Handen: Discover Art, History and Rudan
Accommodation in Handen
Handen can be explored through several interests: public art, local history and time outdoors each have a specific point of interest. In the Rudan outdoor recreation area, the Harspåret cultural trail passes historically interesting sites; a large outdoor swimming area lies by Övre Rudansjön. Other highlights include a light installation in Kulturhusparken, an artistically designed plaza and the Handens Museum. This variety offers different ways to focus your trip: trails and swimming, art or local history.
File:Sweden. Stockholm County. Haninge Municipality. Handen 190.JPG
Photo: Albertyanks - Albert Jankowski via Wikimedia Commons, public_domain
Rudan: Outdoor Swimming, Cultural Trail and Sörmlandsleden
Rudan’s large outdoor swimming area, with a sandy beach and diving platforms, is located at Övre Rudansjön. If you would like to include time for swimming during your stay, this gives you a specific place to visit. The Harspåret cultural trail offers a different focus: it passes several historically interesting sites in the Rudan outdoor recreation area, where information signs are displayed. The trail thus combines time outdoors with local history.
Stage 5 of the Sörmlandsleden trail also passes through Rudan. The two routes can be distinguished by their stated focus: Harspåret highlights historic sites and information signs, while the Sörmlandsleden is identified here by a specific stage. To reach the outdoor recreation area, take the commuter train to Handen station; Rudan is directly accessible from there via the southern exit.
Art in the Plaza and the Park
The artwork titled Museum för offentliga ting at Stora Arkens torg in Handen brings together benches, trees and a waste bin from different parts of the world, turning the plaza into a museum of public objects. The title can be understood literally: objects in public spaces become the subject of the artwork itself. In this way, the design of the plaza places everyday objects in an artistic context.
A different setting surrounds Återsken, the light installation by Anna Lidberg in Kulturhusparken behind the cultural centre. Installed in 2021, the work extends across majestic pines, rock crevices, hidden nooks in the rock and large boulders. A soundtrack was composed especially for Återsken. Lidberg worked on it with musician Jon Ekström (Dödsvarg); the newly written music accompanies the work and guides visitors between its different parts in the park. Light and music give the work a spatial and acoustic dimension.
Local History and Craftsmanship
The Handens Museum is dedicated to local history and is housed in a relocated and rebuilt croft near the centre of Haninge. The museum includes a blacksmith’s workshop and also offers craft courses. The building, local history and craftsmanship each provide a different point of interest for a visit.
Harspåret and the museum offer different perspectives on history: at the museum, history is the explicit subject, while the cultural trail passes several historically interesting sites in the outdoor recreation area. Handen’s development is also linked to a specific historical sequence. Österhaninge railway station helped spur its growth, was established near a crossroads in 1901 and was renamed Handen station in 1913.
Discover more destinations: Tungelsta, Utö, Haninge, Ornö, Dalarö, Österhaninge, Västerhaninge, Vendelsö
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