Kramfors
©
Kramfors

Kramfors

Ångermanland mill town on the Ångermanälven, used as a base for Sweden's High Coast.

Kramfors is a small town of about 6,000 people in the province of Ångermanland, close to the Ångermanälven — one of Sweden's largest rivers. The town grew up around saw mills and paper mills, most of which closed in the 1970s, and it has been losing population since.

The main reason to stop here is its position as a base for exploring the High Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of dramatic cliffs, islands, and old fishing villages along the Bothnian Sea. Closer to town, the dramatic Sandö Bridge, the memorial to the Ådalen shootings, and the medieval Ytterlännäs old church are all within a short drive. For darker history, the Bålberget memorial marks one of Sweden's largest witch-trial execution sites.

Guide

Getting There

Kramfors has a small regional airport at Höga Kusten Airport, twenty kilometres south of town, with daily flights to Stockholm Arlanda. Trains run from Stockholm to Kramfors station on the Ådalsbanan line, taking around 6 hours.

By car, the E4 motorway runs along the coast a few kilometres east of town. From the south it is about 500 km from Stockholm; from the north, about 300 km from Umeå.

Guide

Things to Do

Kramfors itself is a quiet former mill town; the real attractions are spread along the Ångerman river valley around it — old churches, the Sandö Bridge, the memorial to the Ådalen shootings, and the gateway sights to the High Coast.