Barva is a small settlement in Eskilstuna Municipality in Södermanland County. This is a rural part of eastern Sweden with the highway E18 as well as Lake Mälaren a bit to the north. This was together with its church once the center of the local parish.
A Short History of Barva
Barva Parish has its origins in the Middle Ages and it is believed that there was a wooden church here already at the end of the 11th century. The church stone church dates to the 12th century and has since been the center of the parish. The parish acted as the local government up until the Swedish Municipal Reform of 1862. The reform resulted in the parish’s responsibilities being split between the civic government of Barva Municipality and the church congregation. The municipality was in 1952 incorporated into Kalfjärden Municipality, which in turn became a part of Eskilstuna Municipality in 1971. The church congregation is since 1995 a part of the Kalfjärden Congregation.
Things to Do and See
It is no doubt that the church is the most prominent building around here, but there is still a lot to find in the surrounding forests and along the countryside roads.
Barva Church
The parish church was built in the 12th century and was for centuries the center of religious and social life within the parish. This is a white stone church without a tower. It is today a part of the Kalfjärden Congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.
Runestone Sö ATA7551/92
Just across the road from the church is the runestone Sö ATA7551/92. It consists of three fragments that were discovered about two kilometers away when demolishing an old cottage. They had been used in the building’s foundation. The three fragments were rejoined in 1997 when the stone was raised at its current location.
How to Get to Barva
- Flights: The nearest airport is Stockholm Västerås Airport (VST) 67 kilometers to the north. Sweden’s largest airport, Stockholm Arlanda (ARN), is 108 kilometers to the east.
- Car: Barva is on Road E20 between Eskilstuna and Strängnäs.
- Bus: Buses from Sörmlandstrafiken connect Barva with the surrounding area.
- Train: The closest train station is in Eskilstuna or Strängnäs.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 95 kilometers (1 h 5 min)
- Gothenburg – 386 kilometers (4 h 30 min)
- Malmö – 577 kilometers (6 h 20 min)
- Linköping – 165 kilometers (2 h 20 min)
- Kiruna – 1260 kilometers (13 h 40 min)
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