Vårbyfjärden

Story

Vårbyfjärden is a strait in south-eastern Lake Mälaren south-west of Stockholm in Sweden.Vårbyfjärden separates Ekerö island and Ekerö Municipality north of it, from Södertälje and Huddinge Municipalities south of it and Stockholm Municipality on its western side. South of Vårbyfjärden is Albysjön,HistoryOf the three islands in the bay, Estbröte, appears in the Chronicle of Eric. In 1206, the wife of the legendary Jarl Jon Jarl caught a band of Estonian pirates on the island and had them all executed as a revenge for her husband's death.The eastern shore is known to have been inhabited since pre-historic times, when beacons there were ignited to warn when hostile ships approached. A man who guarded the strait was called a vörðr, which gave the bay and various locations surrounding it their names. A treasure from the 10th century found there contained Arabian coins and jewels, so apparently the bay was important for navigation. The mansion of Vårby gård was built in the 18th century and encompassed most of the area west of the bay. All the mansion's buildings, including greenhouses with exotic trees and bushes, have been demolished, but parts of the gardens are still used for allotment gardens.