peaks, in the tundra and on glaciers far to the north, as well as in the milder climate of the central, south-eastern and south-western parts of Sweden on gentle mountains and hills, in forests from a fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", on the rocky coast and islands of the archipelagos.
If you like privacy and pristine nature, then you will love Laponia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Laponia is the ancient land of the Swedish Sami people, within its borders are the national parks Muddus, Padielanta, Sarek and Stura Schöfallet. These four parks cover a vast territory of 9,400 square kilometers - high alpine peaks, deep valleys, birch groves, tundra, waterfalls, boulder-strewn plains and foamy glacial rivers. Elks, lynxes, wolverines and endangered Arctic foxes find shelter here under the northern lights, which can usually be admired in March-April.
Southeast of Stockholm in the Baltic Sea lies Gotska Sandon. This is the most remote island of the Baltic Sea - and what an island! It consists almost entirely of sand dunes and long beaches, over which stands a pine forest, as if peering into the incredibly clear blue sea. As a result of storms and high surfs, from time to time visiting the island, the coastline is constantly changing, small bays and peninsulas are formed. The island is inhabited and has an interesting history, as evidenced by local buildings, especially churches.
Far south is Stenshuvud National Park (“Wall Head”). According to local folklore, a giant once lived here in the Giddastuan cave. Its “head” is a high hill (97 meters), towering above the Baltic Sea, from which on a clear day a fantastic view of the Danish island of Bornholm opens. For centuries, it has served as a guide for sailors, and today it is one of Sweden's national parks.
There are many examples of flora and fauna worthy of attention, including the European tree frog, hazel dormouse, oriole common; moose is sometimes found. There are also several types of orchids and an extremely rare sterile cinquefoil. On the cape is a popular beach.
Wherever you go, north, south, east or west of Sweden, you can visit one of the national parks.
SAREC National Park (Swe. SAREK National Park)
Sarek National Park has 100 glaciers and the six highest mountain peaks in Sweden. The landscapes are simply magnificent, and although it is not easy to get to them, the efforts justify themselves.
The park covers almost 2000 square kilometers of majestic pristine spaces, and its remoteness is offset by the breathtaking beauty of alpine peaks, valleys and fast mountain rivers. Walking and hiking in the Sarek National Park is not Sunday fun; it has no marked trails, huts or amenities, you need to know this type of terrain well and have with it all the necessary equipment and supplies for the entire stay, usually lasting at least a week.
The Royal Trail (Kungsleden) runs along the eastern side of the park; trekking can begin in Kvikkjokk in the south in the Tarra Valley or in Saltoluokta, a mountain station with a well-known restaurant.
Some other Laponia national parks have more diverse flora and fauna, and you can often see wild animals in them, but Sarek remains unsurpassed thanks to its virgin alpine expanses.
Many of the peaks in Sarek Park are hard to reach, but it is quite possible to reach the peaks of Laddepakte, Naite, Nammath, Skarjatjakka and Skierfe to enjoy stunning views.
PADIELANTA National Park (Swe. PADJELANTA National Park)
Padielanta National Park is a national park in Norrbotten in northern Sweden. It was founded in 1962, after the Swedish parliament voted to create it. Padielanta is Sweden's largest national park, covering an area of \u200b\u200b1984 square kilometers.
Padielanta National Park, bordering Norway in the west, is located on a huge plateau, not far from two unusually large lakes - Vastenjávrre and Virihávrre (the latter is often called the “most beautiful lake in Sweden”). The landscape, as a result, is quite flat and open, especially compared to the Sarek National Park, which is located east of Padielanta. The flora and fauna of the park are extremely diverse: there are over 400 different species of animals and plants in it.
MUDDUS National Park (Swedish. MUDDUSNationalPark)
Muddus National Park is a national park in the province of Lappland in northern Sweden. It borders on the Sarek National Park. Muddus National Park is popular with tourists and climbers.
