Southern Gothenburg Archipelago
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The Southern Gothenburg Archipelago lies off the coast of Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city. It has 5,000 permanent and another 6,000 summer residents. The archipelago is completely car free. Transportations is carried out by means of cycles, delivery mopeds, electric cars and ferries.
In the Norse sagas, it was called Elfarsker (the river islets), as the river Göta älv had its estuary there. The islands appear to have been famous as a location for holmgangar during the Viking Age.
Sagas where the location appears:
One of the islands, Brännö, is described as an important location for fairs in the Laxdaela saga, and it is also considered to be the likely location of Breca and the Brondings of the Anglo-Saxon poems Widsith and Beowulf.
- Köpstadsö is often called Kössö. It is a small island with narrow footpaths. Not even mopeds are allowed here. The name of the island implies trading.
- Styrsö: during the 1830's the Öberg family establisher a guesthouse there. This was the start of a bathing resort, which expanded repidly with the start of steamboats in 1867.
- Donsö is an important fishing and ship-owning community. The harbour is the center of the island. It is surrounded by 20th century fishing facilities.
- Vargö has been a nature reserve since 1986. The varied sea landspace offers a diversity of flora. It is a good place to see razorbills, woodland birds, gulls and eiders.
[edit] See also
- Rivö fjord, the estuary of the Göta älv
[edit] References
- ^ Hið íslenzka Biblíufélag (The Icelandic Bible Society): «Örvar-Odds saga» (original text in Old Norse)
- ^ Hið íslenzka Biblíufélag: «Bósa saga ok Herrauðs» (Old Norse)
- ^ Hið íslenzka Biblíufélag: «Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar» (Old Norse)
[edit] External links
- Southern Gothenburg Archipelago (Swedish)
- Go Boating: Southern Gothenburg Archipelago English: lang and (Swedish)
