- Hovgården
Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS =Birka andHovgården
infoboxwidth= 250px
State Party = SWE
Type = Cultural
Criteria = iii, iv
ID = 555
Region = Europe and North America
Year = 1993
Session = 17thHovgården is an archaeological site on the Lake Mälaren island of
Adelsö inEkerö Municipality in central-easternSweden . During theViking Age , the centre of the prosperingMälaren Valley was the settlementBirka , founded in the mid-8th century and abandoned in the late 10th century and located on the islandBjörkö just south of Adelsö. Hovgården is believed to have been the site from where kings and chieftains ruled the area. Hovgården, together with Birka became aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.National Heritage Board]Hovgården is located on the flat country north-west of the Romanesque
Adelsö Church , characterised by a narrowrift valley stretching north to forest-ladenmoraine s. These historicalmeadow s lands were cultivated in the 19th century and have hardly been altered since, as several well-preserved 18th century farmyards bares witness of.Bratt]History
The oldest archaeological remains on Adelsö, found north of Hovgården, are grave fields and burial mounds from the Bronze Age (c. 1800-500 BCE). Apparently this culture survived into the
Iron Age (500-800 CE) as graves from the early part of this period have been found at several locations in the area. At Hovgården some 124 graves have been found; the oldest from lateRoman Iron Age (1-400 CE) and the youngest from the beginning of the Middle ages (c. 1050-1520), indicating the area has been settled uninterruptedly throughout this period.Just north of the the parish church are five large burial
mound s of which three are so called "King's Mounds" ("kungshögar"). So, apparently Hovgården was the location for a royal estate ("Kungsgård") as early as theViking Age (c. 800-1050 CE). An excavation of one of these royal mounds in 1917 revealed the remains of a wealthy man who lived around 900 CE. He was burned lying in a boat, dressed in expensive clothing but without weapons, accompanied by horses, cows, and dogs.Birka , the oldest town in Sweden, was an international trade post. It has been assumed the royal settlement at Hovgården was established as the king's mean of controlling Birka. However, while Birka was abandoned in the mid-10th century, the royal estate was apparently not as therunestone U 11 from around 1070 which claims to have been carved for the king was erected next to the royal mounds. It was part ofUppsala öd , a network of royal estates supporting the Kings of Sweden.Furthermore, King Magnus Barnlock had the old castle replaced by a palace built in brick,
Alsnö hus , in the 1270s. In the palace, the king established theSwedish nobility through theOrdinance of Alsnö ("Alsnö stadga") in 1279. However, the palace was destroyed before the end of that century, and as it was left to decay Hovgården lost in importance.Notes
References
* cite book
title = Mälaröarna - kulturhistoriska miljöer
first = Peter | last = Bratt | pages = 86-88
publisher = Stiftelsen Stockholms Läns Museum
year = 1988 | language = Swedish | isbn = 91-870006-06-5
* cite web
url = http://www.raa.se/cms/extern/en/places_to_visit/world_heritage_sites/birka_and_hovgarden.html
title = Birka and Hovgården
publisher =Swedish National Heritage Board ("Rikantikvarieämbetet", RAÄ)
accessdate = 2008-03-06 | language = EnglishExternal links
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/555 Birka and Hovgården] from
UNESCO
* [http://www.raa.se/varveng/birkae.asp Birka and Hovgården]
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