Oskarshamn Attractions

65km/40mi south of Västervik is Oskarshamn (pop. 27,000), a port and industrial town on Döderhultsvik, an inlet on the Baltic between Kalmar and Västervik, which received its municipal charter in 1856. Oskarshamn was the birthplace of the Swedish doctor and author Axel Munthe (1857-1949), whose "Story of San Michele" (1931) was a bestseller in many languages. Munthe, who lived in Paris and Rome and on Capri, died in Stockholm.

Oskarshamn is a town of many ups and downs, reflecting its hilly topography. At Hantverksgatan 18-20 can be found the House of Culture, containing the Maritime Museum, a library and an art gallery. The gallery displays Småland woodcarving and works by the sculptor Axel Petersson (1868-1925), who was born at Döderhult, near Oskarshamn. The church, on a hill in the Municipal Park, is neo-Gothic (19th C.). Opposite the harbor is the Fyknet quarter, a district of little wooden houses.