Lerkaka Windmills

Near Lerkaka in eastern Öland, five historic post mills (stubbkvarnar) with hip-shaped roofs stand in a row along road 925. The ensemble is considered one of the finest and best-preserved windmill rows on the island, a classic photo stop that pairs well with the rune stone opposite and the nearby open-air museum for a short round trip.

Symbol of the "Island of Windmills"

At their peak in the mid-19th century, around 2,000 windmills turned on Öland, almost every farm wanted one of its own. Earlier surveys counted 375 mills (1699) and 1,677 mills (1808); the most recent count by the Öland Windmill Association (founded in 2008) found 351 still standing. The wooden post mill rests, with its whole mill house, on a tree-stump post and is turned to face the wind. The Lerkaka mills probably date from the late 18th or early 19th century and today stand as monuments to Öland's earlier grain farming.

What to expect

The five mills line up impressively along the country road. One of them is a show mill, always open to enter, a chance to see up close how a post mill works. The other four are viewed from outside.

The ensemble includes more than just the row of mills:

• Limestone cellar (jordkällare), a traditional earth cellar built from Öland's local limestone.
• Flax-drying kiln (linbastu) - Öland's only surviving kiln for drying flax, built in timber and limestone.
• Village smithy (bysmedja), the old smithy, now the summer café Smedjan.

The windmill row was probably built on a prehistoric burial ground, of which five stone settings survive today. Directly opposite stands the roughly two-metre-tall 11th-century Lerkaka rune stone (Öl 37), about 215 cm tall, 160 cm wide and 20 cm thick.

Visiting & practical info

• Getting there & parking: Lerkaka lies in eastern Öland on road 925. The site has a Trafikverket rest area with a car park, tourist information and picnic furniture; the site is considered easily accessible. More in our getting there guide.
• Admission: free and accessible year-round, with no fixed opening hours. Visits are self-guided.
• Café & toilet: the café in the former village smithy and the rest area's accessible toilet only open in summer.
• Duration: 20 to 30 minutes is enough for the windmill row, the show mill and the rune stone opposite.
• Best time: for photos, the low morning or evening light works best. See our overview of the best time to visit for seasonal notes.

Is it worth a visit?

Lerkaka is one of Öland's most-visited rest areas and a classic photo stop - more of a tourist magnet than a quiet corner. For a short, worthwhile stop on a drive through eastern Öland, the windmill row is ideal, especially since the show mill, rune stone and café combine well in a small space.

Nearby

About two kilometres away lies the open-air museum Öland Museum Himmelsberga, the mills, rune stone and Himmelsberga together make for a very manageable short route. Anyone wanting to learn more about the island's mills will find background in the guide to Öland's windmills. A second, larger windmill setting in the middle of a burial ground can be found at Gettlinge Burial Ground in the south of the island.