Arlanda Airport Runestone – Stockholm, Sweden - Atlas Obscura

Arlanda Airport Runestone

An 11th-century runestone decorates the halls of Terminal 2 of this Scandinavian travel hub.  

236
265

There are interesting runestones to be found all over Sweden, but technically you don’t have to step outside of the airport to see one in person. Visitors can see a real 11th century runestone in Terminal 2 of Stockholm Arlanda Airport. 

The runestone was discovered in 1990, while construction was being done on the motorway to Arlanda. Its inscription can be roughly translated as: “Gurnar and Björn and Thorgrim set up this stone in memory of Thorsten, their brother. He died in the east with Ingvar. And made this bridge”

Bridge-building and road-laying were popular during the early Christianization of Sweden, as the church promised that doing these tasks would clear a person’s sins and guarantee them a spot in heaven. As a result, many runestones from this era mention the building of a road or bridge. Ingvar is a character who has been mentioned on dozens of runestones, mostly found in the Mälar region of Sweden. His expedition to the east seemingly came to a disastrous end, as none of the inscriptions that mention Ingvar describe a man who returned from the journey.

Know Before You Go

The stone is accessible as long as the terminal is open. If you land in another terminal and want to see it, just go to Terminal 2 and go to the right after the door. It is located just past the restaurant and the restroom.

Community Contributors
Added by
Edited by

November 20, 2019

Make an Edit Add Photos
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web