Most visitors come to Eskilstuna for the vivid Viking Age rock carvings found just north of town and its family-centric city zoo, known for its collection of exotic and Nordic animals. There’s also a pretty riverside old town, opportunities for walking, biking, and swimming, and even a castle or two in the surrounding districts. If visiting from abroad, don’t be surprised if locals ask you, ‘Why Eskilstuna, of all places?’ As for them, their hometown might seem not unlike any other small Swedish city, with its well-ordered suburbs, that won’t strike you as particularly out of the ordinary. Although the question is valid, how you answer it might remind them of the significance of what lies on their very doorstep.