The national park resembles an ellipse in shape. In addition, the area in which it is located is one of the rainiest in Sweden, which makes walking in the park highly dependent on weather conditions.
In the Muddus National Park, half of the territory is swamps. Also in the Muddus park you can observe a picturesque waterfall 42 meters high, a gorge (Moskoskoru) hundred meters deep and a pine with an estimated age of at least 710 years (it was found out that the tree survived a forest fire in 1413).
There are several rare species of orchids in the park. Despite the inaccessibility of the park, it was inhabited at one time, but the last settlement was abandoned in 1909. The park has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996, as part of Laponia.
ABISCO National Park (Swe. ABiskoNationalPark)
The words "calm", "grandeur" and "virginity" perfectly describe the mountains, valleys, plains, forests, rivers, flora and fauna of the Abisko National Park or Abisko. “Wild”, “unique” and “incomparable” - these are three more adjectives that describe this paradise beyond the Arctic Circle. But to really feel their meaning, you need to come to Abisko, breathe its fragrant mountain air and enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
Aurora Borealis is one of Abisco's wonders, as is the unforgettable sunlight at midnight, observed from May 27 to July 18. In addition to the Royal Trail, the park offers numerous walking and day hiking trails, one of which leads to Mount Nuolja, the spectacular western part of the park. It offers fantastic views of Lake Torneträsk and Lapporten, the famous horseshoe-shaped canyon in the southeast. All routes are clearly marked, landscaped, they have enough huts.
Many tourists head straight for the Royal Trail, the northern gate of which is located in Abisco. Less experienced ones make day trips around Abisko, where there are numerous marked trails for walking in the summer or flat skiing in the winter.
In the Abisko National Park, the Abisko Turiststation is located - a complex with 300 beds with various forms of accommodation.
KUSTERHAWET Marine National Park (Swedish. KOSTERHAVET Marine National Park)
In the northern part of the archipelago off the western coast of Sweden, there are tiny Kuster islands. Since September 9, these attractive places for tourists with a unique maritime territory adjoining them have been declared the first marine national park in Sweden - 100 years after the first national parks in Europe were created in Sweden.
In the summer, Custer is awash with tourists. Many people like these places so much that they want to buy a house here, which is why real estate prices have skyrocketed. What attracts them here? One must think that the sparkling ocean and magnificent landscape, as well as the fact that Kuster is one of the sunniest places in Sweden. But if you look deeper, that is, into the sea waters, you can be sure that this is not the end of the wealth of the islands.
What makes this area worthy of protection is its wild marine nature, a unique living environment of 300 species that you will not see anywhere else - for example, the only cold coral reef in Sweden. And here you can see seals, giant whale sharks and other marine life. In total, there are about 6,000 species here - this is the richest region in terms of species diversity in Sweden. It owes such diversity to the Kuster Strait, the depth of which in some places reaches 200 meters and which creates a special marine environment here.
ARCHIPELAG HAPARANGA National Park (Swedish HAPARANGA ARCHIPELAGO National Park)
A unique island system in the Baltic Sea of \u200b\u200btwo large islands, Sandskär and Seskarö-Furö, and a number of smaller islets and skerries. This national park is famous for its unique flora and serves as a refuge for more than 200 species of birds.
SKULUSKUGEN National Park (Swe. SKULESKOGEN National Park)
The national park in the center of the High Bank, which is included in the World Heritage List, with its peculiar forest landscape that arose as a result of the rise of the earth. Due to its unique relief, the Skulu forest has become a habitat for many animal trees rare at these latitudes. It offers beautiful views, including the highest island in Sweden, Mjältön, which rises 236 meters above the sea. Another attraction of the region are red granite cliffs.
TIRESTA National Park (Swe. TYRESTA National Park)
Tirest National Park lies 20 km south of Stockholm. This is a 400-year-old virgin forest in the middle of desert rocky gorges. They are surrounded by forests and lakes, there is an old village, which gives the whole scene an important cultural aspect.
