Djurö national park

go back to National Parks of Sweden

One of the more recent national parks of Sweden, designated by the government as late as 1991, this national park is located in the center of Sweden's largest lake, Vänern. The park itself covers an area of 24 square kilometers (9 square miles) consisting of an isolated archipelago of some thirty islands.

Surrounded by at least 8 kilometers (5 miles, or 4.3 nautical miles) of open sea on all sides, the archipelago is accessible by privately owned or rented boat only. The waters due east of the islands are shallow and treacherous. A recommended landing site is a spot called Malbergshamn on the north side of the park, where visitor information signs are posted. To minimize impact on the island, visitors are encouraged to follow the marked trail around the main island.

With only a thin layer of soil covering the rocks of most of the islands, only a few rugged trees and plants grow here. The exeption to this is the island Gisslan, which has a fertile chalk-rich soil and therefore a much richer plant life.

Animal life is surprisingly much wealthier with a small population of fallow deer. No, they did not swim all the way out there. Despite its remote location, Djurö has once been a zoological garden and preserve with a hunting lodge that still remains. For that reason, deer, rabbit, grouse, and pheasant were all introduced. The name Djurö means animal island in Swedish.

Djurö has been inhabited since the 16th century with as much as three families living here, self-sustained on fishing and farming. The last of its inhabitants have since left, however, and even the lighthouse station is unmanned.

The park is home to many birds, such as the fish eagle, the hobby, the oystercatcher, and the great black-backed gull. For the sake of their breeding, access to part of the park is denied during the spring and summer.

Following is a translation of the conditions governing Djurö national park. I am neither a lawyer, nor a translator. This is for educational purposes only. Do not blame me if you get in trouble, yada, yada. The conditions translated into the text below apply only to Djurö. Other national parks have other conditions specified for them.

Public notice with conditions regarding DJURÖ national park; SNFS (1991:8)

Supported by 4 § of the national park ordinance (1987:938), the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency announces the following conditions for the national park according to 5 § second section of the environmental protection act (1964:822).

Within the national park it is forbidden to

• stock items
• run cables through the ground or air, pipes or conduits in the water or on the seafloor
• construct trails or roads
• raise or expand buildings or other facilities
• construct landing stage, camping ground, camp site, camp, mooring buoy or stationary mooring device for a vessel/boat
• conduct military training exercises
• dig, excavate, fill, drill, chisel, paint, blast or otherwise damage ground and boulders
• remove minerals or other geological material
• dredge, dyke, or otherwise deepen shallow straits or change the hydrology of the area
• conduct forest cultivation
• break branches, cut down or otherwise damage living or dead trees, shrubs and bushes
• pick or dig up plants
• use pesticides or fertilizers
• introduce plant or animal species new to the area
• collect or catch insects or other animals or otherwise knowingly disturb animal life
• hunt
• fish as a member of the public with anything other than with mobile hand-held tools
• establish a fish-farm
• use motorized vehicles on land
• land by aircraft
• fly over the area at an altitude of less than 300 meters
• make an open fire other than at designated sites
• bring unleashed dogs or cats on land
• navigate a vehicle with a speed in excess of 7 knots within 100 meters from the shore
• moor a boat at the same shore for a period of time exceeding two days
• camp on a site other than at a site (at Malbergshamn), which has been marked on a map attached to this public notice, and which is allowed for two consecutive days at most
• enter, move or stay in the areas (bird sanctuaries), which have been marked on the aforementioned map, during the time from May 1 to July 31
• post a sign, poster or similar

Further, it is prohibited without the permission of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to

• conduct scientific investigations
• conduct business.

Without hindrance by the above prohibitions, it is permissible

• for staff authorized by the national park bailiff to conduct measures according to determined plan of maintenance
• for an official in national park management, healthcare, police, or rescue operation issues to enter areas to which access has been denied as well as to use appropriate vehicle or aircraft. Notification of mentioned matters shall be made to the national park management before conduct if possible, otherwise as soon as possible upon completion of the mission
• to gather berries and mushrooms
• to hunt fallow deer according to determined plan of maintenance
• to bring a dog when hunting

Passing into law

SNFS 1991:8

This public notice will pass into law two weeks after the day the notice according to information stated on it is released from printing. (Released from printing October 21, 1991.)

Attachment

Map

Djurö is also an island in the archipelago of Stockholm and a potentially common name for many lesser known Swedish islands, with which the above should not be confused. Information synthesized from www.environ.se.