Swedish county road 136 ( sv, Länsväg 136) is a

county road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the County (United States), county highway departme ...

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 Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. This facility is a paved two lane structure that runs along the west coast of the island from

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 ...

in the south to Nabbelund in the north. This highway constitutes the majority of named highway coverage on the island. Route 136 connects to Route 137 somewhat east of the

Öland bridge The Öland Bridge ( sv, Ölandsbron) is a road bridge connecting Kalmar on mainland Sweden to Färjestaden on the island of Öland to its east. At long, it is one of the longest in all of Europe (the longest one until completion of Vasco da Gama ...

, which crosses the

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 acr ...

. Much of the island of Öland has been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO in the form of 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 ...

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 ...

. This reserve is home to a vast number of rare and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

due to the presence of an enormous limestone barren, which is the largest such formation in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Route 136 is virtually the only spinal link allowing vehicle access to all parts of the Stora Alvaret. Sites accessed by Route 136 are the

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 ...

stone ship The stone ship or ship setting was an early burial custom in Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and the Baltic states. The grave or cremation burial was surrounded by slabs or stones in the shape of a boat or ship. The ships vary in size and were e ...

gravefield,

Ottenby Nature Reserve 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. Otten ...

and

Halltorps Manor Halltorp was one of the earliest manor on the island of Öland, 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 settlements of Öland. From early times it ha ...

Geology

Much of Route 136 is built directly over 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 prairie ...

formation itself, which provides an excellent

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 ...

base. However, the most interesting

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

feature associated with Route 136 is a low ridge scarcely exceeding four meters in height which is particularly noticeable in the western perimeter of Öland. This ridge is an accumulation of soils from the combination of glacial accumulation and wave action of the ocean when ocean levels were effectively higher. The soil accumulation is an important feature, since soil depths elsewhere on the Stora Alvaret are minimal. The ridge historically was the center of human development since it was one of the few places that supported

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, structure foundations and

burial sites Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

.C.Michael Hogan, ''Prehistory of the Alby People, Öland, Sweden'', Lumina Technologies, July 9, 2006
The historic perimeter road and most of the towns of Öland closely follow this natural ridge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swedish County Road 136 County road 136 Öland

Geology

See also

References