Runnö combines island nature with a settlement history closely connected to fishing and life by the water. Several walking trails lead through the forest to the water; the island is also home to prehistoric tomtningar, old boat landing places and the villages of Sörgården and Norrgården. This offers different perspectives to consider when planning your trip: trails through forest and shoreline landscapes, and the history of a permanently inhabited island.

Landscape and Walking Trails

Runnö and the surrounding small islands lie in the transition zone between the moraine archipelago landscape to the south and the bedrock archipelago landscape to the north. The island group can therefore be placed between these two named types of archipelago landscape. Several walking trails lead through the forest to the water. Both the broader landscape setting and the connection between forest and shore represent Runnö’s natural side.

Getting There and Planning Your Visit

Runnö can only be reached by private boat. There is a public landing stage for arriving boats in Sörgården. Check the condition of the landing stage before setting out. If you are looking for a holiday rental for a trip to Runnö, you should take this requirement into account from the outset when choosing your destination.

Landing on Runnö Rödskär is prohibited from 1 April to 10 July. If your visit includes Runnö Rödskär, take this seasonal restriction into account when planning your trip.

Fishing and Early Settlement History

Runnö has been permanently inhabited since at least the Middle Ages and was first mentioned in a sailing description around the year 1300. Eel fishing was the island’s main source of livelihood; berry picking was an important source of income for women and children. Permanent settlement and these livelihoods are two distinct aspects of the island’s history.

Runnö is home to the largest group of prehistoric so-called tomtningar along the Kalmar Strait. These are low stone house foundations with simple superstructures, which were used during seasonal fishing. Most tomtningar are concentrated in the northern part of the island, within Långgloviken and Nättlevik. Simple buildings there probably served as overnight accommodation for fishermen associated with the earlier summer herring fishery. Old boat landing places add to the traces of settlement by the water.

Villages and Maritime Architecture

Runnö’s buildings are concentrated on the western side of the island in the villages of Sörgården and Norrgården. They were relocated in the early 19th century: the buildings around Norrgården were moved farther north, while those around Sörgården were moved farther south. The old village site lay between the two present-day clusters of settlement. This makes it possible to distinguish the relocation of the buildings from the location of the former village site when tracing the area’s history.

In Sörgården, a linear settlement lies by the water. The boathouses are arranged first along the jetties and shore, with the residential houses behind them. Barns and hay sheds stand on the east side of the continuous village street. This arrangement of boathouses, residential houses and agricultural buildings gives the settlement its described spatial layout.

The boathouses on Runnö have prominent projections at one gable end. In some cases, these are as large as the boathouse itself. The Holkkvarn windmill stands on Kvarneholmen at the entrance to Sörgården harbour. It is a prominent landmark visible from far away and adds a distinctive point of orientation at the harbour to the island’s maritime architecture.

Discover more destinations: Rugstorp, Gullabo.

Go to the main travel overview: Kalmar.