page_title: Östergötland
section_title: Sights
hierarchical_section_title: Östergötland / Culture / Sights
caption_attribution_description: English: Östergötlands länsmuseum (county museum) in central Linköping, Sweden, main entrance seen from Raoul Wallenbergs plats (park). To the right is the restaurant "Hagdahls kök". Svenska: Östergötlands länsmuseum i Linköpings innerstad, huvudentrén sedd från Raoul Wallenbergs plats. Till höger syns Hagdahls kök, som är namnet på museets restaurang.
context_page_description: Östergötland is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia. The corresponding administrative county, Östergötland County, covers the entire province and parts of neighbouring provinces.
context_section_description: In Östergötland several older churches are still standing and many castles and palaces are open to the public. Ekenäs Castle, one of the best preserved renaissance castles in Sweden, has belonged to the families Sture and Banér. Löfstad Castle has its origin in the early 17th century, having belonged to the von Fersen family. Vadstena Castle, built by the Royal Vasa dynasty 1545–1620, is a combined fortress and renaissance castle.
  Vreta Abbey was the first convent to be established in Sweden, dating from the early 12th century, while Vadstena Abbey was the dominant convent in Medieval Sweden. Notable is also the ruins of the Alvastra Abbey near mountain Omberg and Lake Tåkern.
  The cathedral in Linköping is the second largest church in Sweden and is very well preserved from the Middle Age.
  The Göta Canal crosses the province East-West with several locks and the Kinda Canal connects the lakes in the southern parts of the province with the central plains.
  Övralid Manor was the last home of Nobel Prize laureate Verner von Heidenstam 1925–40.
  There are several museums in all parts of the province, for example the Swedish Broadcasting Museum, the open-air museum Old Linköping, Swedish Air Force Museum, Sancta Birgitta Convent Museum, Museum of Work and the Motala Motor Museum.
  The Rök runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök (between Mjölby and Ödeshög, close to the E4 and Lake Vättern). It is considered the first piece of written Swedish literature and thus it marks the beginning of the history of Swedish literature.
caption: The Provincial Museum in Linköping
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