Morgongåva is a small locality in Heby Municipality in the historical province of Uppland. The population is just below 1.500 inhabitants and some of the largest employers are the distribution centers for internet retailers such as Adlibris and Apotea.
A Short History of Morgongåva
The name Morgongåva comes from a 17th-century cottage or croft in the area. The name refers to a tradition in Sweden where the bride receives a wedding gift from her new husband on the morning of their wedding, in English it means Morning Gift. There is a story behind the name. Well, maybe it is better to call it an unconfirmed saga. It is believed that the patron of Molnebo had an affair with one of his maids, who just happened to get pregnant. To save his skin and to make sure his wife stayed uninformed of the events, he arranged for one of his farm workers to marry the maid and take the child as his. According to the story, the newlywed couple received the croft as a wedding gift, thereby the name Morgongåva.
We know that that the railway was built past the area in the 1870s, without any station in its original plan. It was the owners of the nearby ironworks of Molnebo who started the discussion of a station in the area. The station got a green light and a settlement was established in its vicinity. The ironworks turned out to be a failed economic venture, but Morgongåva would find new industrialization to take its place. Westerås Lantbruksmaskiner opened production of machinery here at the end of the 19th century and they were active until 1988.
The more recent development has seen the establishment of large warehouses and distribution centers, mainly for the internet retailers such as Adlibris (books) and Apotea (pharmacy).
Things to Do and See
Morgongåva is most famous for its runestones and especially for the one runestone that is no longer there. There is a risk that you start planning a trip to Scotland when walking along the small streets surrounded by single-family homes. But this is the Swedish countryside and there is plenty of nature around to enjoy as well.
The Runestone Replica
The runestone that once was raised by Ari in memory of his father Hjälm has a long history. The story is not as for many other runestones that it has been hidden in the earth on a field or used in the construction of the local church. Instead, Ari’s runestone is no longer in Sweden at all. In 1787, it was transported across the North Sea to Edinburgh by one of the king’s closest men, George Seton. For a long time, it stood in the Princes Street Gardens below Edinburgh Castle. It wasn’t until recent years before it was moved to safer locations.
The stone now standing close to the train station in Morgongåva is a replica of the stone in Edinburgh. It was created by Kalle Runristare, who went to Scotland to see the stone and then returned to Sweden and created a copy of the original. The replica is fairly new, it was completed in 2014.
Axsjöbadet
Axsjöbadet is one of the local beaches around Morgongåva. It is at the small lake Axsjön and has some simple amenities.
Ramsjö Runestones
If you’re looking for real runestones, fear not! Just outside of Morgongåva there is an area, Ramsjö, right next to the lake Ramsjön. Here you will find two well-preserved runestones as well as ancient burial mounds.
How to Get to Morgongåva
- Flights: The closest airport is Stockholm Västerås Airport (VST), 66 kilometers away, which has mostly low-cost carriers. In addition, there is Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN), 79 kilometers away with both domestic and international flights.
- Car: Heby is along road 72 between Heby and Uppsala.
- Bus: Local and regional UL buses connect Morgongåva with the surrounding region.
- Train: Upptåget has trains that connect Morgongåva with Heby, Sala, and Uppsala.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 112 kilometers (1 h 23 min)
- Gothenburg – 444 kilometers (5 h 19 min)
- Malmö – 657 kilometers (6 h 56 min)
- Linköping – 243 kilometers (3 h 6 min)
- Kiruna – 1166 kilometers (13 h 16 min)
Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden
