Växjö lies at the north end of the lake of that name. It received its municipal charter in 1342 and is now chief town of Kronoberg county. There was a trading settlement here in the Iron Age and in Viking times, and the town's name comes from its situation at the meeting place of trading routes (väg) on the lake (sjö). Växjö is home to two notable castles - Kronoberg Castle, completed in the 15th century and Teleborg Castle built 1900. It became a religious center in the 12th century, when its first church was built by St Sigfrid, a missionary from England. Within recent years Växjö has developed into an industrial town, with modern buildings and a wide range of recreational facilities.
On a low hill to the south of the rail station in Växjö can be found the Småland Museum, with an art collection, a coin cabinet and a section on forestry. Of particular interest is the museum's collection of Swedish and foreign glassware, illustrating the history of glass-making.
Address: Småland Museum, Järnvägsgatan 2, Box 102, S-35104 Växjö, Sweden
Hours:
June 1 to August 31: 10am-5pm; Sun:11am-5pm; Sat:11am-5pm
September 1 to May 31: 10am-5pm; Sun:11am-5pm; Sat:11am-5pm; Closed: Mon
10km/6mi south of Råshult in the Växkö area is Älmhult, where the IKEA furniture-making firm was established in 1943 with the first store. From Älmhult, Road 120 runs east to Lake Åsnen (canoeing; cycle trails). To the east of the lake lies a part of Småland from which many emigrants left in the 19th century (villages of Ljuder, Långasjö and Moshult, birthplace of Vilhelm Moberg); "Emigrants' Trail" (Utvandrarleden), starting from the Korrö youth hostel. Farther east on Road 25 are the glass-making area of Småland and the town of Kalmar.
Address: Älmhult Tourist Office, Kommunhuset, S. Parkgatan 1, S-34323 Älmhult, Sweden
To the north of Växjö are great expanses of forest and lakes. There are medieval churches at Drev, Dädesjö (wooden ceiling, with paintings) and Sjösås. On Lake Örken is Braås Hembygdsparken (open-air museum). From the lookout tower at Tolg there are extensive views of the surrounding countryside.
The Emigrants' House (Utvandrarnas Hus; 1968) in Växjö contains an exhibition on the theme "The Dream of America", archives and a library documenting the emigration movement in the second half of the 19th century, when more than 200,000 people left the country. This provided the source material for Vilhelm Moberg's novels about the life of the emigrants ("The Emigrants", 1949, etc.).
Address: Swedish Emigrant Institute (Emigrants' House), Box 201, S-35104 Växjö, Sweden
Hours:
May 1 to August 31: 9am-5pm; Sun:11am-4pm; Sat:11am-4pm
September 1 to April 30: 9am-4pm; Sat:11am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
5km/3mi from the center of Växjö,, on the Helgasjö, are the ruins of Kronoberg Castle; originally an episcopal residence, it later became Crown property (Kungsgård). Near the castle is the old Ryttmästaregård ("Captain's House"), re-erected on this site and now occupied by a cafe. From Kronoberg there are steamer trips on the lake.
West of Växjö on Road 25 (possible side trip to Hjärtenholm Agricultural Museum, north of Alvesta) is Ljungby (pop. 27,000). Gamla Ljungby Torg (Old Ljungby Square) was created in 1972, with a number of surviving 19th century houses. Ljungby lies in a wooded part of Småland, with many lakes and numerous prehistoric remains and old churches. To the west of the town is Lake Bolmen, with many islands, the largest of which is Bolmsö.
Ljungby is located in the Land of Legends with a grand tradition of live storytelling, an annual storytelling festival, and the Museum of Legends.
Address: Ljungby Tourist Office, Stora torget 6, S-34130 Ljungby, Sweden
The 12th century Växjö Cathedral, after undergoing much alteration in later centuries, was given its present appearance in a restoration carried out in 1959. It has modern stained glass by Jan Brazda, Bo Beskow, Elis Lindquist and Erik Höglund and a mosaic by Bo Beskow. The organ-case dates from 1779. Under the tower is an exhibition of the church's treasures.
Near Växjö Cathedral is the Karolinska Gymnasium, a grammar school at which Linnaeus, Per Henrik Ling and Peter Wieselgren were pupils. The Bishop's Palace, Östrabo, was the residence of the poet Bishop Elias Tegnér until his death in 1846. There is a statue of Tegnér in the gardens outside the Cathedral.
Road 23 runs southwest from Växjö, passing the ruins of Bergkvara Castle on the Bergkvarasjö. 20km/12.5mi from Växjö, to the east of the road, is the manor house of Huseby, which was left to the state by Florence Stephensen in 1979 (open to the public). A side road on the right leads to Liatorp, from which it is a short distance to Diö, on the shores of Lake Möckeln. In the lake lies the beautiful island of Höö (nature reserve). At Råshult, near Stenbrohult, can be found the small cottage in which Linnaeus was born in 1707 (open to the public in summer).
A narrow-gauge railroad (operated only during the summer months) runs through the forests of Småland from Växjö to Västervik on the east coast. The line (opened in 1879) is privately owned.
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Almhult, Sweden
