![HalltorpsHage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/HalltorpsHage.JPG)
Halltorp was one of the earliest manor on the island of
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
,
Sweden, dating from the 11th century AD. In early documents it is known as Hauldtorp, and it is cited as one of the early
Viking era
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...
settlements of Öland. From early times it has functioned as a royal farm associated with the Swedish Crown and was considered one of the finest hunting preserves on the island. There is a
relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.
Biology
A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas.
Geology and geomorphology
In geology, a r ...
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
forest on the present grounds which contains numerous trees that are centuries old. Halltorp is in an area rich in history and
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
, and most of the southern part of the island of Öland has been designated as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. The site is adjacent to the perimeter highway,
Route 136.
Architecture
Limestone was quarried from the local
Stora Alvaret
Stora Alvaret (; "the Great Alvar") is an alvar, a barren limestone terrace, in the southern half of the island of Öland, Sweden. Stora Alvaret is a dagger shaped expanse almost long and about at the widest north end. The area of this formation ...
to produce the core of the present manor in the late 18th century, although it is known an earlier manor house stood here for centuries. The limestone blocks obtained from the local
alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prair ...
are exceptionally flat with little fashioning just as they come from the quarry and are very easy to stack for use in building construction.
Early history
Only
Borgholm
Borgholm () is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 4,401 inhabitants in 2020. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, at the Kalmar Strait-side of Öland, north of Färjestaden.
Borgholm is on ...
and
Ottenby
Ottenby () is a town on the island of Öland, Sweden, located in Ås parish, Mörbylånga Municipality in Kalmar County. Ottenby is located just north of the southern tip of Öland, over thirty km south of the area's main town, Mörbylånga. Ott ...
are documented in early writings to have been Viking era settlements along with Halltorp, although
archaeological records show evidence of Vikings at a number of other locations on Öland: namely,
Gettlinge
Gettlinge is a village in the southwest portion of the island of Öland, Sweden. It is known for its impressive Viking stone ship burial ground. Gettlinge is situated on the western fringe of the Stora Alvaret, a World Heritage Site designated ...
,
Alby and
Hulterstad
Hulterstad is a small coastal town on the southeastern part of the island of Öland, Sweden. Hulterstad is situated at the eastern fringe of the Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement habitat which hosts a diversity of rare plants and has been ...
. A manor house is thought to have existed here since at least the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
. In the 17th century Halltorp was integrated to the royal Borgholm estate, where
Borgholm Castle
Borgholm Castle ( sv, Borgholms slott) in Borgholm, Sweden, is today only a ruin of the fortress that was first built in the second half of the 13th century and rebuilt many times in later centuries. It is linked to Halltorp estate, to the south ...
is situated about seven kilometers to the north. The extensive forest area west of Halltorp Manor house ran all the way to
Kalmar Strait
The Kalmar Strait ( sv, Kalmarsund) is a strait in the Baltic Sea, located between the Swedish island of Öland and the province of Småland of the Swedish mainland. The strait is about long and between and in width.
There is a road bridge a ...
. The kings of the
House of Vasa used this
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...
area as one of their prime hunting preserves. Also on site is a great
European hornbeam forest, one of the largest within Sweden, that is documented to derive from at least as early as the 17th century.
King Frederick I of Sweden bestowed Halltorp royal farm upon
Sven Aderman in the year 1723 to acknowledge his invention of a rapid firing
musket during the wars of
King Karl XII. By 1760 captain Edvard Lukhehorn was reflected as the owner of Halltorp estate. It has been deduced that a grand manor house of native
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
was created in the late 18th century, which is the core of the present structure. As late as the year 1804 the estate was held by descendants of Lukhehorn.
From 19th century
By 1820 Halltorp estate was partitioned, with the new owners being Baron M.
Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish ...
and Colonel A. Von Franchen, the latter who also served as the royal
Chamberlain
Chamberlain may refer to:
Profession
*Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure
People
*Chamberlain (surname)
**Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
. In this era Halltorp still consisted of its present-day lands as well as the coastal
Ekerum estate, a 180 hectare holding having several
croft
Croft may refer to:
Occupations
* Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling
* Crofting, small-scale food production
* Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft
Locations In the Uni ...
buildings. Then in the year 1859 a
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
member, Erik Johan Rudberg (1821-1899) bought the Halltorp holding, who held it until selling to Johan Persson in 1895.
Halltorps Gästgiveri
![Halltorps Gästgiveri,Öland 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Halltorps_G%C3%A4stgiveri%2C%C3%96land_01.jpg)
At the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Halltorp was sold to three municipalities and was converted into a retirement home, which operated until 1973. Two years later the manor became Halltorps Gästgiveri, an inn with guest rooms. In 1991, a twenty five guest room addition was created in the form of a new wing sweeping to the west joining in
L-Plan design to the older manor core. There were also added two
spas, a
wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system ...
, a winter garden and some conference rooms.
The manor house was designed with an entrance facing east, such that upon entering the vestibule, a
great hall lay immediately ahead where the present day dining room is situated. Further west of the hall were the south facing kitchen, still the current day kitchen, and two other rooms facing north which have now been adapted to reception areas of the present day inn. The original first floor had a large loft, which area is now converted to guest rooms.
Halltorps Hage
Halltorps hage, the
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
at Halltorp lies to the west of the manor house extending to the Kalmar Strait. In addition to the ancient oak forest, this area is known for several wild
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
s including: Common spotted orchid, ''
Dactylorhiza fuchsii
''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae.
''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'' is one of Europe's commonest wild orchids. It is widespread across much of Europe, with the range ex ...
''; ''Listera ovata''; and Bird’s-nest orchid, ''
Neottia nidus-avis
''Neottia nidus-avis'', the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid, native to Europe, Russia and some parts of the Middle East.
Description
''Neottia nidus-avis'' grows to tall and each shoot can carry up to 60 flowers. Plants ar ...
''. Many other
rare and
endangered species can be found to the east on the
Stora Alvaret
Stora Alvaret (; "the Great Alvar") is an alvar, a barren limestone terrace, in the southern half of the island of Öland, Sweden. Stora Alvaret is a dagger shaped expanse almost long and about at the widest north end. The area of this formation ...
, although in this northern part of Öland the
alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prair ...
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is more fragmented than in the south of the island where large expanses of
limestone pavement
A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK and Ireland, where many of these landforms have developed dis ...
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
exist.
See also
*
Kalmar Strait
The Kalmar Strait ( sv, Kalmarsund) is a strait in the Baltic Sea, located between the Swedish island of Öland and the province of Småland of the Swedish mainland. The strait is about long and between and in width.
There is a road bridge a ...
References
External links
Halltorp website
{{coord, 56, 47, 59, N, 16, 34, 59, E, type:landmark_region:SE_source:nlwiki, display=title
Manor houses in Sweden
Öland
Buildings and structures in Kalmar County
Geography of Kalmar County
Tourist attractions in Kalmar County
Nature reserves in Sweden