A grey medieval limestone tower and a white nave dating from the 18th century: Hardemo Church brings together Kumla’s layered architectural history at a glance. Elsewhere, the same story leads from old churches to limestone processing and art on a hill connected to Sweden’s oil shale history.
Limestone, Churches and Architectural Heritage
Ekeby Church dates from the 18th century, but its walls preserve parts of a medieval church. Its altar furnishings were created by Pehr Hörberg in 1793. In Kumla Church, darker patches of limestone in the floor mark the foundations of the former medieval church. It was once a pilgrimage church and had its own local saint, Saint Torkel. Together, these churches show how different periods remain visible in a single building.
Kumla railway station also connects material and history: built in 1900 to a design by Folke Zettervall, it is made of limestone from Yxhult. The roughly hewn surfaces are reminiscent of medieval architecture. Yxhult itself is a protected historic site. The buildings Stenhyvleriverkstaden, Huvudkontoret and Trilobiten recall the former heyday of lime burning and natural stone processing, offering insight into Swedish architectural culture. The Stenarbetsmuseum Yxhult focuses on local stone processing, a marble collection, a marble floor and scale plaster models.
Further traces of cultural history can be found in the surrounding area: the Yxhult stone cist is one of the few graves from the Stone Age or Early Bronze Age in Örebro County. The Hällkistan Nature Reserve south of Hällabrottet includes an open meadow on limestone-rich soil with prehistoric stone cist graves.
Industrial History and Art at Kvarntorpshögen
The 100-metre-high Kvarntorpshögen is closely connected to Sweden’s oil shale industry. The oil adventure of 1940–1966 shaped its history; after oil shale extraction ended in the late 1960s, the hill became a landmark visible across the Närkeslätten plain. Today, Konst på Hög adds an artistic dimension: sculptures by leading Swedish artists stand on the hill. An audio guide explains the works and their artists.
If you plan to climb the Trappan, you’ll face 427 steps along a route of around 200 metres; it leads about 100 metres uphill to the summit. At Kvarntorpshögen, industrial history, art and a challenging climb come together. Kaffestugan remained closed throughout the 2026 summer season.
Memories of Sannahed and Working Life in Kumla
Around 100 years ago, Sannahed was one of Sweden’s largest military training and encampment areas. Around ten buildings from that period remain. They include Officersmässen and Husarofficersstugan, which shows how an officer in the Hussar Corps lived during exercises in the 19th century. The Regementsmarschen trail passes through this historic military landscape and by reminders of the era.
The Skoindustrimuseet tells a different story of working life: its exhibitions trace the development of the shoe industry and Swedish footwear fashion from 1890 to 1980. The preserved Bengtar-Sko factory also continues to make slippers, lace-up shoes and desert boots every day. Present-day production and the history of earlier manufacturing sit side by side here. For more art and exhibitions, Kumla utställningshall in the library building hosts several exhibitions each year; Utställningshörnan is dedicated to smaller presentations. Galleri Örsta holds exhibitions in spring and autumn. Lilla Galleriet has been open since 1993 and presents a changing group exhibition featuring 25 represented artists.
Walking Trails, Cycling Routes and Limestone-Rich Nature
Kvarntorps friluftsområde has eight walking trails ranging from 0.9 to 4.8 kilometres, alongside three mountain-bike trails ranging from 4 to 17.5 kilometres. The mountain-bike trails have different difficulty levels; the skills course is divided into skills, pump track and jumps sections. This makes it possible to distinguish the options by distance and activity without requiring a particular route.
A trail through Norra Mossby Nature Reserve begins at the car park in the southwest, passes through the reserve and connects at the northern boundary to a trail leading into Fjärilslandskapet between Kvarntorp and Hällabrottet. Norra Mossby preserves a rare, alvar-like limestone landscape with steppe-like vegetation and rich flora. The Hällkistan Reserve is known for its calcicolous dry-meadow plants. Blacksta is also known for its dry-meadow flora; measures have been taken there to protect the endangered pasqueflower.
Other nature trails are specifically designed for children aged four to eleven: the Naturstigar trails for children have easy-to-understand information boards, overview maps and different themes. They complement the longer walking and cycling routes with an exploration option tailored to a specific age group. Churches, industrial heritage, art and landscape offer different ways to explore Kumla’s past and present.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Kumla, Skyberga, Askersund, Karlskoga, Hallsberg, Lindesberg, Hällefors, Vintrosa.
Go to the main travel overview: Örebro.
