Karlstad is a large city on Lake Vener, a university center and an important cultural center. There are several interesting museums and the beautiful Mariebergsskogen Natural Park.
The origins of the city are related to the Viking times, when local warriors gathered here. However, Karlstad went down in history as a place where in 1905 the conditions for the dissolution of the union that had bound Sweden and Norway for hundreds of years were agreed.
The main sights of Karlstad are concentrated around the market square. There is an 18th-century cathedral with a 65-meter tower, and a historic stone bridge, almost 170 m long, runs across the Klar River flowing into Lake Wener.
Karlstad's main attractions are its museums. The most important of these is the Värmlands Museum, which shows the history and culture of the region from the Viking era to today. The Brigade Museum has an interesting collection on the Cold War and its Swedish repercussions. Sandsgrund, on the other hand, was once a cult nightclub, and today a gallery housing the works of one of the most important Swedish artists of the 20th century, Lars Lerin.
On the outskirts of the city there is a large Mariebergsskogen Park which covers the shores of Lake Wener. It is a place where you can commune with nature and practice active tourism. A nature education center has been opened in the park, which has interactive exhibitions about the nature of the lake.
