Jaktstuguskogen Nature Reserve () is a

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 ...

Södermanland County Södermanland County (, ) is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is virtually universally shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is the ...

, on the southeast coast of

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 ...

. Established in 1919, it is the oldest nature reserve in the county and the first

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

of Sweden.

History

From at least the 18th century and until the late 19th century, the area was used as

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

. In 1909, a small lake was created here, and the hunting lodge ( in Swedish) that has given the name to the reserve was built by the owner of nearby

Rockelstad Castle Rockelstad Castle () is a neo-renaissance manor house in the municipality of Flen in Södermanland, Sweden. Rockelstad, together with Sparreholm and Vibyholm, are all estates situated on Lake Båven. History The old main building, dating from ...

, Eric von Rosen. In 1919, Eric von Rosen requested the area to be declared a

, and it subsequently became the first

in Södermaland County as well as the first natural monument declared in Sweden. In 1949 the County Government decided, again after a request by the von Rosen family, to reduce the protected area, and in 2001 it was enlarged again. The centenary of the nature reserve was celebrated in 2019 with events such as guided tours and a speech by County Governor Liselott Hagberg.

Nature

The nature reserve is dominated by

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

forest. The area contains both low-lying parts and several small hills. The forest is around 120 years old in the lower parts of the reserve but of considerably higher age in other places. There are also

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

s and areas of swamp forest in the reserve. The relatively undisturbed

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

contains much decaying wood which provides a habitat for several species of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s, including the red-listed '' Mycetina cruciata''. Decaying trees, as well as stone blocks, also provide a habitat for

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es and

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

, of which 15 red-listed species have been identified in the nature reserve including '' Pycnoporellus fulgens'', '' Phellopilus nigrolimitatus'' and '' Clavaria fumosa''. The reserve also supports a rich bird life, including several

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family (biology), family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme ...

species. The nature reserve forms part of the EU-wide

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

network. The nature reserve provides the area with protection against exploitation and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

. The nature reserve is open to visitors, for which a path has been prepared and maintained, but it is forbidden e.g. to pitch a tent, make a fire, ride or in other ways disturb the wildlife within the reserve.

Hunting lodge

The hunting lodge is a

log house A log house, or log building, is a structure built with horizontal logs interlocked at the corners by notching. Logs may be round, squared or hewn to other shapes, either handcrafted or milled. The term "log cabin" generally refers to a smal ...

Ivar Tengbom Ivar Justus Tengbom (April 7, 1878 – August 6, 1968) was a Sweden, Swedish architect and one of the best-known representatives of the Swedish neo-classical architecture of the 1910s and 1920s. Tengbom was born in Vireda in Jönköping Coun ...

and in a

National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

, intended to resemble a Viking house. It is decorated with depictions of dragons and

Fenrir Fenrir (Old Norse 'fen-dweller')Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (Old Norse "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (Old Norse "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (Old Nors ...

, as well as

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

s. The lodge lies in a clearing and adjacent to an

outhouse An outhouse — known variously across the English-speaking world otherwise as bog, dunny, long-drop, or privy — is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket ...

and a

root cellar A root cellar (American and Canadian English), fruit cellar (Mid-Western American English) or earth cellar (British English) is a structure, usually underground. or partially underground, used for food storage, storage of vegetables, fruits, nu ...

. The lodge is a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in the buildings database of the

Swedish National Heritage Board The Swedish National Heritage Board (; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Culture. The goals of the agen ...

References

Nature reserves in Sweden Geography of Södermanland County National Romantic architecture in Sweden Protected areas established in 1919 Natura 2000 in Sweden 1919 establishments in Sweden Flen Municipality 20th-century establishments in Södermanland County {{Nature reserves in Södermanland County