Sweden's first marine national park on the east coast will be inaugurated in September. It is Nämdöskär, Sweden's 31st national park, the first marine on the east coast.

The Nämndö archipelago stretches across 25,000 hectares, 97 percent of which is water. Here, just an hour's boat ride southeast of Stockholm, over 1,000 islands spread out, caving in and carving out one of the Baltic Sea's largest continuous archipelago landscapes.

Visitors are greeted by quiet bays, open sea and silence: perfect for kayaking, sailing or camping. Culture is present, from small villages and weathered fishing huts to Bullerö, where artist Bruno Liljefors once had his hunting lodge and which today offers both hostels and glamping. The inauguration takes place on 5 September, but guided tours with nature experiences and maritime excursions are already held for the public the week before. The aim is to protect and highlight the area's rich biodiversity – from seaweed forests and mussel banks to a rich birdlife and unique underwater environments.

Did you know that the Nämndö archipelago is part of the Stockholm archipelago, the world's largest archipelago in terms of number of islands, with around 24,000 islands and islets? There is a constant land rise of around 3–5 millimeters per year, which slowly creates new islands. The area also contains traces of old seal hunting grounds and shipwrecks from the 18th century. The place is a reminder of a life where the sea has always been both friend and foe.