Location map
'Lake Mälaren' () (historically occasionally referred to as ''Lake Malar'' in English) is the third-largest
lake in
Sweden, after Lakes
Vänern and
Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. The lake drains, from Southwest to Northeast, into the
Baltic Sea through
Södertälje kanal,
Hammarbyslussen,
Slussen and
Norrström. The easternmost bay of Mälaren, in central Stockholm, is called
Riddarfjärden. The lake is located in
Svealand and bounded by the
provinces of
Uppland,
Södermanland,
Närke, and
Västmanland. The two largest islands in Mälaren are
Selaön (91 km²) and
Svartsjölandet (79 km²).
The
viking age settlement
Birka on the island of
Björkö and
Hovgården (on the neighbouring island
Adelsö) has been a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, as has
Drottningholm Palace on the island of
Lovön.
Etymology
The
etymological origin of the name ''Mälaren'' stems from the
Old Norse word ''maelir'' appearing in historical records in the 1320s and meaning
gravel. The lake was previously known as ''Lögaren'' etymologically similar to the aged verb ''löga'', "to bathe", arguably related to ''lördag'', "Saturday".
[1][2]
Geology
At one time Lake Malar was a bay of the Baltic, and seagoing vessels using it were able to sail far into the interior of Sweden. Because deglacial uplift the rock barrier at the mouth of the bay had become so shallow by about 1200 that ships had to unload near the entrance, and progressively the bay became a lake.
By the end of the last ice age about 11,000 years ago, much of northern Europe and North America was covered by ice sheets up to 3 km thick. At the end of the ice age when the glaciers retreated, the removal of the weight from the depressed land led to a
post-glacial rebound. Initially the rebound was rapid, proceeding at about 7.5 cm/year. This phase lasted for about 2,000 years, and took place as the ice was being unloaded. Once deglaciation was complete, uplift slowed to about 2.5 cm/year, and decreased exponentially after that. Today, typical uplift rates are of the order of 1 cm/year or less, and studies suggest that rebound will continue for about another 10,000 years. The total uplift from the end of deglaciation can be up to 400 m.
Mythology
According to
Norse mythology, the lake was created by the goddess
Gefjun when she tricked
Gylfi, the Swedish king of
Gylfaginning. The land thusly removed by Gefjun was transported to
Denmark, becoming the island of
Zealand.
Geography
A selection, in alphabetical order:
Trivia
★ The
Zebra mussel is considered an
invasive species and is causing some problems in Lake Mälaren
★
Utter Inn, an underwater hotel designed by the artist
Mikael Genberg, is located in Lake Mälaren
See also
★
Mälaren Valley ''(Mälardalen)''
★
Lakes of Sweden
★
Geography of Stockholm
★
Almarestäket
References
1. Vad betyder namnet Mälaren? Martin Stugart
2. Varifrån kommer namnet Mälaren? Martin Stugart
External links
★
Mälarguiden - Guide to Mälaren (mostly in Swedish but a lot of maps and some English text)
★
Strömma Kanalbolaget - Boat tours and ferries in Mälaren
★
Castles around Mälaren
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