Härnösand

Härnösand is the capital of the Swedish province of Västernorrland, located on the Baltic coast north of Sundsvall. The offshore island of Härnön lends the town its name and is encircled by the Ångermanälv River, which flows here into the Gulf of Bothnia (Bottenhavet) in the Baltic Sea. After its founding in 1585, Härnösand developed into one of the largest towns in northern Sweden and has been a bishop’s see since 1647. During the Great Northern War, Härnösand was destroyed by Russian troops in 1721. To this day, the town is shaped more by administration than by industry.
Its location on Sweden’s Baltic coast alone makes Härnösand a first-rate holiday destination. As is often the case along Sweden’s Baltic coast, visitors will find expansive sandy beaches, rocky shores and plenty of water for sailing, canoeing or fishing. However, swimming at these latitudes can be a challenge, even during Sweden’s short summer. Nevertheless, there are numerous sandy beaches in and around Härnösand, along the Baltic coast and at inland lakes, as far as the island of Hemsö to the north, with facilities for swimming in the Baltic Sea. Many are also suitable for holidaymakers with disabilities. Campsites and holiday homes provide the necessary accommodation.
In the heart of Härnösand’s town centre, recreational boaters will find several places to moor sailing boats and motorboats. To the north of the town is the Murberg Museum, a regional museum for the Ångermanland region and Sweden’s second-largest open-air museum after Skansen (Stockholm).
Long a secret project, the former Hemsö Fortress on the island of the same name is now a museum devoted to the Cold War era. From the early 1950s onwards, bunkers up to 40 metres deep were built, with defences designed to withstand atomic bombs. More than 300 conscripts were stationed there at all times and could remain for up to three months without contact with the outside world. Since 1992, the facilities have served exclusively as a museum, but they are still fully operational to this day.
In the mid-1990s, the E4 north of Härnösand was shortened by the construction of an impressive new bridge, improving access to one of the Baltic Sea’s most beautiful stretches of coastline, the High Coast (Höga Kusten). Härnösand offers Baltic holidaymakers every comfort amid unspoilt, varied maritime scenery, with accommodation to suit every preference, from hotels and holiday homes to campsites—and at any time of year.

You can book a holiday home in Härnösand directly.