Nature reserves
Experience the most beautiful nature in Vårgårda. Take a trip to one of the nature reserves and enjoy the scenery, sights and sounds. Here are the three most popular reserves in the area:
Ljungås nature and culture reserve
Nestled in a unique nature reserve surrounded by a rich cultural landscape, this 19th-century forest farmstead offers a glimpse into Sweden’s rural heritage.
Oskar Andersson was born in 1899 and spent his entire life at Ljungås. He lived very simply, despite the fact that the surrounding forest could have brought him considerable income. Oskar valued things that money couldn’t buy.
When Oskar passed away, the ownership of Ljungås was passed on to his sister’s grandchild, who wished to preserve Oskar’s life’s work. Thanks to dedicated efforts by the local municipality and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the nature reserve was officially inaugurated in June 1993.
Ljungås Nature Reserve offers what might be Vårgårda’s most beautiful hiking trails!
Because the forest within the reserve has been left relatively untouched, parts of it give off a magical, fairytale-like feeling — reminiscent of a John Bauer painting.
Yxnås
Yxnås Nature Reserve mainly consists of the farmland surrounding the old crofts of Yxnås and Brännåsen. Through traditional farming methods like cultivation, haymaking, and grazing, the area preserves the character of an intensively used crofter’s landscape. These practices also support the local flora — particularly the species-rich meadow plants.
The meadows are traditionally scythed once a year to maintain their unique biodiversity.
The hilly terrain has helped protect the cultural landscape from major change, and the land has remained remarkably true to its historical form — unlike much of the surrounding farmland, which has been significantly altered over the past century.
The Gotaleden hiking trail passes through the reserve, and there is also a local trail of about two kilometers in the reserve.
Mängsholm
The oak pastures at Mängsholm are among the largest and most picturesque in the region. Many ancient oaks grow here — and the truly massive ones have been designated as natural monuments.
The Mängsholm estate, with origins dating back to the 1560s, is believed to have once stood where the nature reserve now stretches out.
The Säveån River winds its way through the area, flanked by alder and crack willow. In places, the river widens into calm, pond-like stretches, adding to the reserve’s serene atmosphere. Over the river there is an old suspension bridge which are not recommended to use, but beautiful to look at.