Welcome To Vasteras, the Cucumber City

Sweden’s erstwhile `Cucumber City’, so called because of the huge gherkin-producing industry during the 1800s, Vasteras lies at the confluence of Lake Mälaren and the river Svart, in east central Sweden. Today Sweden’s largest inland port and the centre of the electrical industry, Vasteras was an established town- and an important one- even in medieval times, when it was a political centre, a market town and a bishopric.  

Vasteras’ most famous tourist attraction is the cathedral of Domkyrkan, a brick church dating back to the 1500s and containing the mortal remains of King Erik XIV. Other sights include the two town halls- the old and the new. The old town hall now houses a museum, while the new one has a 65 mt tall tower and the largest glockenspiel in Scandinavia.

Vasteras may not have a very large number of sights, but it’s an interesting city to explore, and is an excellent base from which to tour the surrounding countryside. Close enough to warrant a day’s excursion are some of Sweden’s most lovely castles- Angso Slott, 25 km from Vasteras, and the finest Rococo castle in the country and the 17th century Tido Slott, a Renaissance building which houses a good collection of period furniture and toys. Less opulent, but equally historic are the early Iron Age burial mounds at Anundshogen.

Vasteras is connected by train and road to other parts of Sweden, and has plenty of traffic coming in by the river, although much of it is in the form of goods.