Located in the Stockholm Archipelago, Ängsö is an island with a rich cultural heritage and remarkable biodiversity. Its flower-filled meadows and historic pastures been shaped by centuries of traditional farming, creating one of the archipelago’s most distinctive landscapes.
A landscape shaped over centuries
Ängsö has been used for haymaking since the Middle Ages, when it consisted of two separate islands. Farmers from nearby Väringsö crossed the water to harvest hay in the summer, while cattle grazed the meadows after the harvest. During winter, the hay was transported home by sledge across the ice.
Over time, post-glacial land uplift caused the narrow channel between the two islands to become shallower, and by the end of the 18th century they had merged to form the single island of Ängsö.
A landscape that needs care
In 1909, Ängsö became one of the first national parks in Sweden—and one of the very first in Europe. Although the island was protected, it was initially left unmanaged. Without traditional farming practices such as haymaking and grazing, shrubs, spruce and tall grass gradually took over the open landscape.
By the 1940s, scientists had realised that the island’s rich biodiversity depended on continued management. Meadows were cleared, haymaking resumed and grazing animals returned. Since the 1950s, active conservation has restored much of Ängsö’s traditional agricultural landscape.
Ängsö today
Today, Ängsö is managed to preserve its historic mosaic of meadows, pastures, fields and woodlands. Meadows are cut and grazed by cattle. Many of the island’s ash and lime trees are pollarded using traditional methods. These long-established practices help maintain the unique landscape and support the rich variety of plants and wildlife that make Ängsö so special.
Birds and wildflowers
Spring is the best time to experience Ängsö’s rich wildlife. The island is renowned for its spectacular flowers. Meadows and woodlands are filled with cowslips, wood anemones, ramsons, fritillaries, bird’s-eye primroses and many other native wildflowers.
One of Ängsö’s best-known spring displays can be found in the meadow Långängen, near Norrudden. From mid-May to early June, hundreds of purple and yellow elder-flowered orchids, known in Sweden as Adam and Eve, bloom across the meadow.
Old deciduous trees provide nesting sites for woodpeckers, nuthatches, pied flycatchers, owls and many other birds. White-tailed eagles are often seen soaring above the island’s forests.
Crofts and local history
The traditional crofts at Hemviken were built between 1805 and 1825, replacing earlier buildings from the 1720s. Surrounded by oak-covered hills, rocky outcrops and traditional wooden fences, they offer a glimpse of Ängsö’s farming past.
Visitor information
Visitor information is available on https://www.naturkartan.se/en/stockholms-lan/angso-nationalpark
Contact
Ängsö National Park is managed by Stockholm County Administrative Board/ Section for Nature Conservation and Management. Contact us via email: naturskotsel.stockholm@lansstyrelsen.se
Protected Areas in Sweden
Stenshuvud National Park
Tyresta National Park
Kosterhavet National Park
