Hjo – Wooden Town, Harbour and Hjoån Valley

Hjo combines an unusually well-preserved wooden town with harbour life, cultural history and nature along the Hjoån. Historic townscapes, short distances to a variety of experiences and the protected landscape along the Hjoån shape the town.

Historic Hjo around Stora torget

Hjo is one of Sweden’s best-preserved wooden towns. The historic wooden town around the medieval market square and church follows a street layout dating from the late 14th century. For several centuries, Stora torget has been the centre of Gamla staden; at the same time, the square is considered one of Sweden’s best-preserved older small-town squares. Along Hamngatan and Långgatan, many historic gates, courtyard buildings and wooden houses have survived to this day. In 1990, Hjo received the Europa Nostra Medal of Honour for the remarkable preservation of this cohesive wooden town structure. Hjo Church is also part of the town’s historical identity. The present stone church was built towards the end of the 18th century while retaining the existing floor plan. Despite later alterations, the church interior has preserved its late Gustavian character. In the town park, designed in 1877 by landscape architect Johan Joseph Sternemann, the park and its buildings were granted special protected status in 2018. The park is probably one of the best-preserved park complexes in the Swedish inland.

Harbour, park and maritime history

Guldkroksbadet is centrally located in Hjo harbour. There, the Badhyttsbastun offers sauna sessions with views of Lake Vättern all year round. In summer, the S/S Trafik steamer travels from the harbour to Visingsö, Vadstena and Hästholmen. The ship was built in 1892 for the route between Hjo and Hästholmen, has now been fully restored, is registered as a protected ship and classified as a heritage vessel. You can find further traces of the town’s history in the town park and at Kulturkvarteret Pedagogien. In the late 19th century, the Hjo Vattenkuranstalt spa was located in the park and was then one of the leading facilities of its kind in the Swedish inland. Kulturkvarteret Pedagogien was formerly Hjo samrealskola, which existed from 1898 to 1964; today, changing and permanent exhibitions are shown there throughout the year. Hjo’s beach huts were sketched by architect Lars Kellman in 1913 and still stand today. An individual beach hut can be rented year-round at Hjo beach resort.

Nature along the Hjoån and routes for active days

The Hjoån Valley is part of the European Union’s Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Footpaths and cycle paths run throughout the valley. The “Hjo’s Jungle” trail is an easy hike of approximately 4 km from Hjo harbour to Stämmorna on Lake Mullsjön. The route follows the Hjoån stream through deciduous forest, ravines and open clearings. Sport fishing is permitted in the lower section of the Hjoån. For practical orientation on site, the Hjo tourist information office sells fishing licences and books admission tickets and guided town tours. Hjo Bryggeri has been brewing Svagdricka since 1926 according to a traditional recipe and is now Sweden’s only wood-fired brewery. If you would like to compare another place in the same broader travel region with Hjo, you can also find Grevbäck (Grevbäck). Bus 402 from the travel centre in Skövde to Hjo takes approximately 40 minutes.

To the overview of the broader travel region: Hjo.