Ingmarsö
Longitud: N 59° 28´27.04”
Latitud: E 18° 45´20.54”
In the middle of Stockholm's Archipelago, outside Ljusterö, is Ingmarsö with the sea routes of the outer archipelago towards the open sea. The island is most definitely a living archipelago community with agriculture and a very active business community. In total there is in the order of 30 businesses, including boatyard, boat building, salmon farming, a plastics factory, a taxi company and a bakery. There has been a school here since the end of the 19th century and there are plans to build new housing so that the young people of the island can stay and that new families can move in.
There is a restaurant and a shop. You can rent bicycles, rowing boats and canoes to discover the island and its coastline. From the southern pier you can ramble on Båtluffarleden (the island hoppers way) across Kålgårdsön towards Finnhamn. On Brottö, the southwesterly area of Ingmarsö, there is a cultural reserve with traditional archipelago agriculture.
Sådrodden is a race for traditional boats around the island, which is run in July. You can see the traditional archipelago vessels like rowing boats and larger working boats.
How to get there
You can get to Ingmarsö by boat and Waxholmsbolaget serves the island all year round from Stockholm, journey time approximately 2.5 hours.
Food
Restaurang Ingmarsö Stekhus & Brygga is in the southern bay, tel 08-542 468 00
Accommodation
The nearest hostel is in Finnhamn, tel 08-542 462 12
Guest Harbours
The Guest harbour at the southern pier has 15 to 20 berths where you can moor up using a buoy, boom or alongside the jetty. There are services available including mains electricity, toilets, shower, wood-fired sauna and Internet connection.
Bathing
You can swim next to the northern pier.
Services & Information
Ingmarsö Livs (food store) has postal services and Apoteket (pharmacy), tel 08-542 460 20
Internet connection at the guest harbour on the southern pier.
Statoil service station at Ingmarsö Livs, tel 08-542 460 20
Salmon sales, tel
Smokery, tel
Crafts, tel
Souvenirs, tel 08-542 462 01
Bakery, tel 08-542 460 60
Boatyard, tel 08-542 463 63
Sauna
Wood-fired sauna at the guest harbour by the southern pier.
Nature
Ingmarsö was originally a number of scattered islands until the land rose to current levels. This can be seen from the different names around the island, Brottö, Kålgårdsön etc. The name Ingmarsö comes from all the lakes that used to be found on the island. There are still a lot of lakes remaining, for example, Storträsk, Lillträsk, Bergmar and Maren. The land has been cultivated since the 16th century but woodland has taken over in large areas even though there is still agriculture on the island. Coniferous woodland dominates but there is some broadleaf too. For those interested in horticulture there are coralroot, red campion, broad-leafed helleborine, and alpine enchanter's nightshade that can be spotted. There is a large deer population and there have been ravens nesting here. There are a lot of natural wind-protected harbours and good areas for swimming.
History
Ingmarsö is first mentioned in a document from 1539. The four farmers on the island were to pay tax, including half a barrel of cod, to King Gustav Vasa. At the end of the 17th century, in connection with the introduction of the Swedish allotment system, the island was to provide a bosun with a croft. Ingmarsö's bosun's croft was finished in 1694. It can still be seen today at Norrgårdenskolan.
Life in the Stockholm Archipelago was hard and people were poor but the population grew steadily. In the 19th century burn-beating was used to create more agricultural land and to be able to support more of the islands inhabitants. In 1910 there were 223 people registered on the island. In 1901 the school was opened and it remains an active school for children up to and including 6th class. There is also a library and kindergarten in the building.
The island's shop is also old. It was opened in 1887 and business has contnued there since then. In 1998 the shop took over responsibility for the post-office. Summer residents began to arrive in the 1930s. They rented rooms from permanent residents, stayed in the old inn or built their own houses.
Visit Skärgården
e-mail: info@visitskargarden.se
Telephone: 08-100 222
