Småskär and Finnskär are two closely neighboring islands in the northwest of the Swedish sector of the

Bay of Bothnia The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is Post-glacial rebound, still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has ...

, in the

Luleå archipelago The Luleå archipelago ( sv, Luleå Skärgård or ''Lule Skärgård'') is a group of Swedish islands in the north part of the Bay of Bothnia. They lie offshore from the city of Luleå and the mouth of the Lule River. A few of the islands have sma ...

Location

Småskär and Finnskär to the east were previously collections of reefs that grew together into islands due to

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound a ...

. They can be reached in summer by tour boats from

Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; smj, Luleju; fi, Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Lu ...

. There are about 120 cottages, but despite this there is still much pristine nature. Småskär has two rental cabins and a sauna located next to the marina.

Environment

On Småskär and the neighboring island of Finnskär there are coniferous forests, deciduous rainforests,

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

, large stands of aspen, wet meadows, wetlands, rocky areas and beaches. The two islands have many excellent habitats for birds, including ponds, shallow bays and old growth forest. There are about 40 nesting bird species, but no rare species are present. Småskär and Finnskär are part of a bird sanctuary where it is prohibited to hunt waterfowl and ducks. The waters to the east of Småskär is the best observation area in the archipelago for seal watching.

History

The fishing village in Kyrkviken on Småskär probably dates from the 1500s. Luleå was founded in 1621 and Småskär, originally called Rammelholmen, was donated to the people of Luleå by Queen Christina in 1652. The chapel at Småskär, built in the 1720s by the residents of Luleå, is the oldest in the archipelago. It was built in what became known as Chapel Bay. This is probably the location of the original fishing village. Some of the buildings of that period have inscriptions from the 1700s. Today they are some distance from the water. Beside the chapel's altar there is a "gentry bench" that was only for priests and the elite. Outside the chapel is an old stone circle, once the place where meetings were held to decide on fines and other penalties for those who did not observe the Sabbath or follow the rules of the parish. Well into the 1900s the town was an important working fishing village. Now it is used only for recreation, and is one of the most popular destinations in the outer Luleå archipelago.

Gallery

File:Välkommen till Småskär.JPG, Welcome sign File:Kapellet på Småskär.JPG, Chapel

References

Citations Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smaskar Swedish islands in the Baltic Islands of Norrbotten County