Motala Attractions

16km/10mi north of Vadstena lies Motala (pop. 41,000), located on the waterfront and offering beautiful scenery. The town was the meeting place of the local ting (assembly) as early as the 14th century. The church dates from that period. Motala became a place of some consequence, however, only after the construction of the Göta Canal. The engineer responsible for the canal, Count Baltzar von Platen, also planned the layout of the district around the Motalavik. There is a statue of Platen in the Stortorg (Market Square), and his mausoleum stands on the banks of the canal. Other features of interest in the town are the nine-arched Storbro and Borenhuits Slusstrappa, a "staircase" of five locks leading into Lake Boren.