Walking through Trollskogen, or the “Troll Forest,” in Sweden makes you feel like you’re walking through a bewitched land, writes Atlas Obscura. The trees here are up to 200 years old and are misshapen by decades of strong winds off the Baltic Sea. Ivy crawls up many of the trees, and you can find giant old oaks scattered throughout the woods.
The enchanting forest is located on the northeastern tip of the Swedish island of Öland, which is situated between the Baltic Sea and the protected Grankullaviken bay. Trees that face the sea look weathered by the elements, while the vegetation near the bay looks completely different. Trollskogen is also part of a nature reserve that protects the area’s unique ecology, which means that there are a lot of very rare insect species and fungi within the forest. It is also home to the Trolleken, or “Troll Oak,” which is one of the oldest trees on Sweden’s northeast coast.
Atlas Obscura also explains that you can find ancient burial cairns and stone circles in the forest, as well as the remains of old fortifications from the 15th century, when the area served as a major naval base on the Baltic. Need more adventure? The ruins of a shipwreck that ran aground near the Troll Forest in 1926 can be seen along the shore.
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