In the twentieth century, Sweden adopted a number of laws regarding environmental protection. Among European countries, this country ranks first in the number of forests and species diversity in them. Images of plants adorn the coat of arms of every Swedish province.
Sarek National Park the oldest park in Sweden
In 1909, the Sarek National Park was formed. This park is one of the largest national parks in Europe and is one of the most old national parks of Sweden. Since 1996, the park as part of Laponia has been included in uNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sarek National Park and its climate, topography and general information
located in northern Sweden, in the province of Lappland, in the municipality of Jokmokk. Sarek includes three parks Padielanta Sarek, Stura Hyofallet and Sarek. Their total area is more than 5200 km². If we talk about the shape of the park, it resembles a circle whose average diameter is approximately 50 kilometers.
It has only two bridges, it has no paved routes. In addition, the region in which it is located is one of the rainiest in Sweden, so walking in a protected area is highly dependent on the weather conditions.
The national park has eight mountain peaks, the height of which reaches more than 2000 meters, including Sarechchko - the mountain, which is the second highest in Sweden.
There are approximately 100 glaciers within the park.
Sarek National Park and its flora
IN sarek National Park birch and coniferous forests grow, you can also admire the mountain tundra, glaciers, lakes and waterfalls. Local landscapes they really surprise with their magnificence and beauty, but getting to them is very difficult. However, the effort expended will fully justify itself.
Sarek National Park and its fauna
In the territory sarek National Park lynx, wolverines, moose, brown bears live deer (Northern and European), hares, squirrels, roe deer, martens and other wild animals. In clean and fast mountain rivers you can see grayling and trout, however, in Sweden a license is required for all fishing, and it requires a certain monetary outlay.Hello to all readers!Today Iprepared for you a new article on national parks in Europe. Well, plunge into the world of beauty?
In much of Europe, human activity has significantly changed the natural environment. And therefore, European experts (in more detail about this part of the world) and their colleagues on other continents face different problems.
National parks of Europe.
For Europe, environmental protection is not a new thing. As far back as the 11th century, the Norman kings of England took under guard the New Forest forest in Hampshire in order to preserve its fauna and flora and create a hunting ground.
In accordance with ancient laws, this territory still has a special status. Environmental protection measures spread throughout Europe only at the end of the 19th century.
For example, in 1895, the National Monument Protection Society of Britain began to buy land for nature reserves, and in northern Sweden in 1909, the first national parks were created on the sparsely populated lands of Sami nomads.
Europe by 1930, with the exception of the USSR, had 21 protected areas with a total area of \u200b\u200b5762 km 2.
According to the World Conservation Monitoring Center, in the same territory of Europe by 1997, there were already 2,500 protected areas with a total area of \u200b\u200b1,033,863 km 2.
In the Asian and European parts of the former USSR, there were 590 such territories.
According to the World Conservation Union, only a small percentage of the protected areas of Europe are fully consistent with their name.
Almost all nature reserves, national parks, etc. on this continent should be classified as partially protected areas.
In Europe, there are 233 territories that are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The number of these sites of international importance continues to grow.
It is hoped that the governments of the respective countries, recognizing their value, will take them under reliable protection. Given the cultural achievements that Europe’s centuries-old history has been rich in, it’s not surprising that many of the sites on the World Heritage List received this status due to cultural objects located on them, such as the prehistoric Stonehenge building in southern England and the Acropolis of Athens.
In some areas there are both cultural and natural sites. Pillars of conglomerates and sandstone in Meteor's land in Thessaly (Greece), for example, seem impregnable, but small monasteries, which were built in the XIV-XV centuries, are located on their peaks.
Other territories have been inscribed on the World Heritage List due to their unique natural beauty. This includes the islands of St. Kilda (Scotland) and the "Giants Bridge" in Northern Ireland.
