Göta highway

Göta highway (Swedish: "Göta landsväg") was the only road between Stockholm and south of Sweden. Dating back at least to the middle ages, and some parts even back to the Viking Age, the highway is the oldest known road from Stockholm to the south. Göta highway lost importance in the year 1670, when the new highway via Hornstull came in use.

Göta highway started in the centre of Stockholm, the Old Castle of Stockholm in Gamla Stan and leaded through Södermalm and the south suburbs of the town via Huddinge Municipality, Botkyrka Municipality and Salem Municipality to the city of Södertälje and further on to Götaland, one of the three lands of Sweden.

Saved to posterity in only a few places, for example it can be seen crossing the Årsta field ("Årstafältet") in Enskede-Årsta, south of Södermalm. On Årsta field there is a 900 meter long part of "Göta landsväg" and where it passed the "Valla brook" a stone-arched bridge was built in the 18th or 19th century. It originally was a wade or a simpler wooden bridge. Since long in ruins, it was restored in 1998 after a model of a similar bridge on an other part of the highway in Botkyrka. The Göta highway on Årsta field is a ancient monument.

Externa links

* [http://www.hjle.se/webbsidor/gota_landsvag.htm More about Göta highway in swedish]