Stallarholmen

When sailing in the Mälaren, Mariefred and Strängnäs are two of the most visited spots. But in between, there is an opening bridge at Stallarholmen that very few sailors would consider for a stopover. Yet, Stallarholmen is the entry point for the Island of Selaön, the largest lake island in Sweden, and a real coup de coeur!

Within ten kilometres radius, Stallarholmen offers all the best of what Mälaren has to offer: the Åsa viking graveyard with a stone ship and numerous runestones, two decorated medieval churches from the XV century, and the Mälsåker castle on the bank of Mälaren. Not to forget mushroom filled forest...

Åsa graveyard is one of the largest burial site in Södermanland. The site comprises around 250 burial places, including 160 raised stones. The stone ship "Åsa judge seat" composed of 18 remaining raised stones is 33 metre long. Adjacent to the burial site is a runestone from the 11th century.

Ytterselö church is a medieval church on Selaön island. The original church was built already in the XII century and expanded over the following centuries .

Överselö church is a medieval church pon Selaön island. The church was built in the XIII century in the Romanesque style. The church is decorated with numerous pictures from the XV century made by various artists from the Mälaren. It hosts, among other, the cherished Överselö Madonna crafted in oak by a sculptor from Gotland.

The castle-like mansion was built in the 1660s'. During the second world war, it was bought by the Norwegian government in exile in London to be used as a training site for thousands infantry soldiers despite Sweden being neutral. Axel von Fersen the younger was the son of Axel von Fersen the older, who owned the castle even though his busy international life sent him away from the place. The castle remained in the Fersen family until they got bankrupt in 1867. The castle burnt in 1945 and lost its roof. In 1951, the Castle was given to the the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. A major restauration was conducted in the 1990s', still ongoing to date.