Several national parks also have World Heritage status. So, for example, in biosphere reserves and national parks "Bialowieza Forest" on the territory and Poland, sections of virgin mixed forests were preserved, which thousands of years ago covered the territory of Europe.
The bison was completely exterminated, breeding here successfully (8 individuals for restoration after World War I had to be brought from Germany and Sweden, the once large population), as well as many other valuable European species, including beaver, lynx, red deer, brown bear and lynx .
The total area of \u200b\u200bthe entire vast forest Bialowieza Forest It is 1250 km 2, of which 740 km 2 are located in Belarus.
Scandinavia.
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, are known under the general name as "Scandinavian countries." They differ from the rest of Europe in the vastness of nature reserves.
Scandinavia has long held a leading position in Europe for the protection of nature: the first 9 national parks on the continent were created in Sweden.
In Scandinavia today there are about 550 protected areas. Most of them are nature reserves, and more than 50 are national parks.
The main problem that specialists in the protection and rational use of natural resources (more about natural resources) face in Sweden, Norway and Finland are acid rain (more about acid rain you), which arise from industrial emissions south and east of Scandinavia.
For example, heavily contaminated rogen Nature Reserve in Sweden and adjacent to it norwegian national park femunsmark.
To reduce the acidity of those located in these territories and maintain the ecological balance, lime is added to their water.
British Isles.
According to the World Conservation Union, in 1997 there were more than 200 protected areas in the United Kingdom.
This includes 10 national parks that have existed in England and Wales since the 1950s, and the 11th created in 1989 (Lake Norfolk Suffolk), as well as partially forested New Forest, which has a special status.
National parks occupy about 7% of the area of \u200b\u200bEngland and 20% of the area of \u200b\u200bWales. The largest national park, Lake District, covers an area of \u200b\u200b2,280 km 2 in Northern England, and the Peak District, most visited by tourists, is located south of the Pennine Mountains.
There are other types of protected areas in England and Wales. 15% of the area of \u200b\u200bEngland and 4% of the area of \u200b\u200bWales is occupied by 41 "natural monuments."
Scotland has 4 regional parks and 40 national natural parks, Northern Ireland - 9 natural monuments.
The United Kingdom also has national reserves, more than 4,000 sites of scientific interest, and 105 Ramsar wetlands, which have received their status under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
The condition of many sites of special scientific interest is unsatisfactory today.
Ireland.
By the early 1990s Ireland had 3 national parks - Killarney (founded in 1932), Connemara (1980) and Glenveh (1984).
Ireland also has 3 nature reserves and more than 20 Ramsar wetlands.
France.
The economic activities of farmers significantly changed the face of the lowlands of France: agricultural land occupy 58% of its area.
Nevertheless, the country still has undisturbed mountain ranges with wild flora and fauna. Some mountain landscapes are included in 5 national parks.
The first of them, founded in 1963, is located in the Alps on the border with Italy ( department of Vence); the rest - Ekren (1973) and Mercantour (1379) - also in the Alps; Cevennes (1970) - in the Central massif; Western Pyrenees (1967) - in the south-west of the country, on the border with Spain.
On the southeast coast of France is port Cro Cro National Park, including the island adjacent to the mainland, where migratory birds arrange extensive temporary nests.
In total, France has about 110 protected areas, occupying more than 10% of the country's area. Most national parks are open to visitors, in some only scientists work.
Kamagra, a vast wetland west of Marseille, was the first in France to receive Ramsar status. Its attractions are an abundance of waterfowl, a black bull and a white horse.
Spain.
The history of environmental measures in Spain is very long. In 1916, a law on national parks was passed, and in 1918, the first of them, Cavadonga in the northern Cantabrian Mountains and Ordesa in the Pyrenees, were founded.
According to the World Conservation Monitoring Center in 1997, there were 215 protected areas in Spain, occupying more than 8% of the country's area.
Spain's largest national park - Coto Doñana in the delta of the Guadalquivir River (Andalusia). Its area is 507 km 2.
