Kulturista - Cultural Experiences in West Sweden

C U LT U R E E X P E R I E N C E S I N W E S T S W E D E N 35 England to the west, however, and likely drew their inspiration for the stone church from these locations. S W E D E N ’ S O L D E S T R O O M? The 1,000-year-old ruins of the farming estate’s stone church – per- haps Sweden’s oldest – are now housed under a protective roof. Designed by architect Magnus Silfverhielm, the impressive super- structure is a sight worth seeing in itself. Not only that, but the church’s crypt might very well be Sweden’s oldest room. This new tourist attraction, which opened in May 2017, is known as Kata Gård, after the woman who owned the large estate 1,000 years ago. Kata’s grave has been discovered right alongside the church’s foundation on the building’s northern side. Visitors to Kata Gård can now view her final resting place through a glass floor. Engraved with runes, her grave slab is also on public display here. It reveals that the woman in the grave was named Kata, that she was married to Kättil. Kata is a central figure in Varnhem’s history during the Viking Age. Through her story, Viking-era women are also given a voice and their history is given a public forum. Kata Gård is also home to the Christian Vikings in Varnhem exhibition. This exhibition recounts the history of the Viking Age in Västergötland Province, including the area’s Christianisation and the Vikings’ voyages westward, of Kata Gård itself, the people who lived in Varnhem and of the skeletons unearthed in its graves. D I S C O V E R M E D I E VA L S K A R A The Kata Gård exhibition also has a sequel on display at Väster- götlands Museum in Skara, 15 kilometres west of Varnhem. The museum’s exhibition is entitled Kata and Kättil – the Finds in Varnhem, and displays the objects uncovered during the excava- tions – beads, brooches, knives, coins, a Viking-style axe, an altar stone and much more. Visitors to the museum will also have the opportunity to meet Kata in person, recreated as archaeologists believe that she may have looked in the form of a life-sized man- nequin. When you visit Västergötlands Museum, don’t miss your chance to view the Medieval Skara exhibition about Skara itself, one of Sweden’s oldest towns.