Torpadalen, Naturreservat

In the Torpadalen nature reserve, you step into a magical, primeval and dramatic nature with plunging rock walls and beautiful views. Torpadalen is an elongated ravine that is bounded to the east by a striking mountainside, Bergaberget. On the top of the mountain are the remains of an ancient castle from the Iron Age.

Winding stream surrounded by ostrich ferns

At the bottom of the valley, Torpabäcken meanders, a stream that is replenished from several underground springs. Along the stream grow coarse alders and plenty of the stately fern ostrich fern. Plants such as the goldenrod, missne and brook bramble also thrive here. The beaver has made several ponds in the valley.

Plenty of lichens and fungi

There is plenty of dead wood in the damp environment of the valley. Many fungi, lichens and mosses thrive here, including the border tick, wood moss and green shield moss. You can also see birds such as wolverines, warblers, wrens and lesser spotted woodpeckers. At the top of the hillside and on the slope, there is a coarse coniferous forest, some pines are over 300 years old. Birds that thrive on the slopes include ravens and tits.

Old fields and meadows

The Torpadalen valley has long been used for cultivation and hay harvesting. At the end of the 19th century, the meadows began to be abandoned and forests grew up. However, several of the fields were in use well into the middle of the 20th century. Within the reserve are the remains of the Berglyckan croft. The croft was used into the 1940s. About a hundred meters north of the croft ruins, traces of small fields can be seen, wedged between the rocks.

An exciting hike

A marked path leads to the ancient castle on the crest of Bergaberget. The path passes below a cliff over 40 meters high, which is almost completely without vegetation. It is one of the highest cliffs in the county. From the path there is a detour to Kungakammaren, a large crevice cave in a rock face. According to legend, the cave was once the hiding place of a fleeing king.

An ancient castle from the Iron Age

Up on Bergaberget are the remains of an ancient castle from the Iron Age (500 BC-1050 AD). The site provides a good overview of the landscape and the steep slopes gave the castle natural protection in one direction. On the other sides, the castle was protected by double, semi-circular stone walls. Remains of these walls exist today in the form of two stone ramparts. The inner rampart is about 100 meters long and 2-3 meters wide.

Facts about ancient castles

Ancient castles fascinate people and there is something exciting and mysterious about them. What did they look like? What were they used for? Who used them? What era are they from?

Many ancient castles in Mälardalen

There are almost 2,000 ancient castles in the Nordic countries, and just over half of these are in Sweden. There are different types of ancient castles in different areas of Sweden, and the densest concentrations are in the Mälar region, along the west coast, in Östergötland and northern Småland. On Öland and Gotland there are also so-called lowland castles, which are quite different from those on the mainland.

The first researchers

Ancient castles have fascinated people over the centuries. The very first records of the country's ancient castles were made back in the 17th century. At that time, the main focus was on inventorying the location and appearance of castles. In the 1930s and onwards, the step was taken to start investigating the castles. The first archaeological investigations were carried out by archaeologists such as Ivar Schnell, Sten Anjou, Arthur Nordén and Mårten Stenberger.

What are the different types of castles?

Throughout history, ancient castles have been classified in different ways. The earliest is a pure description of what the ramparts look like. Are there one, two or three ramparts, and did they use rocky outcrops to build the castle? Then people started to take a little more interest in where the castles are located in nature. Are they built high up on a mountain? Or are they down in the lowlands? After that, people became more interested in their function. Is it possible that people sought shelter in the castle? Are there many ancient monuments nearby? Is the site close to waterways where people could keep a close eye on who was traveling across the water? Have they been used as burial sites or are they more of religious importance? Was the castle perhaps used for living in?

What were the castles used for?

It was long believed that all ancient castles were places of refuge during troubled times, especially during the Migration Period (400-550 AD). At that time, there was no thought that the castles could have been built for reasons other than external threats, and this was long believed. Today there are several researchers who have new theories about these ancient castles. Calling all places ancient castles is not quite right, but they are often registered as ancient castles in the Swedish National Heritage Board's register of ancient monuments. Other names used are ramparts or enclosures. Many castles have been used as protection in times of unrest. Other castles have been used more for religious and cultic purposes. The sites are often located on high ground and have had a good view of the surroundings. It has been a natural vantage point used to look for signals in the landscape and from other ancient castles nearby. Whatever the reason for building the castles, they have been a significant feature of the landscape and have brought many people together.

Örebro County's ancient castles

There are 34 registered ancient castles in Örebro. Most of them are located at high altitude and overlook the surrounding areas. Some castles overlook several castles while others only look over to another castle. Many of the ancient castles are located in Kilsbergen along the edge and they all look out over Närkeslätten, for example Borgaresjö skansar, Tistaborg, Ullavi klint. They have not had the main contact with each other but have instead looked out over the plain and the ancient castles located on a band in the southern part of the plain area, for example Tarstaborg. These ancient castles in turn look back towards the ancient castles of Kilsbergen.