This most important wetland on the European continent was taken under protection in 1963 at the initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature Conservation.
Virtue is visited by almost all European game birds. IN coto Doñana National Park rare species such as the Spanish burial eagle and lynx are found.
Italy and Greece.
In 1997, Italy had 172 protected areas. The first national park, Gran Paradiso, was founded in 1922 in the mountains in the north-west of the country.
Its territory is adjacent to the French vance National Park and is a place of cooperation of specialists in the protection and rational use of natural resources from different countries.
Following the "Gran Paradiso" in 1923 in the Apennines was founded Abruzz National Park, known for protecting a brown bear in it (today - about 100 individuals). Both parks are former royal hunting reserves.
The first national parks in Greece in 1938 were the legendary mountains of Olympus and Parnassus. In them, in particular, herds of mountain goats are protected. By 1997, out of 24 protected areas, 10 had the status of a national park.
Germany.
In the mountains of southern Germany there are several national parks and reserves. The Bavarian Forest National Park is rich in beautiful mountain landscapes and the largest undisturbed mountain forests in Central Europe.
Nowadays this territory is strictly protected, as well as other parks of a similar type. Many of the most picturesque forests in recent years have been hit hard by acid rain.
The first signs of their effects first appeared on trees growing on the crests of mountains, where heavy rains fall, and frost and acid fog are common.
Switzerland.
The only national park in Switzerland was created on August 1, 1914 in its southeastern part. The area of \u200b\u200bthe park is 172.4 km². This park is located in the Alpine mountains.
The height of the park ranges from 1400 m to 3174 m above sea level. Makun Lake Plateau was annexed to the park on August 1, 2000. Its attractions are coniferous forests, mountain pastures and picturesque sections of rocky mountains.
Eastern Europe.
In addition to the national park "Bialowieza Forest" Europe and Belarus have a number of other World Heritage sites in Belarus and Poland.
This list includes: Pirin National Park and Srebrn Nature Reserve in Bulgaria; Danube Delta (Ramsar Wetland in Romania); picturesque Scocian caves in Slovenia; Pliwice Lakes in the Dinar Alps (Croatia); Durmitor National Park with a deep river canyon in Montenegro; Ancient Ohrid Lake in southwestern Macedonia.
One of the most popular nature reserves in Europe on the Slovak-Polish border, annually receives more than 3 million visitors.
Khortobad and Kiskunshad National Parks in Hungary are in the area of \u200b\u200bnatural meadows and salt marshes.
These parks are of great importance as breeding and temporary habitat for migratory birds. A significant part of Eastern Europe has been seriously affected by pollution from industrial waste, as well as radiation.
Nevertheless, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as Belarus, Moldova, and the European part there is a whole network of old and new reserves, where, despite financial difficulties, endangered species are protected and scientific work is being carried out.
Unlike national parks, these territories are fully or partially closed to tourists.
National parks of Europe are very beautiful places to visit!
Flowing into Lake Turnetresk. Grandiose views of the largest mountain lake in Scandinavia with an area of \u200b\u200b332 km 2 open from the top of Mount Nuoglia, to which a cable-car lift is stretched. At the same time, a polar aurora observation center is equipped at the terminal station - Turnetresk and the Abisku Valley are protected by mountains, so that the sky above them often remains clear when everything is surrounded by clouds (the highest chances of catching the radiance are in March and September). The park itself is small - you can go all through it in a day, having overcome 15 km between two mountain shelters. This walk is also listed as the first (or last - depending on where to go) stage of the Royal Trail, Kungsleden, a popular walking route neatly laid out - signs, bridges, crossings - all over Swedish Lapland. Abisku is connected to Stockholm by a daily night train (yes, Sweden is one of the few European countries where you can travel 17 hours by fast train). If you get to Abiska from neighboring Kiruna, then the railway schedule is laid out so that it turns out to return to the city on the same day.
