21 Best Sights in The South and the Kingdom of Glass, Sweden

The highlight of this museum is the exhibit of the remains of the royal warship Kronan, which sank in battle off Öland in 1676. Of the 850 people on board, only 42 survived. Since the wreck was discovered in 1980, more than 35,000 objects including cannons, wood sculptures, old coins, and a variety of items belonging to the ship’s ill-fated crew have been raised from the seabed—many of them astonishingly well preserved thanks to the low salt content and oxygen-poor environment of the Baltic Sea. Another permanent exhibition focuses on the Kalmar-born artist Jenny Nyström, famous for her paintings of gnomes.

Kalmar’s top attraction is the imposing Kalmar Castle, which sits on a small island facing the downtown and the harbor. Begun as a defense tower in the 1100s and expanded over the following century, it held an important strategic position along what was then the border between Sweden and Denmark. In 1397, the castle was the site of one of the most significant events in medieval Scandinavian history, the establishment of the Kalmar Union, which joined Sweden, Norway, and Denmark under one crown. The castle was rebuilt by the Vasa kings during the 16th century and is today the best-preserved Renaissance castle in northern Europe. It contains a number of well-preserved chambers, as well as interesting displays on the castle’s development and Kalmar’s importance in Swedish history.

The second-oldest open-air museum in Sweden, Kulturen consists of a beautiful collection of farmhouses, town houses, a church, and other buildings that show how people have lived in southern Sweden over the centuries. Some have always stood on this spot, while others have been moved here from other locations. Step inside and see what daily life was like for people from different time periods and social classes. There are also a variety of exhibits about Lund’s history, folk art and design, textiles, toys, books, and various other topics.

Lunds Cathedral, consecrated in 1145, is a monumental gray-stone Romanesque cathedral, the oldest in Scandinavia. Since the Reformation, it has been Lutheran. Its crypt has 23 finely carved pillars, and the oldest parts of the cathedral are considered the finest Romanesque constructions in Sweden. However, the cathedral’s most famous attraction is an astronomical clock, installed in the cathedral around 1425 and restored in 1923 and repaired again in 2009–10. Twice daily (12 and 3 Monday–Saturday, 1 and 3 Sunday) it comes to life with a pageant of knights jousting on horseback, trumpets blowing a medieval fanfare, and the Magi walking in procession past the Virgin and Child as the organ plays In dulci jubilo.

Less than half an hour’s drive east of Ystad lies Ales Stenar, Sweden’s largest and best-preserved stone ship setting. Erected sometime between AD 500 and 1000, it consists of 59 stones of various sizes, arranged in the shape of a ship and perfectly positioned along a northwest-to-southeast axis to align with sunrise and sunset during the annual equinoxes and solstices. Roughly 220 feet long and 62 feet wide, the ship setting is positioned on a windswept clifftop overlooking the Baltic Sea, on the edge of the village of Kåseberga. From the free parking lot on the edge of town, it’s a 15-minute walk to the stones.

The Glass Factory, part of the Kosta Boda Company, is the second-oldest glassworks here, founded in 1864. At the Glass Factory, young and innovative glass artists and designers have the chance to experiment through residency programs and collaboration. Visitors can watch demonstrations of glassblowing and crafting. There’s also an on-site museum with permanent and changing exhibitions related to glass.

A couple of blocks east of the cathedral is Lund’s botanical garden, which contains thousands of specimens of plants from all over the world, including such exotics as the gingko and katsura (or caramel tree).

This highly impressive building was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder in 1660 in the Italian baroque style. Inside, the massive open spaces create stunning light effects. Concerts are held in the cathedral, often free or for a small donation, spanning styles from organ and choir music to jazz.

The Franciscan monastery Gråbrödraklostret, which adjoins St. Peter's Church, is one of the best-preserved cloisters in Sweden. The oldest parts date from 1267. Together, the church and monastery are considered the most important historical site in Ystad. The gardens of cloisters include more than 90 different varieties of roses, both modern and older, and an extensive herb garden, while the design of the peony garden was inspired by the work of landscape gardener Emma Lundberg.

