In the 1050s, a landowner named Jarlabanke faced a practical challenge. To cross an impassable marsh on the main road toward Stockholm, he engineered a 150-meter-long bridge. This structure utilized a foundation of brush bundles topped with stones and finished with gravel and sand.
Jarlabanke was clear about his status and legacy. He erected four runestones along the path to announce his presence. While stones from the southern end were moved to churches, two remain at the north end today. The inscriptions offer a look into his mindset, claiming he built the bridge for his soul while he was still alive and that he alone owned the entirety of Täby.
This path served as a primary route from Vallentuna to Stockholm until the 1960s. About one-third of the causeway has been restored to its 1700s appearance. The bridge was 6.5 meters wide and crossed a former marsh known as Täby tä.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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