AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Solgen is the largest and deepest lake in Eksjö municipality, sitting in the heart of Småland's rolling forest-and-farmland landscape in southern Sweden. With 57 kilometres of shoreline, a scattering of forested islands, and a protected archipelago recognized as one of the best habitats for otters and rare woodpeckers in southern Sweden, Solgen rewards visitors who come for fishing, paddling, swimming, or simply a quiet walk among birdsong and still water.↗↗
The lake's moderate depth of 20 metres and clean, lightly stained water have earned it a "good" ecological rating under Sweden's water framework, while three nature reserves guard the island groups from disturbance. Whether you cast a line from a rented rowboat, follow the trail along the outflow stream to a bird-watching tower, or cool off at Mellby's municipal bathing beach, Solgen offers the unhurried outdoors that Småland's inland lakes are known for.↗↗
A Lake of Islands and Old-Growth Character
Solgen stretches over roughly 22 square kilometres at an elevation of 194 metres, its 57-kilometre shoreline indented by peninsulas and dotted with wooded islets. The central archipelago is the heart of a 289-hectare nature reserve called Solgens centrala övärld, managed by the County Administrative Board of Jönköping County. The reserve's deciduous forests — a mix of oak, lime, hazel, and other broadleaves — have a near-natural quality rarely seen in managed Småland woodland, and the undisturbed canopy supports species that are increasingly scarce elsewhere.
