Möja

Lat: N 59º 25' 43.29"
Long: E 18º 52' 52.33"

Geographically, Möja is exactly in the middle of the Stockholm Archipelago. There are inlets north of Värmdö on the west of Möja and to the east is Möja's own archipelago with Björkskär out towards the open sea. Möja is one of the largest islands with nearly 300 inhabitants all year round. The islands are large in archipelago terms and have more or less retained their character from the turn of the 20^th century. Möja bubbles with activity. The 60 or so businesses include a boat wharf, a carpentry, food store, fish sales, a hostel and restaurants.

The island is made to be discovered by bicycle. There is bicycle rental in Berg to the south and in Ramsmora further north. In the same building as the food store in Berg you can rent canoes and paddle around the beautiful and sheltered Möja Archipelago with its lovely inlets and well-protected small skerries. To the east there is a string of larger islands including the nature reserve Storö-Bockö-Lökaö. Outside of these islands the open outer archipelago takes over. Sandhamn is a comfortable two hours paddling away to the south.

You can ramble through lovely mixed woodland inland and the open pasturelands are perfect for camping. There is a sauna on Ostholmen and a shack is available for short-term stay.

How to Get There
Boats go to Möja from Stockholm or Sollenkroka on Värmdö. You can get to Värmdö by bus 434 from Slussen. The journey takes about an hour. There are 6 major piers on Möja, namely, Möjaström, Berg, Löka, Ramsmora, Långvik and Dragedet. There is also a taxi available on the island.

Accommodation
Swedish Tourist Association hostel, tel 08-100221
Möja Gästhem (guest house), tel 08-571 64107, 070-949 4520
Villa Lökasundet, tel 070.930 0630
Humlans Bed & Breakfast, tel 08-571 64107, 070-949 4520
Sommarstället, tel 08-571 61600, 070-6767 500
Wikströms Fisk (restaurant), tel 08-571 64170

Food
Wikströms Fisk (restaurant), tel 08-571 64170
Möja Krog (restaurant), Berg tel 08-571 641 85
Sommarstället I Berg, tel 08-571 61600, 070-6767 500

Guest Harbours
Kyrkviken and Löka

Natural Harbours
On Möja and in the Möja archipelago there are many sheltered inlets.

Services & Information
Tourist Office, Berg 08-571 640 53
Konsum (food store), Berg tel 08-571 640 13
Möja Krog, Berg tel 08-571 641 85
Fuel available in Berg, Långvik and Möjaström
Post Office in Möjaström
Wikströms Fisk, Ramsmora, tel 08-571 641 70.
Konsum (food store), Långvik tel 08-571 640 07
Guest House, Långvik open May-Sep, tel 08-571 641 07
Statoil service station in Möja Ström

Bathing
Möja's coastline is quite inaccessible for swimming and there are no established bathing areas.

Sauna
There is a sauna available on Ostholmen with a shack where you can sleep over night.

Nature
Möja island is characterised by an agricultural landscape. The villages are large and surrounded by cultivated land and pastureland. The nature reserve, Björndalen, on the northern side of the island has varied pine and mixed woodland interspersed with bogs. Out in the Möja nature reserve the landscape is varied from idyllic middle archipelago nature and barren outer archipelago. There is rich wildlife with many species of sea birds and sea eagles around the coastline and rocks. Inland on the islands, wildlife includes elk, deer, badgers and pine martens. The islands have been used to grow crops and graze livestock through the ages and every village on Möja owned smaller islands, which can be seen by names like Bergbo, Storö Lökaön and Ramsmoraö.

History
People have been living on Möja since the Viking Age. In the 13^th century the island of Myghi is mentioned in the sailing directions of King Valdemar. The large villages are unusual in Stockholm's Archipelago. People lived well here on farming, hunting and fishing. There were already eleven farms here in 1542 owned by free farmers.

As in many places around the Stockholm Archipelago, the Russians landed here in 1719 during their ravaging campaign. The rich island of Möja was badly hit and all the farms were razed. Only the church in Berg remained. It was later demolished and replaced with the current church which was built in 1768. There are still Russian ovens to be seen from that period of destruction. The Russian soldiers used them for baking their rye bread.

Fish was an important source of income through the ages. Fish was rowed to Stockholm or carried by horse and cart when the ice was strong enough. Möja had one of Stockholm Archipelago's largest fishing fleets all the way into the 1980s. There is only one professional fisherman remaining today. Strawberry cultivation was a speciality for the island and Möja berries were a good source of income for the locals until the 1990s. Berries are no longer grown commercially.

Summer residents have come here since the start of the 20^th century but there have been relatively few holiday homes built on the island. Möja and its archipelago have been depicted in picture and music by famous summer residents like the artist, Roland Svensson, and Evert Taube, who wrote his song  "Det går en dans på Sunnanö" at the guest house on Södermöja.

Visit Skärgården
e-mail:  info@visitskargarden.se 
Telephone: 08-100 222