Degerhamn – Quarries, Industrial History and Coastal Moments

Degerhamn combines hiking trails, former quarries and an unusually rich industrial history with lakes, birdlife and a bathing spot. If you would like to choose between active trails, geological impressions, maritime history and peaceful nature observation during your stay, you will find a wide variety of places to visit here. The landscape tells not only of limestone and slate, but also of the people and businesses that worked these materials over the centuries.

Hiking trails between slate and limestone

The Bergstigen is approximately 5 kilometres long and divided into three stages marked with red arrows. Its route leads into a slate quarry with abandoned rest shelters and dynamite stores. The Kalkbrottsleden hiking trail crosses the Stora alvaret to limestone quarries, where various circular routes are available.

Degerhamn’s hiking landscape also includes quarries and several factory ruins dating from 300 years of industrial history.

Lakes, birdlife and a bathing spot

Fågelsjön is a lake that formed in an old slate quarry belonging to Degerhamns kalkbruk. Stensjön also has its origins in industrial use: the former limestone quarry was filled with water in the 1950s and is home to a rich variety of birdlife. Both places show how former extraction sites now appear as bodies of water, without losing their origins in limestone or slate quarrying.

The viewpoint at Kalkbrottssjön offers a wide view across the Alvar and the large disused limestone quarry operated by Cementa, which is slowly filling with water. For a coastal stay, Adolfshamn offers both a pebble beach and a bathing area. This means that, alongside the industrially themed trails, water and nature experiences are also on the agenda.

Traces of the limestone and slate industries

In the Fältugnsområde of Degerhamns kalkbruk, 20 field kilns for burning lime stand in a long row. In the past, limestone and slate were transported along Kalkgata by rail from the quarries to the field kilns.

The tall chimney marks the ruins of Ölands alunbruk, which was founded in 1804. On the grounds of the former manor house, artists Christer Jansson and Elisabeth Sivard created a stone work as a tribute to art and to the people who work and have worked with stone. Hamneberget, with Lovers skifferbrott, is also a historically notable site: Carl von Linné visited it in 1741.

Museums and geological art

For a deeper exploration of the area, Navet has a pavilion with information about Degerhamn’s industrial history, various stone materials to examine and a car park. Degerhamns hembygdsmuseum displays objects and photographs relating to Degerhamn’s industry, trade and shipping. This makes it possible to explore the history of the area not only in the landscape itself, but also through objects and images.

The Ingrunden museum lighthouse contains the lantern from the Utgrunden lighthouse in the Kalmar Strait. Konstens geologiska trädgård presents geological art in inspiring surroundings. Together with the quarries, lakes and industrial facilities, this creates a destination where nature observation, geology, work with stone and maritime memory exist closely side by side.

If you would like to expand your search to include destinations beyond Degerhamn, you can find Stenåsa, Färjestaden, Vanserum, Grönhögen and Mörbylånga here.

To the higher-level travel overview: Mörbylånga.