Best Landmarks in Västmanland

Anundshög, Sweden's largest burial mound, towers 9 meters high in a vast ancient monument complex outside Västerås. Dating from 500–1050 CE, it anchors a site with 12 barrows, 10 stone circles, five ship settings, 14 standing stones, and a towering runestone. Once a Viking Age power center, trade hub, and medieval thing site, it offers evocative trails through Iron Age history amid open fields and forests.

Nestled in the serene Swedish countryside near Västerås, Rytterne Kyrkoruin stands as a poignant medieval church ruin from the early 13th century. This atmospheric site, one of Västmanland's oldest Christian monuments, whispers tales of royal visits, parish mergers, and careful 1930s restoration amid lush fields and ancient history. Free to explore, it offers a tranquil glimpse into Sweden's ecclesiastical past.

Hornåsens gravfält is an extensive prehistoric burial site near Västerås, Sweden, with remains spanning the Bronze Age to the late Iron Age. The field contains a mixture of stone settings, burial mounds and cairns clustered across a low, well-vegetated ridge; its varied monuments give a clear sense of long-term ritual landscape use and local continuity in funerary practice.

A granite memorial set up by the historic Västmanlands regemente to mark its long association with the region, this simple but dignified stone stands near Öster Mälarstrand in Västerås and is framed by cast cannon muzzles. Unveiled in the early 20th century and linked to the regiment’s move and anniversaries, the monument is a quiet focus for local military history and for contemplative moments by the water.

Västmanlands runinskrifter 1 (Vs 1) is an ancient runic inscription discovered in the ruins of Stora Rytterns kyrka near Västerås. Found in 1938 as part of a fragmented runestone used in the church's western portal, it forms a Viking Age memorial likely paired with Vs 2. This rare artifact highlights Västmanland's sparse yet significant runic heritage amid abundant other ancient remains. Free to visit, it offers a quiet glimpse into 11th-century Scandinavia.

This historic lock on Sweden's Strömsholms kanal, named by King Gustav III, forms a vital part of the nation's second-oldest canal system. Built by hand from 1777 to 1795, it facilitated iron transport from Bergslagen for over 150 years. Today, amid serene waters and lush surroundings in Kolbäck, it offers a peaceful glimpse into industrial heritage and canal engineering marvels.

A poignant memorial stone at Regementsgatan 11 in Västerås commemorates the victims of the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. Erected in memory of soldiers from Västmanlands regemente who perished during a deadly outbreak at the military barracks, it stands as a somber reminder of one of history's worst pandemics, which claimed around 250 lives in the city amid crowded regimental exercises.

A solemn memorial stone in Sala commemorates the Västmanlands Trängkår, a Swedish army supply regiment stationed here from 1906 to 1927. Erected in 1967 by the local historical society, it stands as a quiet tribute to the soldiers who served in this former garrison town, evoking Sweden's early 20th-century military heritage amid serene rural surroundings.

A modest granite memorial on the grounds of Hässlö near Västerås, commemorating the Västmanland Wing (Kungl. Västmanlands flygflottilj, F 1), a Swedish Air Force unit active from 1929–1983. The stone stands as a quiet focal point for local military history, set against the airfield landscape where hangars and runways once defined daily life for generations of aircrew and ground staff.