Sigtuna, Sweden

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England by Olof. The first episcopal see in the land of the Svea and in its early days a busy trading town, Sigtuna declined in importance when the bishop moved his residence to Uppsala in 1130. The town suffered a further setback in 1187 when it was attacked and set on fire by the Estonians. It took another 50 years for Sigtuna to recover and, after the foundation of a Dominican monastery in 1237, regain a measure of prosperity.

Sigtuna's main street, Stora Gatan, follows the same line as it did about the year 1000, as was shown by the discovery of the old road surface 3m/10ft below the present ground level. Material recovered in the excavations, including remains of the earliest buildings on the site, can be seen in the museum in Lilla Torget. Evidence of Uppsala's one-time importance is provided by the remains of the churches of St Lars, St Per and St Olof. St Olof's Church (mid 12th C.) was probably built on the site of an old sacred spring. Nearby is St Mary's Church, an old monastic church built in the 13th century, with wall paintings of that period, the tomb of Archbishop Jarler (d. 1255), who had been a monk in the monastery, and a 15th century reredos in the choir.

The Lundströmska Gård is an old burgher's house with its original furniture and furnishings. To the west of the town is the Sigtuna Foundation (1915), with a Lutheran folk high school and a guest house.