The Kalmar region is located on the Baltic Sea and, in addition to part of the coast, the island of Oland also belongs to it. It is an idyllic, rural land, which in Sweden is associated on the one hand with the birthplace of the writer Astrid Lindgren, on the other with the castle in Kalmar, where a union was established between the rulers of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
The capital of the region, Kalmar is a city with a history dating back to the 11th century. Its most important monument is the 12th century castle, in which in 1397 the kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway signed a union uniting these three countries under one scepter. Within the Old Town there are plenty of historic, Baroque tenement houses, of which Tripp, Trapp and Trull are the most famous. The Kalmar cathedral is also baroque.
In the Baltic Sea, behind the Kalmar Strait is the island of Oland. It is connected to the mainland with the help of a six-kilometer Oland Bridge considered one of the longest in Europe. Oland is called the island of winds and sun, and its beaches attract thousands of Swedes every year. The island's landscape is lowland, dotted with small villages, and the southern part of the UNESCO-protected steppe areas.
The region covers a large part of the historical land of Smaland. These areas were often portrayed in books born in Vimmerby Astrid Lindgren. One of the most popular children's authors in the world created in them the idyllic world of the Swedish province and populated it with nice characters. Currently, in the city of her birth operates the theme park Astrid Lindgrens Värld, where you can meet the heroes of childhood books.
