Every design for Västervik

At the mouth of Gamlebyviken on the Småland east coast lies Västervik, an archipelago town with roots back to the 1200s. Originally the town lay at the head of the bay, but moved during the Middle Ages to its present position, where the new settlement grew up around St Gertrude's church.

There are traces here of a dramatic history. The Danes burned the town down on several occasions, and what remains of Stegeholm today is an atmospheric castle ruin. Walk through the town and you find the Boatswain cottages, Sankt Petri church and Västervik museum, and every year people gather for the ballad festival that has made the place known far beyond the borders of Småland.

The Stegeholm castle ruin is perhaps what most strongly catches Västervik's soul, a memento of former battles that has become a landmark to be proud of. To wear the town's map is to carry the sea, the ballads and a history that refuses to fall silent.