It is separated from the mainland by theKalmar Strait and connected to it by the 6-kilometre (3+1⁄2 mi)Öland Bridge, which opened on 30 September 1972. The county seatKalmar is on the mainland at the other end of the bridge and is an important commercial centre related to the Öland economy. The island's two municipalities areBorgholm andMörbylånga named after their municipal seats. Much of the island is farmland, with fertile plains aided by the mild and sunny weather during summer.
Öland was granted provincial arms in 1560, but it would not be until the 1940s that the province was assigned its proper ones. The arms granted toÖland had been mixed up with the arms granted toÅland and this was not discovered until the 20th century. While Öland changed its coat of arms, Åland, which was now aFinnish (autonomous) province, kept its established but originally unintended coat of arms. The deer is meant to symbolize the status of Öland as a royalgame park and the arms are topped by a ducal crown. Blazon: "Azure a Deer Or attired, hoofed and gorged Gules".[citation needed]
Archaeological evidence indicates the island of Öland was settled about 8000 BC, with excavations dating from thePaleolithic era showing the presence ofhunter-gatherers.[6] In the earlyStone Age,settlers from the mainland migrated across theice bridge that connected the island across theKalmar Strait.
Evidence of habitation of Öland occurred at least as early as 6000 BC, when there were Stone Age settlements atAlby and other locations on the island. Burial grounds from theIron Age through theViking Age are clearly visible atGettlinge,Hulterstad and other places on the perimeter ridge includingstone ships. There are nineteen Iron Ageringforts identified on the island, only one of which,Eketorp, has been completely excavated, yielding over 24,000 artifacts. Around 900 AD,Wulfstan of Hedeby called the island "Eowland", the land of the Eowans:
Then, after theland of the Burgundians, we had on our left the lands that have been called from the earliest timesBlekingey, andMeore, and Eowland, andGotland, all which territory is subject to theSweons; and Weonodland [the land of theWends] was all the way on our right, as far asWeissel-mouth.[7]
However, this is not the first mention of the Eowans. There is an even earlier mention of the tribe in theAnglo-SaxonpoemWidsith:
Scholars such as Schütte[8] and Kendrick[9] have pointed out that there was probably an even earlier mention of the people of Öland in 98 AD, byTacitus, who called them the "Aviones":
After theLangobardi come theReudigni, Auiones,Angli,Warini,Eudoses,Suarines andNuithones all well guarded by rivers and forests. There is nothing remarkable about any of these tribes unless the common worship ofNerthus, that is Earth Mother, is considered. They believed she was interested in men's affairs and walked among them. On an island in the ocean sea there is a sacred grove where a holy wagon covered by a drape awaits.[10]
In Swedish history, the island long served as a royal game park;Ottenby andHalltorp were in particular selected by the Swedish Crown in theMiddle Ages as royal game reserves.[citation needed]
Öland has a semi-continentaloceanic climate with considerable temperature differences between summer and winter. There are two main weather stations, one located at the northern edge and the other at the southern edge. In spite of the more northerly latitude, Öland's northern edge is far milder than its southern edge, since air warm over greater surrounding landmasses during days, whilst retaining heavy maritime features during night. It is also more representative for the island's general climate, with only the deep south being much cooler down a narrow peninsula.
Climate data for Öland's Northern Edge, temperature 2002–2021; sunshine June 2008–2018; extremes since 1901
Öland is served by a perimeter highway,Route 136. In 2011 the Gripen Gas company filed a request for test drilling on Öland for natural gas. The request was approved by Bergsstaten, the governmental agency responsible for handling geological issues regarding prospecting. The approval has been met with criticism on the municipal and county administrative levels, citing that the many cracks in the limestone bedrock could cause the groundwater to become contaminated by the gas prospecting.[19]
For a decade, Öland has been organizing an annual harvest festival calledSkördefesten that takes place every October. In terms of this event, the island'sfarmers gather with farmers from the rest of the country and sell their crops and let those that are interested take part in everyday life on their farms, among other activities. There are also many art exhibitions for display during Skördefesten especially during the art night Konstnatten.
The romantic poetErik Johan Stagnelius was born in the Öland parish of Gärdslösa in 1793 and lived there until 16 years of age. He wrote several poems about the island. More modern writers living on or writing about Öland include novelist Margit Friberg (1904–1997), poet Anna Rydstedt (1928–1994), novelistBirgitta Trotzig (1929-2011), poet Lennart Sjögren (1930-), children novelistEva Bexell (1945-), poet Tom Hedlund (1945-), novelistJohan Theorin (1963-), poet and novelist Magnus Utvik (1964-) and novelist Per Planhammar (1965-).[citation needed]
Skördefest is an annualharvest festival on Öland, held every September, which attracts thousands of visitors. Pumpkins are placed upon the top of bales of hay, a signal to buyers that fall harvest goods are available for sale at the location. In Borgholm, apumpagubbe (pumpkin man), a large scarecrow like figure, built entirely of gourds, is erected at town center. The pumpagubbe celebrates the bounty of the Fall Harvest.[citation needed]
