Kapellskär

The Chapel Before the Crossing

The name has medieval origins and comes from a chapel that once stood at this location, intended for use before the voyage across the Åland Sea. In earlier times the word was spelled "cappel". Both Kapellskär and Kappelskär occur in spelling and pronunciation.

The reason for sailing from here is the same today as it was then: the distance to Åland is short, and the harbour lies close to open sea.

The Place That Was an Island

Kapellskär is first mentioned in 1555 — but then the name referred to Kapellskäret, where the lighthouse now stands. What is today Kapellskär was then a separate island called Långön. Land uplift has since connected them to the mainland.

The Russian fleet gathered here in 1719 before it set out toward the Swedish coast. And in 1752 Adolf Fredrik had his fleet assembled here before the crossing to Finland — a carving in the rock face on the promontory commemorates this.

The Inn, the Guest House and the Burial Grounds

During the 18th century "the old inn" stood where the harbour is today, and on the promontory — which was then an island — there was a guest house. It remained standing still in the mid-1800s, but by then in a state of considerable decay.

The place also bears traces of less pleasant events. In the 18th century there was a burial ground marked out here. In 1894 a cholera cemetery was established for those who died in the epidemic at the quarantine station on Fejan. There is also a burial place for the Ridderstad family from Riddersholm.

On All Saints' Day 1994 a wooden memorial cross was erected for those who perished in the Estonia disaster.

The Railway That Never Came

Around 1910 there were well-advanced plans for a railway from Stockholm to Kapellskär. The harbour is relatively ice-free, and traffic with Russia was growing. The First World War put an end to the plans.

The Harbour

In 1959 Viking Line started traffic to Finland with Gräddö as the Swedish port — but as early as the following year it was relocated here. The land was then leased from the Riddersholm fideicommiss, which Stockholm County Council acquired in 1973. A new road to the harbour was opened in 1979, a new terminal in 1981, and in 1991 the harbour was sold to Stockholm Hamnar.

Kapellskär is today Stockholm Hamnar's northernmost harbour, with ferry terminals built from the 1960s onwards.

Getting Here

E18 leads here from Stockholm via Norrtälje and continues on the Finnish side in Nådendal and Turku. Buses run from Norrtälje, and some direct buses to and from Stockholm connect with the ferry services.