Sparlösa is a small village that is famous for its very special rune stone, Sparlösastenen. The whole district of Sparlösa has today a population of around 300 people. Many of the inhabitants live in the village surrounding the church.
A Short History of Sparlösa
Sparlösa was originally the central village of Sparlösa Parish, a parish dating back to the Middle Ages. The current church dates back to 1848 and it replaced the church from the Middle Ages. People have been living here since the Stone Age. The area is very rich in ancient remains, such as a cist, burial mounds and the rune stone.
Things to Do and See
Nature is never far away and the many towns in the area make great excursion destinations, or bases for exploring the area. There is, however, one attraction that makes a visit worthwhile and it is housed in a small building next to the church.
Sparlösa Rune Stone
The main attraction for anyone visiting Sparlösa is probably Sparlösastenen, the rune stone. It was discovered in 1669 when it was a part of the church wall. The stone was at the time split into two parts and actually remained so when it was once more incorporated into the construction of the new church in the 19th century. It was first in 1937 that the two parts were removed from the church wall and re-joined.
The stone has inscriptions on all four sides and it is the second most famous rune stone in Sweden. It is 1.77 meters high and the oldest inscriptions probably date back to all the way to the 9th century.
How to Get to Sparlösa
- Flights: The closest large airport is Göteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT) 101 kilometres away, with both domestic and international flights.
- Car: Sparlösa is on road 47 between Grästorp and Vara.
- Train: The closest train station is in Stora Levene where Västtågen has train connections to Göteborg, Herrljunga, Lidköping, Mariestad and Örebro.
- Bus: Regional and local buses connect Sparlösa with the surrounding region.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 390 kilometers (4h 31min)
- Gothenburg – 109 kilometers (1h 31min)
- Malmö – 377 kilometers (4h 10min)
- Linköping – 251 kilometers (2h 55min)
- Kiruna – 1487 kilometers (17h 39min)
Explore More of Västergötland and Sweden
That’s quite interesting.