Ösmo is a locality to the south of Stockholm in the historical province of Södermanland. It and its around 4.000 inhabitants are a part of Nynäshamn Municipality in Stockholm County. It is a former farming community that has developed in the vicinity of a naval base and now has become a popular residential area for commuters to the capital.
A Short History of Ösmo
Ösmo has a long history, especially as the center for the local parish. The current settlement has grown around the local parish church. A church that was inaugurated as early as the 12th century. The parish itself dates back to the Middle Ages and was mentioned in written sources as early as 1281. The spelling of the name has since changed from Øzmo to what it is today.
For centuries, a few large farms dominated the life around Ösmo. The most prominent of these was Vansta and names from its past owners can today be found as street names in the locality. At the time, the settlement around the church mostly consisted of the central administration, such as the school and the poorhouse.
Not even the opening of the railway between Stockholm and Nynäshamn, with a station in Ösmo, increased the development in the small settlement. It was first at the end of the 1940s that the urbanization of Ösmo began. The main development came in the 1950s and 60s with the move of the naval base in Stockholm to the island of Muskö in the nearby archipelago.
Things to Do and See
Nature, a few historical buildings, and many more activities await in and around Ösmo. The countryside is never far away and neither is the archipelago and the Baltic Sea.
Ösmo Church
The stone church was inaugurated as early as the 12th century but has seen many additions and reconstructions since. It no longer stands at the center of the settlement but is surrounded by the older still remaining buildings of the original settlement.
Sörmlandsleden
Sörmlandsleden is a network of hiking trails spread out across the province of Södermanland. With connections in Ösmo are Stage 5:1 and 5:2. Stage 5:1 takes the hiker from Vansta in Ösmo to Nynäshamn, a distance of 9.5 kilometers. Stage 5:2 goes north to Hemfosa, a distance of 15 kilometers. Both trails pass fields, lakes, and forests through the local countryside.
Ösmo Simhall
Ösmo Simhall is the local indoor swimming pool. It is three pools in total, including one 25 meters long pool with five lanes. There is also a smaller pool and one pool for the smaller kids. There is an admission fee for entering.
How to Get to Ösmo
- Flights: The closest major airport is Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), 90 kilometers away with both domestic and international flights. There is also Stockholm Bromma Airport (BMA) 59 kilometers away with mostly domestic flights and Stockholm Skavsta Airport (NYO) 111 kilometers away with a few low-cost airlines.
- Car: Ösmo is located almost at the end of road 73, right before Nynäshamn and south of Stockholm.
- Bus: Local and regional SL buses connect Ösmo with the surrounding region.
- Train: SL Commuter trains between Nynäshamn and Bålsta connect Ösmo with Stockholm.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 50 kilometers (36 min)
- Gothenburg – 475 kilometers (5 h 20 min)
- Malmö – 618 kilometers (6 h 50 min)
- Linköping – 205 kilometers (2 h 22 min)
- Kiruna – 1288 kilometers (15 h 16 min)
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