Ystad is a port on the south coast of Skåne from which there are ferry services to the Danish island of Bornholm and to Swinoujscie in Poland. In the Middle Ages it was one of the principal herring-fishing towns in the Baltic. The town enjoyed a period of prosperity in the early 19th century, when Napoleon imposed his continental blockade and many of the town's inhabitants carried on a very profitable smuggling trade.
The medieval churches in Ystad - The Church of Saint Peter and the Church of the Virgin Mary - were influential Gothic designs that can be seen in other towns around the Baltic Sea.
At the corner of Stora Östergatan and Pilgränd in Ystad stands the Pilgränsgård, a handsome half- timbered house of about 1500 (restored 1947). The Aspelinska Gård, at the corner of Östergatan and Gåsegränd, consists of three half-timbered buildings grouped round a courtyard, erected in 1778 for a goldsmith named Jonas Aspelin.
At Backåkra, between Lödderup and Sandhammaren, can be seen a house that belonged to Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General of the United Nations, now the Dag Hammarskjöld Museum.
Dag perished in a plane crash before he could live there, however the house has been restored according to his instructions. The rooms are filled with items that belonged to him.
At the corner of Stora Norregatan and Sladdergatan in Ystad is the Brahehus, a 16th century mansion built by the Brahe family, who had large estates in this area and enjoyed great political influence. Also in Sladdergatan is a very decorative half-timbered house, the Änglahus (17th C.), built for a town councilor named Hans Raffn. On the facade are the carved angels from which it takes its name.
North from the Stortorg in Ystad can be found the 13th century church St Peter's, near which is the Gråbrödrakloster (Monastery of the Gray Friars), a Franciscan friary which is the best preserved religious house in Sweden after Vadstena Abbey. It was founded in 1267 and after the Reformation, about 1530, was used at various times as a hospital and a warehouse.
On the coast to the east of Ystad is the little fishing village of Kåseberga, famed for the Ales Stenar, a Viking stone-setting in the shape of a ship, 67m/220ft long by 19m/62ft across, consisting of 59 standing stones. The stones, dating back 1400 years ago, are located in a spot overlooking the Baltic Sea. From the low hill there is a view extending in clear weather to the Danish island of Bornholm.
20km/12.5mi north from Ystad on Road 9 is Kivik, where Sweden's best-known summer market is held on the third Monday through Wednesday of July. Here too is the "King's Grave" (Kungsgraven), a Bronze Age royal tomb.
It is Sweden's largest circular burial site, measuring 75 m in diameter.
Southeast of the Stortorg in Ystad, at Dammgatan 23, is the Charlotte Berlin Museum, a burgher's house with 19th century furniture and furnishings. In the same building are the Museum of Art and the Dragoon Museum.
Address: Charlotte Berlins Museum, Ystads kommun, S-27180 Ystad, Sweden
Hours:
June 1 to August 31: 12pm-5pm; Sun:12pm-4pm; Sat:12pm-4pm
On the east side of Ystad, in the Österportstorg, stands the New Town Hall, a building in Empire style (1812) which was originally the mansion of a local dignitary named C. M. Lundgren.
Ystad has the finest and best-preserved medieval half-timbered houses in Sweden. The Old Town Hall in the Stortorg is a building in Empire style (1838-40) erected over 14th century cellars with groined vaulting, relics of the original Town Hall destroyed by the Swedes in 1659.
17km/10.5mi east of Ystad on Road 9 is the Vallaberga Kyrka (12th C.), Sweden's only surviving round church. It has the same ground-plan as the round churches on the Danish island of Bornholm, which at one time belonged to the same diocese. The font was the work of the 12th century Gotland stonemason known as the Magister Majestatis. The church's separate fortified tower, dating from the late medieval period, is now a museum.
Farther east from the New Town Hall in Ystad is Sandskogen, the "Sand Forest", a belt of trees planted in the early 19th century as a protection from drifting sand. This area is now the "Riviera" of Sweden's south coast.
There are good beaches along the whole coastal strip between Ystad and Simrishamn, particularly at Sandhammaren, at the southeastern tip of Skåne. Simrishamn is a fishing town (pop. 20,000) founded in the 14th century with cobblestone streets, St Nicholas's Church and picturesque little houses with climbing roses.
The town of Simrishamn is an ideal base for exploring some of the surrounding major attractions.
Old stone building near Shimrishamn.
St Nicholai Church in Simrishamn.
Address: Simrishamn Tourist Office, Tullhusgatan 2, S-27231 Simrishamn, Sweden
In Yastad's Stortorg is the 13th century St Mary's Church, a familiar landmark with its copper- sheathed steeple (16th C.). From the tower a watchman still looks out over the town, sounding his horn four times every hour during the night. A tower added in the 14th century collapsed during a storm, destroying part of the nave. With assistance from the Danish king Frederick III the church was rebuilt and enlarged to twice its previous size. The interior is richly decorated, with fine wood-carving and crucifixes.
South of Kivik, on the coast, lies the Stenshuvud National Park, a hill (98m/322ft) with a varied pattern of vegetation from which there is a good view of the Danish island of Bornholm.
Address: Stenshuvud National Park, S-27735 Kivik, Sweden
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