Trolldalen, Trollskogen or Trolldalsskogen is an 8-hectare area located between Svindersviken, Finnboda and Henriksdalsringen on Henriksdalsberget in Nacka, 500 m south of Södermalm.

The name has its roots in the syllable troll- which in Trollhättan comes from trola (tree sturgeon used to punch a fence opening). The Vikings transported their boats between Saltsjön and Hammarby lake across the lost Trollbäcken using tree trunks. Other evidence of their presence is the remains of the ancient castle and the Finnbodaskatten.

Trolldalen was well known in the 19th century. Methodists and Good Templars marched here for preaching, herring sexa & cuckoo pot. The Finnboda shipyard workers held strike rallies here. The forest is also mentioned in five of Per Anders Fogelström's books where Emelie comes here with little Henning to pick blueberries.

Key biotope with 55 red-listed species

Trolldalen has two microclimates: Hällmarktall forest in the colder, drier & more barren north; hardwoods in the warmer & calcareous Scanian south. Per Anders Fogelström called Trolldalen a small wilderness gem. Here you will find it:

• Deer, foxes, badgers, squirrels, wood mice, field hares...
• Butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees, solitary bees, wood ants, spiders...
• Great spotted woodpecker, blue tit, blackbird, nuthatch, robin, goldfinch...
• Wood anemone, lovage, lily of the valley, heather, wood violet, ferns...

In 2013, Nacka municipality conducted an inventory of the nature in Trolldalen and concluded that 2/3 of the area should be designated a key biotope (nature class 1) due to the presence of

• 150 nature value trees, i.e. pines, oaks & other trees that have reached a high age, large scope & are hosts to other species;
• 55 red-listed species, including oak & pine tick, relict beech, oxtongue mushroom, black ear, pine bit, gray crow, greenfinch, swift, relict buck, black splendor beetle, bats ...
• Rare ground flora such as blackberry, gravelweed, bracken fern, lesser celandine, lesser celandine
• Plenty of dead wood, so-called dry wood and flames that have been standing for centuries - the best insect hotels!

Home-like recreation area

The proximity to Henriksdal, Finnboda, Saltsjöqvarn, Kvarnholmen, Södermalm & Sjöstaden makes Trolldalen a popular recreational area for walking, dog walking, nature photography, orienteering within Friska Nacka, geocaching, sunbathing, climbing in the south and jogging. The network Bevara Trolldalen, Naturskyddsföreningen & Hembygdsföreningen hold nature walks here.

Families and friends gather for picnics and barbecues. Some neighbors harvest blueberries, blackberries, bloodroot, cauliflower mushrooms, stone mushrooms & other edible mushrooms.

During the corona, more people discovered Trolldoalen for morning walks, walks & talks, telephone meetings & home stays.

DN photographer Lars Epstein praises the forest for its wonderful views 57 m above sea level. From here you can see Södermalm, Old Town, Djurgården, Nacka and Sjöstaden.

The kids love Trolldalen

Many adults in the area have attended the now closed Trolldalen preschool, which was located in the courtyard of Henriksdalsringen, and remember the educator Troll-Per Wetterblad's children's choir Glada Henkan, which in '86 recorded a record at Danvikshem.

The children in Henriksdal & Finnboda make spontaneous excursions to Trolldalen together with the family without planning far in advance or traveling far. Climbing trees, building tree houses and ponds, collecting blueberries, treasure hunts, hide-and-seek... there are so many games.

The teachers bring the preschoolers here to learn more about nature, to move around, to roam... Three large colored stones in the forest help them to orient themselves.