Dalarö skans is located on Stockskäret, just outside Dalarö. Since the 17th century, the fortification has served to defend the southern approach to Stockholm. The public can visit the fortress by private boat or on Waxholmsbolaget services. If you choose to travel with Waxholmsbolaget, check the timetable in advance. As the fortress is outside Dalarö, getting there is one of the details you’ll need to plan yourself.

History and Architecture

Dalarö was an old pilotage and customs community. In the late 19th century, it became a holiday resort for wealthy Stockholmers. Many richly decorated wooden villas from the late 19th and early 20th centuries give this development a tangible architectural dimension. The villas’ history therefore extends beyond the end of the 19th century into the early decades of the 20th century. Those interested in architectural history can view the wooden houses as a distinctive way to explore how Dalarö changed.

Dalarö kyrka also brings together different points in time. It dates from 1652 and acquired its present appearance in 1787. Its inlaid pulpit is even older: the cabinetmaker Melcherdt made it in 1630, and it originally stood in Tyresö kapell. The pulpit’s origins, the church’s year of construction and its later appearance are therefore three distinct milestones in the history of the building and its furnishings.

Cultural Sites and Remembrance

Dalarö tullhus is a listed state-owned historic building. Guided cultural walks for groups of 10 to 50 people start there; advance booking is required. When planning a tour, you’ll need to take both the group size and the booking requirement into account.

A memorial sculpture honours people who left their Baltic homelands during the Second World War. In 1944, 150 people arrived in Dalarö aboard a two-masted sailing ship. The year, number of people and type of vessel give the memorial a specific historical context.

Water, Wrecks and Routes

Three representative wrecks in Dalarö skeppsvraksområde have been made accessible to visitors. All dives must be made from a boat. For each individual dive, a dive operator must apply through Dalarö Dykpark for permission to moor at the buoy. If you’re planning to dive on the wrecks, coordinate this process with the dive operator for each dive.

There is a variety of water activities at Schweizerbadet and Askfatshamnen. Another option is the routes at Dalarö IP: there is a 1.25 km illuminated loop and a 10 km training route. The shorter loop and the considerably longer training route are clearly different in distance. You can choose a route to suit the distance you want, while the two named locations are both destinations for water activities.

Discover more destinations: Haninge, Ornö, Vendelsö, Handen, Tungelsta, Muskö, Utö, Österhaninge.

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