Ursvik, Uppland | Exploring Sweden
Ursvik is a district within Sundbyberg Municipality in Stockholm County. It is two districts, Stora Ursvik and Lilla Ursvik. In English that would be Ursvik Proper and Ursvik Lesser. Lilla Ursvik is mostly made up of villas or one-family homes while Stora Ursvik consists of a more modern urban planning with multi-family apartment buildings. Neighboring districts within Sundbyberg Municipality are Rissne in the southwest and Hallonbergen in the southeast. To the northeast is the district of Rinkeby within Stockholm Municipality and to the north is the nature reserve of Igelbäcken that separates Ursvik from Kista.
A Short History of Ursvik
Development in Lilla Ursvik began at the beginning of the 20th century. Graham Brothers established a factory here in 1906 producing elevators. The neighborhood continued to develop with more one-family homes.
The Swedish Armed Forces established laboratories here in 1937. Ursvik was home to a very specific laboratory – the plutonium laboratory being at the center of the Swedish Nuclear Weapons Program. It is today believed that Sweden was just months away from its first nuclear weapons when the program was abandoned in 1966.
The factory of Graham Brothers closed in the 1970s and the Swedish Armed Forces left the area in 2005. Signs of the Army’s earlier presence are still present, especially within the Igelbäcken Nature Reserve. The embarkment of a smaller railway runs through the reserve and the former office building in Stora Ursvik is today a school – Noblaskolan.
The more urban development in Stora Ursvik began in 2006. It is estimated that the population will increase from around 1600 in 2012 to over 15.000 by the year 2027.
Things to Do and See
Ursvik is in most regards a residential area with only a few restaurants and more services for the inhabitants such as schools. There is, however, the Igelbäcken Nature Reserve. This is a large recreational area just to the north of the residential areas.
Igelbäcken Nature Reserve
Igelbäcken Nature Reserve was established in 2003 and covers an area of 127 hectares. The reserve consists of forests and old farmlands with plenty of paths for hiking, running, and even cross-country skiing during the winter. It includes a larger recreational area with its base in Lilla Ursvik. From here several prepared and measured paths connect, some of which are illuminated.
How to Get to Ursvik
- Flights: Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) is 40 kilometers to the north.
- Car: Ursvik lies along Road E18 just to the north of the center of Stockholm.
- Bus: Buses from SL connect Ursvik with the surrounding area.
- Metro: There is no metro stop in Ursvik, but there are stops nearby in neighboring Hallonbergen, Rissne, and Rinkeby.
- Train: There are railway stations in Solna and Sundbyberg. These connect the area with the commuter trains of Stockholm.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 12 kilometers (16 min)
- Gothenburg – 475 kilometers (4 h 50 min)
- Malmö – 619 kilometers (6 h 20 min)
- Linköping – 206 kilometers (2 h 10 min)
- Kiruna – 1230 kilometers (13 h 10 min)
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