For history buffs - and everyone else
The area around Lake Vättern is full of interesting ruins, churches and architecture. Take the opportunity to experience all these destinations during your stay with us.
Alvastra Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in Alvastra at the foot of Mount Omberg in Västra Tollstad parish in Ödeshög municipality. It was founded in 1143 by monks from the French monastery of Clairvaux and was, together with Nydala monastery, the first Cistercian monastery in the Nordic countries. Alvastra in turn founded the monasteries of Varnhem, Julita and Gudsberga, and Alvastra's abbot also acted as father abbot for the nunneries of Askeby, Vreta and Riseberga. Monastic life lasted without known interruptions until the monastery was dissolved around 1530 in connection with the Reformation. Today, only the ruins of the church and the other monastic buildings remain.
