Ekholmen

Did you know Ekholmen once boasted six farms? Imagine this small island in the Stockholm archipelago. Ekholmen a tiny jewel in the vast Stockholm archipelago. Its history stretches back centuries. Its first resident Daniel Persson arrived in 1773. He hailed from nearby Vasterby. His descendants the Sjogren family lived on Ekholmen for generations. They farmed the land. They cultivated the small plots. These were surprisingly numerous for such a small island. By the late 1800s and early 1900s Ekholmen thrived. Several farms dotted the landscape. A few cottages added to the vibrant community. This was remarkable given Ekholmen’s size and limited arable land. The island’s name Ekholmen means Oak Island. This is quite fitting. At Ekbacken the highest point on the island oak trees and wildflowers abound. Nearby lies Mjolkvallen Milk Meadow. This is a testament to the time when Narmdo residents brought their animals to Ekholmen for milking. Place names like Hemviken Home Bay and Batdraget Boat Channel reveal that islanders once primarily lived on the western side. Ekholmen is surprisingly flat. Its highest points Bockbranten and Tittarberget barely reach 15 meters. In the south lies Soderudden a peninsula. The author Maj-Britt Eriksson lived on Ekholmen. Her novel Flicka i skärgård Girl in the Archipelago depicts life in the Narmdo archipelago. She found inspiration in her island home. She captured the essence of Ekholmen in her writing. Today Ekholmen is densely built up with summer houses. The farms are gone. The island has transformed. It is still a charming place. Yet it is a very different place from its agricultural past. Ekholmen remains a captivating island. It blends its rich history with modern life. A visit to Ekholmen is a journey through time. It is a celebration of the island’s unique character.