Högås – Church Surroundings and Cultural History
Accommodation in Högås
Church surroundings and building history
Högås is especially interesting for travelers who are interested in cultural history at specific locations. Högås Church, the various sections of the cemetery and the adjacent old schoolhouse form a connected church setting with much to experience. The church was built in 1867–1868. Outside the old cemetery is a small prehistoric burial ground. This brings two distinct periods into view: the 19th-century church building and an older archaeological trace.
File:Högås kyrka, den 14 juli 2006, bild 1.JPG
Photo: Harri Blomberg via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0
Another architectural feature is RAÄ Högås 110:1, a dry-stone road embankment dating from the 1870s. Its date is close to that of the church, built in 1867–1868, but the two structures represent different aspects of building history. “Dry-stone” describes a construction method in which stones are laid without mortar. The road embankment thus adds a different structure and a specific construction detail to the church setting. It offers an easy-to-grasp comparison: the church and the road embankment are close in date but differ in form.
Traces along Rotviksbäcken
Along Rotviksbäcken, the focus shifts from building forms to an earlier use of the watercourse. In the lower part of the stream, beside a small waterfall, are the remains of an old undershot mill from the 1520s, where grain was once milled. Its location, approximate date and milling function make the history tangible: the mill represents grain processing in a specific waterside setting. Its date places this activity well before the construction of Högås Church in the 19th century. The mill’s connection to grain processing also distinguishes it from the history of church building.
The stream is also associated with a natural feature: sea trout swim up Rotviksbäcken to spawn. The Ulvagropen wolf trap pit also survives near Rotviksbäcken. Different associations thus come together along the same watercourse: grain processing in the past, the surviving remains of a wolf trap pit and the spawning of sea trout. For your travel interests, the distinction is revealing: the remains of the mill and trap pit represent historical use, while sea trout spawning brings an ecological process into view. These themes share the stream as a point of reference without telling the same story.
An archaeological perspective
Granhoge hög is a Bronze Age burial mound in the excursion area of the parishes of Skredsvik, Herrestad and Högås. The Bronze Age represents a much earlier period than the mill from the 1520s. For travelers who like to arrange historic places by period, this offers a comparison between the Bronze Age, the history of milling and 19th-century church building.
Different geographical settings
The themes can also be distinguished geographically: the church, cemetery sections and old schoolhouse form a connected church setting, while the mill, Ulvagropen and sea trout are associated with Rotviksbäcken. Granhoge hög, in turn, is part of the excursion area of the parishes of Skredsvik, Herrestad and Högås. This distinction can help you weigh a compact church setting against several stream-related themes and an archaeological site within the shared excursion area when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: Ammenäs, Ljungskile, Kärlingesund, Kamperöd, Uddevalla, Stan, Lane-Ryr, Herrestad
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