Padielanta, Sarek and Stura Schöfallet
The park is divided into zones: animals, including bears and lynxes, live mainly in its western half, and most of the hiking routes are concentrated in the eastern, coastal part. It is there that the most popular attraction of Skuleskugen is located - the Slottdalskrevan crevice, a granite corridor 7 meters wide and 30 in depth, through which you can get to the top of the mountain with breathtaking views of the islands in the bay.
Tennforsen
Sweden's most impressive and most powerful waterfall is a 20-minute drive from the Ore mountain resort on the river of the same name. The Ore River here turns into a wide channel connecting two full-flowing lakes - Tenshen and Esther Nuren: it first accelerates along the steps-rapids, then to rush down from a 37-meter height (free fall of water - 26 meters). During the peak period in the second half of May, when snow melts actively in the mountains of Jämtland province, the water flow in Tannforsen reaches 400 cubic meters per second - a very noisy and wet sight. If the sun illuminates a cloud of spray, a rainbow hangs over the waterfall.
Jämtland is generally rich in waterfalls, but in the mid-20th century many of them fell victim to industrialization when mountain rivers were driven into a cascade of hydroelectric power stations. Tannforsen was saved by a wide campaign of environmentalists - he retained his natural, uncontrollable character, and the area around him was declared a national reserve.
Fulufjellet
A lost world on the border with Norway: a mountain plateau cut by river channels and abruptly cutting off to coniferous forests in the flat part of the national park, which was established here in 2002 - not only to protect the territory, but also to develop tourism. It’s relatively easy to get to the main tourist magnet, Sweden’s highest waterfall Newpesher, which forms the Newpon River flying from a rocky cliff of a plateau (total height is 125 meters, including 93 meters of free fall). But for further acquaintance with Fulufjellet, additional training and camping equipment will be required.
Near the Newpon channel in the tundra on the top of a plateau stands "Old Tikko", the oldest known free-standing tree in the world - the root system of this spruce tree is at least 9 and a half thousand years old (the trunk sticking out of the ground sprouted "only" about six centuries ago ) In order not to create excessive excitement, the path to the "Old Tikko" is not advertised much - the coordinates and landmarks must be specified in the information center. It is worth remembering about the bears walking around the local forests, an unexpected meeting with which can cause much more trouble than a meeting with a puppy - a little sparrow, which has become the official symbol of the park.
Djurgarden
Former royal hunting grounds have long been part of Stockholm, but still stand out on the map with a bright green spot. Djurgården is not only the island of the same name: the 15-km forest park belt in the northeast of the capital stretches from the palaces of Ulriksdal and Haga to the islands of Fiederholmarna. In 1995, this territory received special conservation status - the world's first “national city park”, that is, a recreation area at the junction of the city and a nature reserve.
Djurgården was opened for festivities even under King Adolf Fredrik in the middle of the 17th century; It was here that at the end of the 19th century, the favorite recreation places for citizens appeared - the Gröna-Lund lunapark and the world's first ethnographic park-museum Skansen. The territory did not escape development: Stockholm University campus was located in North Djurgården, in the south - Kaknes TV tower and a dozen museums of national importance. However, here and today you can meet more than 800 different plants, more than 100 species of birds and even large animals - hares, roe deer and foxes; amazing biodiversity for the modern metropolis, which the national city park is designed to preserve.
Tyuresta
The closest to Stockholm and therefore the most easily accessible national park in the kingdom - almost 2,000 hectares of virgin forest and a dozen lakes almost on the southeastern outskirts of the capital; from the center - literally half an hour by car or an hour by train and bus.
