A city, located in the heart of Sweden, between Stockholm (2h) and Gothenburg (3h). It is characterised by its proximity to nature and long trading tradition. The name Örebro means 'bridge over the gravel banks' and refers to the bridge (bro) over the bridge Svartån where the city is located.
During this trip we stayed at the City Central Hotel Örebro, centrally located within walking distance to the central station. Ideal for my hiking buddy of the trip, who came down by train from Järna. Although check-in was normally only possible at 15:00h, we could already drop our luggage in the room upon arrival in the morning. And then we went straight out.
Day 1 was all about exploring the area during an unplanned walk.
Getting close to lunchtime, we decided to visit Wadköping first and have also something to eat there. Wadköping is the open-air museum to the east of the city centre, adjacent to the city park. Architectural heritage from the city is preserved here. It reminded us a bit of a miniature Bokrijk in Belgium.
At Gamla Örebro we enjoyed a delicious Dagens lunch. In her enthusiasm about the tasty-looking pastries in the window, my hiking buddy forgot to ask about the gluten-free lunch options and turned out to have chosen the only non-gluten-free menu. But no worries, they packed it neatly as a take-away meal for me later. Another dish was cooked for her.
After the lunch, we strolled through the streets of Wadköping and the adjacent city park. This led us to the river Svartån where we started following the course.
And that turned out to be a great choice! The entire time we were treated to beautiful scenery. In the harbour we spotted a heron, who seemed skating on the still frozen water.
A little further we crossed the river to follow the path on the other bank. Shortly after the bend we looked at the map and realised we were close to a nice viewpoint. We followed the path to the right leading to a bridge over the tributary of the Lillån. Wow, what a view! There is a recess with benches and even a little library. How cool is that!
From here we walked through nature reserve Oset och Rynningeviken until the main road, which we crossed and continued walking through the forest on the other side back towards the water tower. The Skybar and viewpoint situated in the tower were unfortunately closed that day so we walked the short 2km back to our hotel, where we took a small dinner instead.
On day 2, we had a visit to the castle and Svampen, the water tower planned.
Slot Örebro is built on an island in the middle of the city. Initially built to defend the city, it was later transformed into a royal castle and eventually became the governor's residence - a role it still serves to this day. At the same time, there are numerous exhibitions, guided tours and activities. You can also find the Örebro County Museum located in the castle.
What you definitely have to visit is Svampen, a 58-meter high water tower in the shape of a mushroom. Not only is the view over the city from the top fantastic but also the food served in the Skybar is very tasty and not expensive. And the service is top-notch! Lunch is a buffet so plenty of choice.
