Mickelsörarna
Although the Mickelsörarna islands are far from
the coast, the archipelago between the biggest islands is similar
in places to the inner archipelago. The archipelago largely consists
of hummocky moraines. The islands
are covered in forests with narrow and sometimes steep rocky and
boulder-strewn beaches. The outer skerries are more barren, with
heaths here and there. Important features of Mickelsörarna
include the many and beautiful forest marshes and pools, which
are often home to an abundance of fish and birds.
Southwest of Mickelsörarna is Rödgrynnorna,
a group of small skerries and rocky islands. Granite has been
quarried from one of the highest rocky islands and used in several
buildings in Vaasa, Finland. North of the Rödgrynnorna islands
is Ritgrund, a solitary islet with a beacon, used as a lighthouse
today.
Permanent residents have lived on Mickelsörarna since
1830. At most 35 people lived on Vildskär, mainly at "Gårdarna",
as the biggest group of farms is called. The last inhabitant,
Ida Lundberg, lived on Gårdarna year round until the late
1980s and after that only in summer. People have long been on
the archipelago and left behind many traces of temporary shelters
used by fishers, jungfrudanser - stones laid out on the
ground in the shape of a maze - and rock ovens. About ten remains
from the fishing village can be found on Kummelskäret. They
are believed to be from the sixteenth century and were built by
farmers from Vörå who fished here.
The landscape on Mickelsörarna is still characterised
by the intensive logging that took place in the 1970s after discussions
began about declaring Mickelsörarna a national park. About
half of the wooded area on the islands has been replanted. The
national park never became reality, but in 1989 the government
decided to protect the archipelago.
The old coast guard station, which was closed in 1993,
now serves as a nature station. Kummelskäret has an approximately
one-kilometre long path where visitors can learn about the island's
nature and see remains from shelters.
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