The Kingdom of Crystal's oldest works, dating from 1742, was named for the two former generals who founded it, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Stael von Holstein. Faced with a dearth of local talent, they initially imported glassblowers from Bohemia. The Kosta works pioneered the production of crystal (to qualify for that label, glass must contain at least 24% lead oxide). The Kosta complex includes a glass hut where you can watch glassblowers at work, a glass art gallery, outlet stores, and a glass studio where you can try your own hand at glassblowing (booking required). Since 1990 Kosta Boda also owns the renowned Orrefors glass brand, which has its own outlet shop here. To get to the village of Kosta from Kalmar, drive 59 km (36 miles) west on Route 25, then 15 km (9 miles) north on Route 28.

Krognoshuset is Lund's best-preserved medieval residence, with parts dating back to the 1300s. It houses a small but well-presented art gallery. The building itself is worth a look, but most days you will get the bonus of a contemporary art exhibition showcasing anything from industrial design to video installations.

This cobblestoned square has some of the city's oldest buildings, which date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Surrounded by cafés, restaurants, and bars, it's a great place to wander or watch the world go by. Walk into the side streets and see the traditional buildings, which were originally used mainly to store grain and produce.

Målerås specializes in ground, engraved, and painted glass art and decorative glass items. The glassworks’s lead designer and primary owner, Mats Jonasson, is known internationally for his stylized crystal animal heads and engraved figures, which can be seen in the exhibition gallery and shop. Glassblowing takes place every day, and guided glasshouse shows take place three times a day during the summer. A 20-minute glassblowing try-out can also be booked, as well as a longer one-to-two-hour session.

The city's castle, Malmöhus, completed in the 1540s, was for many years used as a prison (James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Boswell and third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, was one of its notable inmates). Exhibits trace the dramatic history of the castle and the city of Malmö over the past 500 years. Malmöhus is also home to the Malmö Art Museum and an aquarium, which together with the adjacent Technology and Maritime Museum are part of a complex called Malmö Museer. A single admission ticket gets you into all the museums.

Housed in a converted power plant from 1901, this is a branch of the national modern art museum, which also includes the original Moderna Museet in Stockholm. The Malmö museum presents changing exhibits of 20th- and 21st-century art, including modern classics and innovative contemporary artists.

In Gamla Staden, the Old Town, look for Malmö’s oldest church, St. Peter's Church. Dating from the 14th century, it is an impressive example of the Baltic Gothic style, with distinctive stepped gables. Inside there is a fine Renaissance altar, with northern Europe's tallest wooden altarpiece.

Ystad’s oldest church, also known as Mariakyrkan, was built shortly after 1220 as a basilica in the Romanesque style, though there have been later alterations, one owing to a storm in 1648 that destroyed the western part of the church. Among its treasures are a 15th-century wooden altarpiece from Germany, an iron chandelier from the 1300s, and a baroque stone pulpit from 1626. Since 1748, a watchman has sounded a copper horn from the church tower every 15 minutes from 9:15 pm to 1 am to proclaim that "all is well."

Sometimes the artistic process is as interesting and impressive as the final product. That’s the idea behind this museum, which displays sketches, models, and other preliminary works by Swedish and international artists. The visual impact as you step into the high-ceilinged main exhibit hall is stunning. Be sure to pick up an exhibition guide in English as you enter, since many pieces are labeled in Swedish only. Guided tours are offered in English at 1 pm on Saturday, included in the admission price.

The royal family, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Parliament have all commissioned work from Skruf, which opened in 1897. Local farmers encouraged the development of the glassworks because they wanted a market for their wood. The factory specializes in lead-free crystal, which has a unique iridescence and form.

Since 2004, Ystad has been home to one of Scandinavia’s largest film studios and has been riding a wave of global enthusiasm for the Nordic noir genre of crime fiction, including Henning Mankell’s Wallander series, set in Ystad. So far there have been more than 30 Wallander movies in Swedish, as well as 12 English-language BBC films starring Kenneth Branagh—all of them filmed almost entirely in and around Ystad. At the Ystad Studios Visitor Center, you can step into Wallander’s living room and office, explore the filmmaking process, and see costumes worn by actors in the Swedish-Danish television series The Bridge, another international hit filmed largely in the area.

You can learn about Scandinavian art and design at the Form/Design Center. The center is run by SvenskForm, a nonprofit association that promotes top-quality design in Sweden. Swedish and other Scandinavian artworks are on display throughout the center.