Källa on Öland: fortified church, burial ground and lime kiln

Källa on Öland is best understood through its diverse historical traces. Alongside the medieval fortified church are a burial ground with 300 surviving visible graves, a restored lime kiln, the history of stone exports and inscribed road markers. These features give the village a distinct cultural and historical character. If you are choosing holiday accommodation on Öland, Källa may suit your search if historical sites and architectural history are an important part of your trip. The various historic features also offer different questions to explore together with children: How did a church serve both secular and religious purposes, and what traces did earlier routes of work and travel leave behind?

Church architecture and medieval functions

Källa Old Church is located on the road to Källahamn and is one of the best-preserved fortified churches in Sweden. On Öland, it is the best-preserved example of a church that served both secular and religious functions in the Middle Ages. Its significance therefore extends beyond its role as a fortified church: the building also represents a use that combined religious and secular responsibilities.

Källa Church and the cemetery are in the village of Vi, on Route 136 in northern Öland. Källa New Church was built in the village of Vi in 1887–1888 as a single-nave hall church in the Neo-Gothic style. Its features include a ceiling with three angled sides and pointed-arch windows. These details describe specific aspects of its architectural form as well as its style. The contrast in time between the medieval building’s multiple uses and the construction of the church in 1887–1888 offers two different perspectives on church history.

Burial ground and remembrance

There are 300 surviving visible graves at Vi alvar burial ground. Until the end of the 18th century, the execution site for the Åkerbo district was located there; a memorial stone commemorates this former use. Traces of burials and another chapter of the past meet at this site, remembered by the memorial stone.

The oldest gravestone in Källa’s old cemetery probably dates from the 12th century. This cautious estimate opens up another period in time: it predates the construction of Källa New Church in 1887–1888 by several centuries. Together with Vi alvar burial ground, it offers a way to explore the variety of historical traces without conflating the different sites or their respective histories.

Lime kiln, harbour and old road

Nybyugnen lime kiln adds industrial history to the churches and burial grounds. Originally built in 1868, it was restored from a ruin to its original condition in 1997 by Källa Hembygdsförening. Rubble stones used to pack the lime kiln are visible along the cycle path. The construction and restoration dates mark two different chapters in the site’s history: its original construction and its later restoration.

Källa Harbour also reflects the area’s former economic importance: until the end of the 19th century, it was the island’s main harbour for stone exports. The lime kiln and the history of the harbour thus point to different aspects of lime and stone. On the old road, directly south of Källa local heritage centre, there is a milestone bearing the inscription “1/2 MIL 1866”. Directly to its north are two historic road maintenance stones inscribed 318B and 319. The inscriptions provide specific clues about road marking and maintenance.

Route planning and choosing a holiday base

Källa is well worth a visit on the coast-to-coast circuits or the circuits along the eastern side of the cycling and walking trails in Persnäs. If you are planning one of these circuits, check the current route description before setting out; route information and conditions may change.

When choosing holiday accommodation, you can consider whether this cultural and historical mix suits your Öland holiday. Church architecture, the burial ground, the lime kiln and historic road markers offer different points of interest for planning your trip. The cycling and walking circuits in Persnäs provide another perspective to take into account when deciding where to stay.

Discover more destinations: Rälla, Byxelkrok, Köpingsvik, Borgholm, Löttorp, Räpplinge, Djupvik.

Go to the main travel overview: Borgholm.