Häggeby och Vreta is a locality to the northwest of Stockholm. Originally, there were two villages, Häggeby and Vreta, but they have grown into each other. Häggeby is the settlement around the former parish church. The locality is today a part of Håbo Municipality in Uppsala County, in an area that earlier was known as the province of Uppland. Today, around 250 people call Häggeby och Vreta their home.
A Short History of Häggeby och Vreta
This area was once the center of Häggeby Parish, a parish with its origins in the Middle Ages. The first known mentioning dates back to the early parts of the 14th century. The church had then already been standing in the village of Häggeby for about a century. The name Häggeby has earlier been written both as Egby and Heggeby. For more modern history, the former area of the parish is since 1952 a part of Håbo Municipality.
Things to Do and See
Häggeby och Vreta is a locality with a long history, especially for the village of Häggeby. The area is surrounded by the countryside and especially by a large riding school. So you can expect to see horses along the road.
Häggeby Church
The yellow stone church was originally built around the start of the 13th century. Several reconstructions have produced the church that stands there today. The last larger changes to the interior took place during the 1950s, but the exterior has been mostly unchanged since the early 19th century.
Häggebystenen
Häggebystenen. the Häggeby Stone, is a flat stone with ancient rock carvings on both sides. The original is since 1873 at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. A replica of the stone was created in 1953 and is today standing outside of the church. The original rock carvings are believed to date back to the Iron Age.
Häggeby School Museum
The old school building is today known as Häggeby Skol-och Bygdemuseum. This is a museum about the school and the local history. It is run by a local heritage organization and has sporadic opening hours, according to their webpage the museum is open mainly on request.
How to Get to Häggeby och Vreta
- Flights: The closest airport is Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN), 29 kilometers away with both domestic and international flights.
- Car: Häggeby och Vreta is along road 263, north of Bålsta.
- Bus: Local and regional SL buses connect the area with the surrounding region.
- Train: There are train stations in both Bålsta and Upplands-Bro, both with SL commuter trains to and from Stockholm.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 57 kilometers (48 min)
- Gothenburg – 450 kilometers (5 h 27 min)
- Malmö – 669 kilometers (7 h 9 min)
- Linköping – 256 kilometers (2 h 55 min)
- Kiruna – 1208 kilometers (14 h 9 min)
Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden
