5 Sights & Landmarks in Virserum That You Shouldn't Miss

Arvid Kallstrom's Statue "Nils Dacke" was erected in 1956 in memory of Nils Dacke and his uprising against King Gustav Vasa. Nils Dacke was at his time (the 16th century) one of Europe's great freedom fighters. He was very successful, until he was betrayed and killed by the king's German mercenaries.

Here, according to legend, the wounded Nils Dacke lay hidden from the troops of King Gustav Vasa. Nils Dacke led the farmers from Småland during the uprising against the king. With his army of farmers he conquered the whole of Småland and could celebrate the Christmas of 1542 as master of the Kronoberg castle. At Stegeborg in Östergötland however his army was defeated by the King's German mercenaries.

The gravefield lies on a stretched hill between the villages of Ekeflo and Långeruda and encompasses seven graves. These consist of two round and two square mounds of stones and one round, one almost three-sided and one irregular cromlech (a circle or row of stones). Cromlech is the name of our most usual pre-historical kind of grave. One of the mounds was investigated in the 1930's and it was ascertained that grave robbers had visited the place. The only thing they found was a human skull, which shows that the dead had been buried unburnt. The gravefield was probably constructed during the Iron Age and at that time they normally burnt the dead person at a stake before putting him into his grave.

A memorial cross put up at the edge of a pre-historical interment. According to the legend a market salesman came wandering to the village of Björkmossa. There a farmer promised to take him over the lake Hjorten to the village of Ånhult. On the way to the lake the farmer struck him dead and buried him in a mound of stones. He regretted his deed and put up a cross which said: I'm sleeping and I'm not dead. May the Lord forgive his sins that put me here. The Year of 1669. A copy of the original cross was put up here in 1981. The old one is badly damaged by decay and is located in "Virserums hembygdspark", an open-air museum in Virserum.

In the hilly terrain of the Virserum district you can find many beautiful outlooks. Experience one of the most beautiful views from the Misterhult mountain on the Virserum lake with its islands. Across the lake you can see the village of Virserum with its church, industry and other buildings.