Askersund's old centre is a compact grid of painted timber houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of Sweden's wooden towns were lost to fire, making intact examples like this genuinely rare. The streets around Storgatan and the market square are worth walking slowly — the houses range from modest workers' cottages to the grander merchant homes near the harbour.
The town church (Askersunds kyrka) dates from the late 17th century and anchors the upper part of the old centre. It is plain in a Scandinavian way but the interior has some good carved woodwork and a notable painted ceiling. The surrounding churchyard offers the best elevated view of the town and the lake beyond.