Travel Guide Västervik

The E22 road runs along the Baltic Sea, but does not come close to it. To see the horizon over the sea, it is therefore a good idea to stop in Västervik, famous for its shipyards that supplied nearly 80% of Gustav Vasa's royal war fleet in the 17th century. At the end of the 14th century, the village was established a few dozen kilometers further north, in Gamleby, but to support the fortress built in 1360 (whose ruins are still visible on the arm of land that crosses the waters), the king decided to move the settlement and, to convince the inhabitants to move, offered them four years of exemption from royal taxes to build a church and their new houses. Thus, the white St. Gertrude's is still standing and was the first building constructed on the modern site of Västervik in 1433. In one day you can walk around the charming streets of colorful wooden houses and the two beautiful churches, sit on one of the many terraces that make the harbor a lively place in summer, and go swimming in the Baltic Sea in a beautiful setting. If you stay overnight, you will have time for a boat trip to the beautiful islands of this archipelago.