Kinda Canal

This waterway in the Stångån River valley has seen human activity since the Stone Age, in part due to its excellent hunting and fishing conditions. You can see a large number of ancient relics all along the Kinda Canal, including Iron Age graves (from 500 BC-1050 AD).

Just like the Göta Canal, the Kinda Canal was proposed long before being built. By the mid-18th century, experts realized that the Stångån River and lake system could be united to connect the Kinda region in the south to Linköping in the north without requiring many locks or much digging.

The goal from the start of the canal project was to ship lumber from the south to the central parts of Östergötland province. Grain and other agricultural products would also benefit from the route. But the first lock, built in the early 19th century, collapsed, the canal company went bankrupt, and it took nearly 40 years before a new attempt was made. The canal was completed in 1870, but its usefulness as a shipping route faded once the railroad was built between Linköping and Rimforsa in the early 20th century.

By boat

The route takes you through 15 locks in nine locations between Nykvarn in central Linköping and 30 km south to Brokind.

If you don't have a boat of your own, you can hop on one of the passenger boats. For example, the M/S Kind departs from the pier by the Stångs Magasin restaurant, across the street from the Scandic City Hotel. It goes all the way to Rimforsa, some 35 km away, but you can disembark at any port along the way. If you stop off at Brokind, don't miss the exhibit on the construction of the canal, which was completed in 1870. All the locks have signs featuring both historical and current information. You can also take a round trip on the M/S Prins Gustaf, starting and ending in Rimforsa.

You can even take a canoe or kayak through the canal. If you don't have one, you can rent one - for example at Vårdsnäs.

On foot or bike

If you plan to bicycle or walk along the Kinda Canal, the best places are close to downtown Linköping.

Here's our suggestion: Take Storgatan or Nygatan Street through central Linköping. Once you've crossed Hamngatan Street you can slip down between the new buildings, then turn right. A pleasant walk takes you to the Tannefors locks, where you'll find a nice place to eat. When you've had your fill of food and of watching boats pass through the locks, cross to the other side of the canal and turn left.

When you get back to your starting point - except on the other side - you'll find a nice little café to the right of the trail. That's Åberga, an old croft, with plenty of space to sit in the garden. The café serves fresh-baked goodies.

Continue on past the Scandic City Hotel, then cross the large park area toward Nykvarn. This is where you cross to the other side of the canal again and turn back. In summertime, the park hosts the Nykvarn Festival, a big, popular event among young people.

Just before you get back to where you started, you'll pass the Tullbron bridge and a good restaurant, Stångs Magasin, located in an old mill from 1804, which has also been used as a customs house and grain silo. Sit down and rest your feet next to the "Drömmarnas Båge" [Arch of Dreams], a stainless steel work of art 15 meters high and 68 meters long.

If you walk at a good pace, you will have been out for just over an hour. If you prefer a shorter route, there are several bridges along the way so you can turn back earlier.

Maybe two wheels are more your style? Follow the green Sverigeleden [Sweden Trail] signs south. Soon you'll arrive at the Tannefors locks, where the rapids once powered Linköping's first industrial area. If you come when the stream is emptied, you can see kettleholes, which are hollows created by stones spinning around in the currents.

Continue along the Sverigeleden trail to the idyllic garden area, Emmalund, which also has a public swimming hole. Cross the Stångån over the lovely bridge at the end of Spångerumsgatan Street. Continue in toward Hackefors parallel with the railroad. The bridge in Hjulsbro is straight ahead.

You may want to follow the Stångån out to Landeryd, which has a charming church, and then for the ride back, perhaps take the road along Tinnerbäcken spring. If you do, you will pass the Ekkälledammen pond, a gathering place for all sorts of birds, and the beautiful Mahoniadalen valley. Don't forget to look at the giant kettleholes past the end of Klostergatan. A great place to end your bike ride is the Trädgårdsföreningen [Garden Society], an oasis in the center of town.