Runsten, Öland – Exploring Sweden

Runsten is a small village on the island of Öland, the second largest island in Sweden. The village, with the white stone church, was once the center of the local parish. Literally, the name translates to Runestone in English. However, it is a bit more complicated than that.

Two of my ancestors once called Runsten their home. These were Cajsa Olsdotter (1800-1887) and her daughter Brita Stina Eriksdotter (1828-1913). Brita Stina was born here in 1828.

A Short History of Runsten

The church was originally placed between the two settlements of northern and southern Runsten. These settlements have since a long time grown together and are together with Bjärby a part of what Statistics Sweden is considering a rural locality.

The church and the surrounding settlement were at one point in time the center of the local parish. Runsten Parish had its origins in the Middle Ages and even though the name today can be translated to Runestone, it is believed to have its origins in an old word for a stream of water. More likely it means the “stone at the stream”. There are, however, many runestones to be found in its vicinity.

The parish was split between church and civil service in 1862 when the local congregation and local municipality were established. Runsten Municipality was 1969 integrated into Borgholm Municipality. The congregation was 2006 merged with Gärdslösa and Långlöt.

Things to Do and See

Runsten is a rural locality and the number of large sights is limited. But it is the rural atmosphere that is on offer and the long sandy beaches of Öland is not far away along the coast. There are also the many windmills a bit north in Lerkaka and then Ölands Museum in Himmelsberga.

Runsten Church

Runsten Church was inaugurated in 1841 and it is a white stone church. The previous church had then already been demolished, in fact already in 1836. Nobody knows how old the previous church actually was, it might have had its origins in the 12th century. The new church is today one of the churches that make up Gärdslösa, Långlöt, and Runsten Congregation, a part of the Lutheran Church of Sweden.

Ölands Runinskrifter 31

This is runestone number 31 of Öland. It stands next to the Runsten Church and is 150 times 120 centimeters. It has over the centuries lost large parts of its writings, as someone thought it was a good stone to repurpose for a grave headstone. Who Auðbiorn was during the Viking Age and who he wanted to remember will most likely remain in the dark.

How to Get to Runsten

• Flights: The closest airport is Kalmar Öland Airport (KLR) 40 kilometers away.
• Car: Runsten is along countryside roads in the center of the island.
• Bus: Buses from Kalmar Länstrafik connect Runsten with the surrounding region.

The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:

• Stockholm – 445 kilometers (4 h 56 min)
• Gothenburg – 372 kilometers (4 h 29 min)
• Malmö – 315 kilometers (3 h 28 min)
• Linköping – 259 kilometers (3 h 25 min)
• Kiruna – 1676 kilometers (19 h 2 min)

Explore More of Sweden and Öland