Located on the eastern shores of Lake Vättern to the north of Jönköping, the town of Gränna is famed for its red and white peppermint rock, known as “polkagris”, originally made by Mrs Amalia Eriksson in the mid-19th century. Grenna Polkagriskokeri, just opposite the main tourist office, strives to maintain their candy making tradition and is deservedly one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions.
The recipe used at Grenna Polkagriskokeri is considered one of the town’s most authentic, only using sugar, water, vinegar and natural peppermint oil, just as Amalia Eriksson did. They bake on site every day, allowing visitors to peer into the kitchen through a glass window, and sell a variety of different candies and sugar canes in their store. The picturesque town is nestled into the base of the Gränna mountain, which offers magnificent views of the lake and the Östra Vätterbranterna biosphere reserve. Its steep streets, lined with historic red-roofed houses, lead down towards the Gränna church and a statue of Amalia Eriksson that stands proudly in a park at the foot of the mountain. There’s also a museum honouring the Gränna-born balloonist Salomon August Andrée and the expedition he embarked on to reach the North Pole.
Gränna is located around 40km to the north of Jönköping and accessed by public bus. It’s also a connecting point for the ferry service to Visingsö Island which lies to the west in the middle of Lake Vättern.
Set around a lively harbour, the town of Gränna was founded in 1652 by Count Per Brahe, with the main street of Brahegatan running through its centre. While its population is less than 3,000, the town attracts around 500,000 tourists a year to sample its famed polkagris.