Halltorp
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Halltorp was one of the earliest manors on the island of
Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, dating from the 11th century AD. In early documents it is known as Hauldtorp, and it is cited as one of the early
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
settlements of Öland. From early times it has functioned as a royal farm associated with the Swedish Crown and was considered one of the finest hunting preserves on the island. There is a
relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...
oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
forest on the present grounds which contains numerous trees that are centuries old. Halltorp is in an area rich in history and
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
, and most of the southern part of the island of Öland has been designated as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. The site is adjacent to the perimeter highway, Route 136.


Architecture

Limestone was quarried from the local
Stora Alvaret Stora Alvaret (; "the Great Alvar") is an alvar, a barren limestone terrace, in the southern half of the island of Öland, Sweden. Stora Alvaret is a dagger shaped expanse almost long and about at the widest north end. The area of this formatio ...
to produce the core of the present manor in the late 18th century, although it is known an earlier manor house stood here for centuries. The limestone blocks obtained from the local
alvar An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...
are exceptionally flat with little fashioning just as they come from the quarry and are very easy to stack for use in building construction.


Early history

Only
Borgholm Borgholm () is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 4,401 inhabitants in 2020. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, at the Kalmar Strait-side of Öland, north of Färjestaden. Borgholm is o ...
and
Ottenby Ottenby () is a town on the island of Öland, Sweden, located in Ås parish, Mörbylånga Municipality in Kalmar County. Ottenby is located just north of the southern tip of Öland, over thirty km south of the area's main town, Mörbylånga. Otte ...
are documented in early writings to have been Viking era settlements along with Halltorp, although
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
records show evidence of Vikings at a number of other locations on Öland: namely,
Gettlinge Gettlinge is a village in the southwest portion of the island of Öland, Sweden. It is known for its impressive Viking stone ship burial ground. Gettlinge is situated on the western fringe of the Stora Alvaret, a World Heritage Site designated ...
, Alby and
Hulterstad Hulterstad is a small coastal town on the southeastern part of the island of Öland, Sweden. Hulterstad is situated at the eastern fringe of the Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement habitat which hosts a diversity of rare plants and has been des ...
. A manor house is thought to have existed here since at least the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
. In the 17th century Halltorp was integrated to the royal Borgholm estate, where
Borgholm Castle Borgholm Castle () in Borgholm, Sweden, is today only a ruin of the fortress that was first built in the second half of the 13th century and rebuilt many times in later centuries. It is linked to Halltorp estate, to the south. The castle was des ...
is situated about seven kilometers to the north. The extensive forest area west of Halltorp Manor house ran all the way to
Kalmar Strait The Kalmar Strait () is a strait in the Baltic Sea, located between the Swedish island of Öland and the province of Småland of the Swedish mainland. The strait is about long and between and in width. There is a road bridge across the stra ...
. The kings of the
House of Vasa The House of Vasa or Wasa was a Dynasty, royal house that was founded in 1523 in Sweden. Its members ruled the Kingdom of Sweden from 1523 to 1654 and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1668. Its agnatic line became extinct with t ...
used this
woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
area as one of their prime hunting preserves. Also on site is a great
European hornbeam European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
forest, one of the largest within Sweden, that is documented to derive from at least as early as the 17th century. King Frederick I of Sweden bestowed Halltorp royal farm upon Sven Aderman in the year 1723 to acknowledge his invention of a rapid firing
musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...
during the wars of King Karl XII. By 1760 captain Edvard Lukhehorn was reflected as the owner of Halltorp estate. It has been deduced that a grand manor house of native
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
was created in the late 18th century, which is the core of the present structure. As late as the year 1804 the estate was held by descendants of Lukhehorn.


From 19th century

By 1820 Halltorp estate was partitioned, with the new owners being Baron M.
Falkenberg Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish ...
and Colonel A. Von Franchen, the latter who also served as the royal Chamberlain. In this era Halltorp still consisted of its present-day lands as well as the coastal Ekerum estate, a 180 hectare holding having several croft buildings. Then in the year 1859 a
parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
member, Erik Johan Rudberg (1821-1899) bought the Halltorp holding, who held it until selling to Johan Persson in 1895.


Halltorps Gästgiveri

At the end of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Halltorp was sold to three municipalities and was converted into a retirement home, which operated until 1973. Two years later the manor became Halltorps Gästgiveri, an inn with guest rooms. In 1991, a twenty five guest room addition was created in the form of a new wing sweeping to the west joining in L-Plan design to the older manor core. There were also added two
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
s, a
wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...
, a winter garden and some conference rooms. The manor house was designed with an entrance facing east, such that upon entering the vestibule, a
great hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages. It continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great cha ...
lay immediately ahead where the present day dining room is situated. Further west of the hall were the south facing kitchen, still the current day kitchen, and two other rooms facing north which have now been adapted to reception areas of the present day inn. The original first floor had a large loft, which area is now converted to guest rooms.


Halltorps Hage

Halltorps hage, the
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
at Halltorp lies to the west of the manor house extending to the Kalmar Strait. In addition to the ancient oak forest, this area is known for several wild
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
s including: Common spotted orchid, ''
Dactylorhiza fuchsii ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a subspecies of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' is one of Europe's most common wild orchids. It is widespr ...
''; ''Listera ovata''; and Bird’s-nest orchid, ''
Neottia nidus-avis ''Neottia nidus-avis'', the bird's-nest orchid, is a non-photosynthetic orchid, native to Europe, Russia, with sporadic presence in North-Africa, and some parts of the Middle East. Description ''Neottia nidus-avis'' grows to tall and each sh ...
''. Many other rare and
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
can be found to the east on the
Stora Alvaret Stora Alvaret (; "the Great Alvar") is an alvar, a barren limestone terrace, in the southern half of the island of Öland, Sweden. Stora Alvaret is a dagger shaped expanse almost long and about at the widest north end. The area of this formatio ...
, although in this northern part of Öland the
alvar An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...
habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
is more fragmented than in the south of the island where large expanses of
limestone pavement A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial Sidewalk, pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK and Ireland, where many of these landforms have devel ...
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
exist.


See also

*
Kalmar Strait The Kalmar Strait () is a strait in the Baltic Sea, located between the Swedish island of Öland and the province of Småland of the Swedish mainland. The strait is about long and between and in width. There is a road bridge across the stra ...


References


External links


Halltorp website


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