{{Coord, 58.40300, N, 15.58986, E, display=title Valla Wood (in Swedish, ''Vallaskogen'') is a nature reserve in the municipality of

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

, in the county of

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, Sweden. It is the forested area nearest the city centre. Because the main campus of the

University of Linköping A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

lies on the other side of it, many students and workers cycle back and forth daily on the small road through it. Smaller paths and woodland trails are used by people jogging, walking (including walking their dogs), birdwatching, and orienteering. At 400 hectares, Valla Wood has been described as an oasis in the middle of the city. Valla Wood lies right beside two important neighbours: Valla Farm and Old Linköping. These three should be considered as a group. The idea is that visitors can see how the land was used in Sweden long ago and the connections between village, forest, and farm. Cattle grazed in the Wood up until the 1930s. Currently sheep graze in one fenced-off area. The Wood's fauna includes everything from insects and frogs, to birds, hares, and even

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

. The flora ranges from the usual lush moss that covers many rocks and fallen logs, to birches, maples, pines, and spruce. Less usual are the orchids and the very old

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 ...

s. During the 1970s and 80s there was a plan to build a major new road through the Wood. This road would have connected two important roundabouts in the city (The Garrison's Roundabout and Valla Roundabout). Although this would have been convenient for motorists, it would have been devastating for all those who loved the Wood. Many residents of Linköping united against this threat and finally in 1989 the plan was defeated and the Wood was safe. Valla Wood has evidence of human habitation and agriculture going back more than two thousand years. Image:vallaskogen sommar.jpg, Cool green of summer Image:vallaskogen höst.jpg, Warm gold of autumn

External links

*in English, from the county http://www.lansstyrelsen.se/ostergotland/Om_Lansstyrelsen/in_english/departments/department_of_nature_resources/Naturereserves/linkoping/Vallaskogen/ *in Swedish, from the municipality http://www.linkoping.se/sv/Kultur-fritid/Gamla-Linkoping/Valla-fritidsomrade/Vallaskogen/ Geography of Östergötland County Nature reserves in Sweden Tourist attractions in Östergötland County