Gunnarskog brings together several clearly distinct themes for planning a trip: the architectural history of today’s Gunnarskog Church, the Södra and Norra Gunnarskogslederna trails, and Lake Gunnern and the forests. Rather than combining these places into a fixed circular route, you can decide whether architecture, hiking and cycling, an outdoor swimming spot, or nature watching should shape your stay. You can base your choice on specific points of interest: the church’s dates, named places along the trails, and views or the lake.
Church and Architectural History
Today’s Gunnarskog Church was completed in 1727. Its interior furnishings date from later decades: Isac Schulström created the pulpit in 1738, the altarpiece in 1739, and the gallery balustrade between 1757 and 1760. The interior style is described as “peasant Baroque.” The sequence of dates helps distinguish the building’s history from its furnishings: the church cannot be explained by a single construction date, but also includes elements from later periods of work. This offers a specific focus for a culturally oriented stay—first the completion of today’s church building, then three dated works by Isac Schulström. This makes it possible to focus on the design and chronology without grouping the different works into a single phase of construction.
Two Trails, Different Points of Reference
Both Gunnarskogslederna are combined hiking and cycling trails, but their specific points of reference give each a different emphasis. The Södra Gunnarskogsleden begins at Larstomta in Gunnarskog and is about 23 kilometres long. Along its route, it passes Gunnarskogs Hembygdsgård and the Ryggestadberget observation tower. The starting point, approximate length, and two named destinations give a clear picture of this route. The Norra Gunnarskogsleden is also a combined hiking and cycling trail; Lafallhöjden, a high-altitude Finnish homestead, lies along it. The Södra therefore offers a specific starting point and a stated distance, while Lafallhöjden stands out as a cultural-historical point of reference on the Norra. When choosing between the trails, you can consider whether the starting point and distance or the high-altitude homestead appeals to you more.
Gunnern and Nature
Gunnern brings together different aspects of Gunnarskog. The elevated Gunnarskog cemetery offers views across the lake to the south and southwest. Gravåsöna is a municipal outdoor swimming spot on Gunnern in Gunnarskog. The views and swimming appeal to different interests around the same lake: for your plans, a view across the water may be just as important as a swimming spot. In addition, the forests of Gunnarskog have abundant wildlife and high species diversity. So, alongside the views and outdoor swimming, nature watching is another possible focus.
Choose Your Stay According to Your Interests
These specific points of reference help distinguish the themes and set your own priorities. This way, you can choose your destination based on what you want to discover there, without arranging the sights and trails into a fixed daily itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Glava Glasbruk, Edane, Salungen, Klässbol, Sulvik, Ottebol, Glava, Jössefors.
Go to the main travel overview: Arvika.
