The rune stone is perhaps the most unique thing we have to show in this part of Sweden. On the rune stone, the people of the Viking Age speak directly to us.

In the 11th century and well into the 12th century, many rune stones were erected in Fjärdhundraland, which was an important trading area with major waterways and travel routes. The Great Men wanted to show their importance to posterity, and erected stones, usually in memory of their dead. The rune stone was placed at a waterway, at the edge of a road or by a bridge.

The district of Uppland has the highest concentration of rune stones in the world, and you will pass rune stone after rune stone as you travel along the historic byways.

Imagine — you are travelling on the same road as the people of the Viking Age, and they have left you a message. Stop and read their runes. At many stones there is a sign where you can read the text.

Some of the rune stones in our area near Uppsala, Enköping, Västerås and Stockholm are described here, but you will find many more as you travel the back roads. There are an estimated 700-800 in our area. Read more about runes and rune stones at the National Heritage Board (Swedish) and on Wikipedia. All runic inscriptions are collected on the website Runes (Swedish)!

Fjärdhundraland's small roads are the perfect way to experience rune stones in Sweden, close to Stockholm, Uppsala and Västerås!