Anundshög

Västerås, Sweden

Anundshög is the largest tumulus in Sweden. It has a diameter of 60 metres and is about 9 metres high. Assessments of the era of the mound vary between the Bronze Age and the late Iron Age. A fireplace under it has been dated by radiocarbon dating to sometime between AD 210 and 540.

Some historians have associated the mound with the legendary King Anund, while others regard this as speculative. It is purported also that the name is taken from the large runestone at the site, the central stone in a row of 15 alongside the mound, re-erected in the 1960s and apparently marking out the route of the Eriksgata. The inscription on the runestone reads: "Folkvid raised all of these stones after his son Heden, Anund's brother. Vred carved the runes."

At the foot of the mound are 2 large stone ships placed end to end, 51 metres and 54 metres long. The site was a thing-place and the ship settings may be associated with this function.

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Address

Anundsborg 2, Västerås, Sweden
See all sites in Västerås

Details

Founded: 1500 BC - 1000 AD
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Sweden
Historical period: Bronze Age (Sweden)

More Information

www.anundshog.se
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Västerås Cathedral (6,2 km)
Västerås Castle (6,3 km)


Enköping Museum (24,4 km)
Roggeborgen (35,9 km)
Strängnäs Cathedral (35,9 km)
Vårfrukyrkan (24,6 km)
Kloster Church (29,4 km)
Strömsholm Palace (24,2 km)
Enköping Monastery Ruins (24,1 km)
Torshälla Church (25,3 km)
Sundbyholm Castle (20,4 km)

User Reviews

Akos Kiss (9 months ago)
A nice place to visit and spend some time wandering around. History and nature mixed. It is reachable by public transportation but if time and weather (and physical condition) allow, it is definitely possible and worth to make it a hike out there from the city centre (of Västerås).
lee jun-hoe (9 months ago)
Pretty cool and interesting place to check out if you like history and archaeology. It's great that it's an open park so you can walk all over it, compared to Stonehenge where you can only glimpse it from afar. There is also a pleasant short nature trail to walk explore, with many signs giving a brief description of history and geography of the area.
Samuel Hill (10 months ago)
We toured through the area and were delighted to find this site. There were englishmen practicing sword fighting and people seemed to really enjoy the area. The cafe was closed this time of year but the site itself does not need that added amenity. I highly recommend this stop.
Felix Lüttich (10 months ago)
If you stay in Västeras you should visit this tumulus. It is the biggest of this type in sweden and really impressive. There also is q restaurant and a lot of beautiful nature around.
Rita Neyer (14 months ago)
A wonderful and well maintained archaeological site! You can walk around, picnic in the shade of the trees overlooking the stone installations, or go for a walk on the grave mounds or in the woods (bring bug spray). Information signs explain the site and give some background information on lifestyle a la old norse. Nearby cafe and parking directly at the site makes it easy to reach and accessible.
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Het Steen

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In 1890 Het Steen became the museum of archeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of Antwerp maritime history, which in 2011 moved to the nearby Museum Aan de Stroom. Here you’ll also find a war memorial to the Canadian soldiers in WWII.

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At the entrance to Het Steen is a bas-relief of Semini, above the archway, around 2nd century. Semini is the Scandinavian God of youth and fertility (with symbolic phallus). A historical plaque near Het Steen explains that women of the town appealed to Semini when they desired children; the god was reviled by later religious clergy. Inhabitants of Antwerp previously referred to themselves as 'children of Semini'.

At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two humans. It depicts the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.

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