Fjärås Bräcka, Naturreservat

From Naturum Fjärås Bräcka you have a magnificent view, to the west over the sea, forests and fields and to the east over Lake Lygnern and the beautiful nature. Bräckan is a powerful ice edge formation that rises 60 meters above the Halland coastal plain. Naturum offers exhibitions, activities and a café. You can choose from several trails in the reserve to experience Bräckan and learn more about its nature and exciting ancient monuments. This giant gravel and moraine bank was formed at the end of the last ice age when the ice melted away. During the Ice Age, Bräckan was below sea level, but as the ice melted and the colossal pressure eased, the land slowly began to rise. Today, Bräckan rises 60 meters above the Halland coastal plain. On a clear day, you can see the innermost part of Lygnen just over a mile and a half away, and to the west a vast plain landscape opens up. In the distance you can also see Kungsbackafjorden. There are several hiking trails in the reserve. You can find a trail brochure at the nature center. For those who want to cool off on a hot summer day, there is a swimming area in I Lygnern. There are also two barbecue areas by the beach, which are supplied with firewood all year round. At the naturum there are also two barbecue areas where you can bring your own firewood.

Trails in the reserve

There are currently five trails in the reserve:

• Blue, the Nature Trail of 1.5 kilometers.
• Red, Lygnernslingan of 2 kilometers.
• Yellow, Lislingan of 4 kilometers.
• Green, Limmahögsslingan of 5.4 kilometers
• Orange, Hallandsleden which runs through the entire reserve and beyond.

At the nature center you can have coffee and get information

At naturum Fjärås Bräcka there is a café, shop, information, toilets and an exhibition about the area's nature, environment and cultural history. You get tips on what is happening in nature right now and outside the house door, nature trails and hiking trails start to show the way. Theme evenings and special activities for children are organized. At weekends and during the summer season, knowledgeable staff are on hand to encourage and inspire you to spend time outdoors.

Accessibility

Naturum is adapted for wheelchair users. There is also a gravel path from the parking lot that is suitable for wheelchair users or people with strollers. The entire road that is closed to car traffic up on Bräckan is paved and accessible to visitors. At the parking lot there are also coffee tables that are adapted for wheelchair users. Disabled parking is available outside the nature center and also at the northern entrance of the nature reserve.

Spectacular ancient monuments

Ever since the Stone Age, Bräckan has been an important route for people traveling along the coast. It was a land bridge where you could get around dry-shod between Lygnern and Västerhavet. Fjärås is one of Halland's most ancient parishes. Here is Li grave field, which is the county's largest grave field from the Iron Age. Today there are over a hundred standing stones and about 40 other remains. The stones have been almost twice as many, but several disappeared when gravel was taken from the site in the past. The tall stone, known as "King Frode's stone", stands right by the road. It is particularly beautiful here when the heather blooms in late summer.

Even older burial sites are the Limma mounds, which date back to the Bronze Age. The size and location of the mounds suggest that important people were buried here. There were three Limma mounds, but only one of them is well preserved.

Animals and plants in the reserve

For several centuries until the end of the 19th century, the landscape around Bräckan was dominated by extensive heather moors. Today, much of the heathland has disappeared from Halland, but on Bräckan the open heathland has been recreated with the help of grazing, clearing and burning. A rich dry meadow flora with light-loving plants grows on the heath. Here you can find maidenhair fern, thyme and meadowsweet. Animal trampling and grazing create patches of sand that are favorable for many insects. Here they can build their nests or warm themselves in the sun. Several of the insects, such as the golden sand bee and the common sand bee, are red-listed, which means that they risk disappearing from the country if their habitat is not preserved.

On the eastern side of the creek there are more nutritious areas with deciduous forests of oak, ash and hazel. Here, you can find more demanding herbs such as common ragweed and red campion. Further down towards Lygnern, there is a wild thicket forest of, among other things, alder, birch and the beautifully flowering grapevine in spring.

Badgers, deer and foxes live on Fjärås Bräcka, and from the thickets on the eastern side you can hear the beautiful singing of blackcaps, garden warblers and iron sparrows in the spring.

Collect stamp

In some of our most popular reserves, you can also collect a nice stamp when you visit the reserve. You stamp either directly in your guidebook or on your own paper / book. In Fjärås Bräcka, the stamp is at the nature center.