Varnhem

14km/9mi east of Skara is Varnhem, with a 13th century church which belonged to a Cistercian abbey, the burial-place of King Eric's dynasty. Birger Jarl, who died in Västergötland in 1266, is also buried here. After the Reformation and a series of fires the abbey and its church fell into disrepair. It was restored by Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie in 1654-73, when the buttresses which give the church its characteristic aspect were added. De la Gardie and his wife are buried in the church.

Conservation work has been carried out on the ruins of the abbey, and some of the finds made during excavations in 1923-27 are displayed in the museum. From Varnhem it is a short trip southeast to the Hornborgasjö, the haunt of large numbers of birds