The simplest route along Tyurest - a loop from the information center to the southern shore of Lake Orshyon - can actually be done even with a pram: instantly you delve into the kingdom of pines that cling to a thin layer of soil laid on glacier polished rocks. At first, tablets telling about local plants, mosses and lichens regularly come across. But out of 55 km of local trails, you can choose much less well-groomed ones, where instead of information stands you will find trees gnawed by beavers, a herd of shrill boars or fresh traces of a lynx. The main thing is to lay your own route bypassing the area affected by the 1999 forest fires, unless you want to see firsthand how nature on the devastated land slowly but surely restores what was lost.
Kosterhavet
Sweden's first marine national park protects the waters around the Koster archipelago in the Skagerrak Strait. Underwater currents bring cold and salty ocean water from the Atlantic to the westernmost shores of the kingdom, due to which thousands of species of marine flora and fauna are found here, hundreds of them marked with “Red Book”. Under the water there is a coral reef, which in summer can be studied by adherents of diving and snorkeling. Those who are not ready to dive into the cool waters get acquainted with the wildlife living in the reef - mollusks, crabs, sponges, ascidians and ofiuras - in the Sven Louvain Aquarium in the mainland village of Cerneu.
There is also someone to admire above the surface of the water: the largest colony of seals in Sweden lives on the islands, and for the sake of a relatively warm winter there eagles, terns, gogolis, garners and skuas migrate here from the Arctic. Walking trails are marked on all the major islands of the archipelago, road transport has been rooted out as a class, but there are bicycles for hire, and you can take kayaks to travel to distant uninhabited skerries.
Tiveden
A real wilderness in the very heart of the country - the Tiveden Forest for centuries has shared the possessions of the Goethe and Svej tribes, the ancient inhabitants of Sweden. Even after they entered into an alliance, local granite rocks covered with pine trees, interspersed with lakes in crevices and peppered with huge (up to 15 meters in height) boulders, created a natural barrier between the two parts of the kingdom. This barrier has not yet been destroyed - the national park occupies only the thicket of the forest, and there are much more moose and wood grouse in the surrounding territories than people.
34 kilometers of trails laid in the park are not designed for easy walks - most of them consist of constant ascents and descents, often on bare granite (stairs and railings are installed on the most difficult sections). But the spirit is tempered in such campaigns - it is not for nothing that the origin of the toponym Tiveden is associated with the name of the one-armed Tür, the god of military valor in Scandinavian mythology.
Gotska Sandyon
An uninhabited island in the middle of the Baltic, in fact - one large dune measuring 9 by 6 km, overgrown with dense pine. Since the locals finally moved to Gotland in the 1960s, only hare-hares and a colony of seals remained among the permanent population, having chosen the rocks on the north coast of the island. The center of human civilization is the former village, which now houses the headquarters of the national park, decorated with a cannon from the Russian ship "The Horseman" (it flew into the rocks near Gotska-Sandyon in 1864, the Swedes helped evacuate the surviving sailors), an old chapel, a wooden lighthouse and camping, which welcomes guests from May to September.
In late spring and autumn, bird houses occupy the houses, for which the sandy island is a unique observation point on the pole route of migration of migratory birds. In the summer months, ships from the island of Foru and from Nyuneshamn, the closest settlement on the mainland from Stockholm, regularly depart here. In the absence of a permanent harbor, landing on an island can entail a multi-kilometer march to a camping along forest paths. But if you are lucky with changeable winds and currents, it is better to focus on more meditative walks - from one deserted beach to another and from the overgrown Russian cemetery, where the sailors of the Horseman rest, to an unplanned strawberry glade.
Longhammar and Digerhood
Two reserved beaches on the northern tip of the island of Foru, which in turn can be considered the northern appendage of the greater Gotland - the island is separated by a narrow strait, and connects with a round-the-clock free ferry, which has been going to be replaced with a permanent bridge for a long time.
The sparsely populated Forey is mandatory in all travel guides in Sweden, and there are two reasons for this. First, the great filmmaker lived, filmed and buried here. The second - raukars, bizarre stone formations that appeared on the Baltic coast as a result of erosion of limestone rocks after the last ice age. Their greatest concentration and the most fantastical specimens are observed just at Longhammar and Digerhuvud. You can go both beaches from end to end in a couple of hours and distribute yourself who the pillar looks like - a petrified knight, a princess, a dog, a cobra or a lion's head.
