Gråen, Naturreservat

Gråen is an artificial island off Landskrona. The island was created in the late 18th century to protect Landskrona harbor from military attacks. Today, only the gunpowder tower from the early 1800s remains. The northern part of the island is a nature reserve. To protect bird life, access is prohibited during spring and summer.

The northern part of Gråen has been a nature reserve since 1952. The reserve's ponds and moats are home to birds such as the grey heron and cormorant. In order to protect the bird life, it is forbidden to enter the reserve from 15/3 to 1/8.

In English

Welcome to Gråen Nature Reserve

Gråen, the artificial island, was constructed in the 18th century to protect the harbor in Landskrona. It was intended as a grandiose military project, but work came to a halt after

40 years and was never completed. The only building in the area, Kruttornet (the gun powder tower), is from the 19th century.

The island has now returned to nature. Large reedbeds and water channels are full of birdlife. In order not to disturb breeding birds, it is forbidden to go ashore or remain on the island from March 15 to August 1. Sheep, the only permitted visitors, help keep the grass-clad ramparts open.

Cormorant

Gråen has a large colony of cormorants. Locally, they are known as Ålakråkor, "eel crows", and they are rather clumsy on land but very agile underwater. You often see cormorants sitting on a rock with their wings spread out. Their feathers are not completely water repellent, so they must dry their plumage after diving.

Regulations

Within Gråen Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• go ashore or remain within the nature reserve from March 15 to August 1.