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Lovön is an island in the Swedish Lake Mälaren in
Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality ( sv, Ekerö kommun) is a municipality in the province of Uppland in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. The name derives from the name of the main island within the municipality whose name is Ekerön, and literally means ...
of Stockholm County. It was a municipality of its own until 1952, when it was joined with Ekerö Municipality. Lovön's greatest attraction is Drottningholm Palace and its many public gardens, which were built on the island in 1580.


History

There is much known about the history of this rather small island. Owing to its status today 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 ...
, much research has gone into its history. It is estimated that Lovön has been inhabited since around the 25th century BC.


Stone Age

Traces of Stone Age
hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
and
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
camps dated as old as 2500 B.C. have been found by archaeologists on Lovön.
Harpoons A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal ...
made of bone, stone tools, ceramic bowls, and remains of huts are some artifacts that have been located and researched. It is also believed that these camps were seasonal quarters rather than year-round habitations. The island was at this point a set of broken-up smaller islands, since the water level in Lake Mälaren was significantly higher than it is today.


Nordic Bronze Age

During the
Nordic Bronze Age The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age, or Scandinavian Bronze Age) is a period of Scandinavian prehistory from c. 2000/1750–500 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age culture emerged about 1750 BC as a continuation of the Battle Axe culture (th ...
permanent settlement began. As the water level dropped off, more land was exposed, and the smaller islands were shaped into a coherent landmass. New wetlands were created in the low-lying areas, moist and fertile. Archaeological studies show a large amount of juniper and grass pollen — a sign that much of Lovön was open land for
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
-grazing. Archaeologists have found smaller living quarters around the spot where the church is located today. 30 or so stone
burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...
have been found scattered throughout the island from this period. From the bone materials found in these burial mounds it has established that only men were put in burial mounds, and only one person per generation received this type of burial, suggesting that the buried men were chieftains. Towards the end of the Bronze Age, pollen counts indicate abundant spruce trees growing in the open fields.


Iron Age

During the
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
the waters of Mälaren receded again and new land masses were created, causing an increase in the population. Farming families, tilling the fertile lower lands, became the norm. Each family would typically have their own set of fields and a family
graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
, placed on infertile lands. Consequently, many of the graves have been untouched until modern times. The pre-Christian tradition of burial was
cremation Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre is ...
on a
funeral pyre A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...
. The remains were gathered and covered with selected stones, and then packed with dirt. Towards the very end of the Iron Age Christianity gradually made its way into this region of Sweden, where the pagan ways were, however, slow to die. Burials of converted pagans did not involve burning the body, but rather dressing it in a simple white dress and burial in the ground. The grave site was rectangular, usually oriented east–west, and, at times, lined with stones.


Late Middle Ages onwards

By 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 ...
, the family farms had combined into villages. Commonly between two and four farms would combine into a village. Names such as Norrby (North Village), Söderby (South Village) Rinkeby, Edeby, and so on, many of which are still current, derive from this period. During this period, part of the island was taken as royal property; the son of
Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...
,
Johan III John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomous ...
, erected a stone house on the island in 1579. This house would become Drottningholm Palace.


Contemporary

Lovön has about 1,000 permanent inhabitants. The major employer is the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment, which has been located there since 1942. A large part of the island was designated as a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
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 ...
in 1991 for the Drottningholm Palace and surrounding gardens. The island's sights are a major tourist destination, especially during the summer.


The Church

The oldest section of Lovö Church, the island's church (not to be confused with the castle church of Drottningholm Palace), has been dated back to the later part of the 12th century. One researcher, Berit Wallenberg, claims it was built as early as the 11th century. It is also believed that an even older wooden church existed on this site. Church sermons are held in the church, normally once a month, and for certain Christian holidays.


Interior

The
sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
of the church was created around 1670. The architect is believed to be
Nicodemus Tessin the Elder Nicodemus Tessin the Elder () (7 December 1615 in Stralsund – 24 May 1681 in Stockholm) was an important Swedish architect. Biography Nicodemus Tessin was born in Stralsund in Pomerania and came to Sweden as a young man. There he met and wor ...
, who was working on Drottningholm Palace around this same time. Inside the church are 30 gravestones, several of which belonged to people employed at Drottningholm palace. The interior was renovated in 2004.


Exterior

The church is unusually small and narrow. It was extended to the east, first in the 13th and further in the 17th century. Churches built during this time were built with a weapons room, a foyer where people going to church had to lay down their arms before entering the church itself. This weapons house was demolished in 1798, and an entry was made in the west side of the attached church tower.


Lovö Runestones

Five runestones known as the Lovö Runestones are currently located around the church. The stones date from the early 11th century, and contain some names of the local people, such as Torgils, Signiut, Holmer, Vig, Tingfast, and Johan.


References


Sources


Ekerö municipality, official church organisation website (In Swedish)Lovön local interest organisation (In Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovon Islands of Mälaren Drottningholm Palace