Varberg Tourist Attractions
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Varberg is an popular seaside resort and spa on the west coast of Sweden. From here E 20 runs north to Göteborg and south to Halmstad. Around the town are miles of cliff- fringed and sandy beaches, including a naturist beach. The town is also a sea-angling center.The Varberg fortress is the most notable building, first built as a castle in 1280 and then additions until 1830. It currently serves as a museum, and bed and breakfast.
Fortress Museum
The most prominent feature of Varberg is the fortress on a rocky promontory to the west of the town, which came into Swedish hands in 1645. Originally built in the 13th century, it was much altered in later centuries. It now houses a local museum, notable in particular for the clothes of the "Bocksten man", a body dating from medieval times which was found in 1938 in a bog at Bocksten, to the east of the town. Within the precincts of the fortress is a cafe with a superb view out to sea.
Glassworks Excavations
In an old warehouse on Varberg harbor is a glassworks (conducted tours). To the north of the town, close to E 6, are the interesting excavations of Nyby (as Varberg was originally called), including the remains of a Carmelite convent.
Getterö
Northwest of Varberg lies Getterö, a beautiful island which is connected with the mainland by a causeway. A striking feature of the landscape is the large number of stone cairns. The island has a great variety of birds and a good swimming beach. There is a ferry from here to Grenå in Denmark.
Sea-Angling Competition
Varberg Sea-Angling Competition is in May.It is one of the largest competitions of its kind in the world.
Surroundings
Träslövsläge
7km/4.5mi south of Varberg is Träslövsläge, the largest fishing village in Halland, which has a wooden church with interesting paintings. On E 6 is Varbergs Sommarland, a leisure park. Farther south is Falkenberg.
Torstorp - Rock Carvings and Cemetery
To the east of Träslövsläge, at Torstorp (golf course), are modern rock carvings - some 130 proverbs cut from the rock in the early 19th century by a local landowner named Bexell. The road to Ullared (No. 153), the headquarters of a mail order company, runs through beautiful country, passing numbers of prehistoric tombs, in particular the cemetery of Broåsen (at Gödestad), with the longest burial mound on the west coast.
Torpa
A rewarding side trip is to Torpa, to the north of Varberg, which has a medieval church with a 14th century font and 18th century ceiling paintings. The wooden tower points to the east.
Kungsbacka
8km/5mi north of Fjäräs Bräcka is the town of Kungsbacka (pop. 52,000), with pastel-coloured 19th century houses and an open-air museum in the beautiful Kungsbackaskog nature park. A sculpture by Lars Stocks, the Tree of Life, stands in the main square. North of Kungsbacka the road enters the province of Bohuslän. Until 1645 this was the frontier between Sweden and Denmark. 11km/7mi northwest of Kungsbacka lies the former island of Särö, now linked with the mainland.
Onsala
A road runs southwest from Kungsbacka, along the shores of the Kungsbackafjord, to Onsala, which has a richly decorated church (17th-18th C.; restored 1918-19). In the octagonal burial vault are the massive marble sarcophagi of the Swedish naval hero and privateer Lars Gathenhielm (1689-1718) and his wife Ingela. Nearby is a Carriage Museum. At the tip of the peninsula is the seaside resort of Gottskär, a leisure boat harbor.
