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  Shown within Sweden | |
| Location | Ekerö Municipality,Sweden |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 59°21′41.33″N17°31′54.24″E / 59.3614806°N 17.5317333°E /59.3614806; 17.5317333 |
| History | |
| Founded | 8th century |
| Abandoned | 10th century |
| Periods | Viking Age |
| Official name | Birka and Hovgården |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, iv |
| Designated | 1993(17thsession) |
| Reference no. | 555 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
Hovgården is anarchaeological site on theLake Mälaren island ofAdelsö inEkerö Municipality in central-easternSweden. During theViking Age, the centre of the prosperingMälaren Valley was the settlementBirka, founded in the mid-8th century and abandoned in the late 10th century and located on the islandBjörkö just south of Adelsö. Hovgården is believed to have been the site from which kings and chieftains ruled the area. Hovgården, together with Birka became aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1993.[1]
Hovgården is located on the flat country north-west of theRomanesqueAdelsö Church, characterised by a narrowrift valley stretching north to forest-ladenmoraines. These historicalmeadows lands were cultivated in the 19th century and have hardly been altered since, as several well-preserved 18th century farmyards bear witness to.[2]
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The oldest archaeological remains on Adelsö, found north of Hovgården, are grave fields and burial mounds from theBronze Age (c. 1800-500 BC). Apparently this culture survived into theIron Age (AD 500-800) as graves from the early part of this period have been found at several locations in the area. At Hovgården some 124 graves have been found; the oldest from lateRoman Iron Age (AD 1-400) and the youngest from the beginning of theMiddle Ages (c. 1050-1520), indicating the area has been settled uninterruptedly throughout this period.[2]
Just north of the parish church are five large burialmounds of which three are calledKungshögar. In Swedish,Kung meaning King andhögar, from theOld Norse wordhaugr, meaning mound or barrow. Hovgården apparently was the location for a royal estateKungsgård as early as theViking Age (c. 800-1050). An excavation of one of these royal mounds in 1917 revealed the remains of a wealthy man who lived around 900. He was burned lying in a boat, dressed in expensive clothing but without weapons, accompanied by horses, cows, and dogs.[2]
Birka, the oldest town in Sweden, was an international trade post. It has been assumed the royal settlement at Hovgården was established as the king's mean of controlling Birka. However, while Birka was abandoned in the mid-10th century, the royal estate was apparently not as therunestoneU 11 from around 1070 which claims to have been carved for the king was erected next to the royal mounds.[2] It was part ofUppsala öd, a network of royal estates supporting theKings of Sweden.
Furthermore, KingMagnus Barnlock had the old castle replaced by a palace built in brick,Alsnö hus, in the 1270s. In the palace, the king established theSwedish nobility through theOrdinance of Alsnö (Alsnö stadga) in 1279. However, the palace was destroyed before the end of that century,[2] and as it was left to decay Hovgården lost in importance.[1]
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For official site names, see each article or theList of World Heritage Sites in Sweden. | ||
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