Stura Karlsø
On the tiny (only 2.5 km2) island off the western coast of Gotland, the largest bird market in the Baltic Sea is located. Every summer, thousands of thin-billed guillemots, eels, and scrubbers hatch their offspring here on limestone rocks. In total, birdwatchers noted more than 200 bird species here. The environmental society on the island was founded back in 1880, which makes it possible today to call Stura Karlsø the second oldest reserve in the world - immediately after Yellowstone. All human presence is reduced to a lighthouse (automated, in old buildings - a museum and a hostel) and a cafe by the pier.
From May to August, excursions from Gotland daily leave here - from the port of Klintehamn. When the tourist season ends, only the reserve workers and sheep remain on the island. The latter, by the way, in 1887, everyone was evacuated from Stura-Karlsø to save impoverished vegetation. The operation was a success, and two decades ago the herds were returned - this time, in order to slightly clear the island of impenetrable juniper thickets.
Sture Mosse
Literally, "The Big Swamp." A bog with an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 100 km2, 3/4 of which is declared a national park, is a whole peat sea in southern Sweden, spanned by tens of kilometers of paths. Trails were laid along the bridges, which regularly shift every spring, as soon as the flood descends. Having stepped on them, you find yourself in the middle of vast expanses, as if you had stepped out into the real sea, but instead of the water around you there is an even surface of moss.
The shortest route of the park is to the 12-meter observation tower near Lake Chevshen, on the banks of which cranes and whooper swans nest. Walking longer - to one of the small lakes with black water (in the warm season it is not forbidden to plunge), and if you arm yourself with marshes, you can get off the bridges and enjoy the berries growing among the mosses.
Kullaberg
The Cullen Peninsula on the map resembles a claw that crashes into the waters of the Kattegat Strait northwest of Helsingborg. The tip of the peninsula beyond the village of Mölle is declared Kullaberg Nature Reserve. The landscapes resemble a scaled-down version of the South African cape of Good Hope rather than the usual gently sloping coast in Scone province. A series of rocky bays with caves and cliffs hanging over them, an old lighthouse with a cafe and trails laid along the edge of the cliff are a great opportunity for a few hours walk.
Kullaberg Nature Reserve. Photo: Sergey Bondarenko
The final goal can be the installation of "Nimis", which the artist Lars Wilks first collected in 1980 from logs that were carried ashore by a storm. Local authorities considered this illegal construction in the reserve and demanded that the structure be demolished. The artist refused. A protracted conflict with litigation led to the formation of the micro-state of Ladonia, which in two decades of its virtual independence acquired its own flag, coat of arms, currency, queen, hundreds of ministers and 20 thousand citizens (this can include anyone who has left an application on the Ladonia website). Things are still there: Wilks repeatedly restored the Nimis - the symbol of Ladonia - after storms and fires, and local authorities are trying to destroy it (and basically do not indicate the maps of the reserve).
Söderosen
The nature of Skane, the southernmost Swedish province, is not much like the rest of the kingdom, and Søderosen stands out sharply in the middle of the rest of Skåne: instead of the usual plowed fields, there are dense deciduous forests, and instead of smooth plains, ravines with deep streams and cliffs with cliffs that open up with impressive kinds. The vertical drop of 90 meters - even if it sounds ridiculous by Lapland standards, in the south of Sweden it is close to the maximum. And let the local national park be one of the youngest in the country (established in 2001), but it is already among the most popular.
Here, at any season, you can call on the road from Malmö and Helsingborg for a walk, horseback or bicycle ride in a beech forest filled with light. But not to turn to Söderosen in May, when it is filled with fresh herbs, or at the peak of leaf fall in October, is an unforgivable mistake.
