Ödeshög is a locality in Östergötland County in eastern Sweden. It is the seat of the local municipality and it also used to be the church village of the former parish. The population of around 2,700 inhabitants live just a short distance uphill from the shores of Lake Vättern, the second-largest lake in Sweden.
A Short History of Ödeshög
Ödeshög Parish had its origins in the Middle Ages and the oldest parts of the church are believed to date back to the 12th century. The parish acted as the local government up until the Swedish Municipal Reform of 1862. This was when its responsibilities were split between the church congregation and the new rural Ödeshög Municipality. A few administrative changes over the decades meant the establishment of the current Ödeshög Municipality in 1971.
Things to Do and See
The small center includes not only the different services and offices of the municipality but this is also where you will find a few stores and restaurants. The main buildings at the central square are offices of the municipality and the grocery store ICA Supermarket. On the other side of the E4 motorway is a service area known as Östgötaporten that includes a restaurant, a fast food restaurant, and two gas stations. It is Östgötaporten that is the closest many get to visit this locality.
Ödeshög Church
The church is a white stone church close to the center of the locality. It has seen many changes and alterations since and received its current appearance first in the 1950s. It was, however, in 1889 that the last major changes took place. The church is today a part of the Ödeshög Congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden
How to Get to Ödeshög
- Flights: The nearest airport is Linköping Airport (LPI) to the northeast.
- Car: Ödeshög is located along Road E4 between Linköping and Jönköping.
- Bus: Buses from Östgötatrafiken connects Ödeshög with the surrounding area.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 261 kilometers (2 h 40 min)
- Gothenburg – 210 kilometers (2 h 10 min)
- Malmö – 354 kilometers (3 h 30 min)
- Linköping – 67 kilometers (45 min)
- Kiruna – 1492 kilometers (15 h 30 min)
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