Varberg Webcam – Brunnsparken, the Church and Stora Torget

The Varberg Webcam looks east across Brunnsparken, the paved park and square in the center of Varberg on Sweden’s west coast, to the white tower of Varberg Church at the far end. Mature trees and raised planting beds edged in rust-red steel break up the granite paving, and broad stone steps run across the middle of the square. Pale stone facades under red roofs line the street on the left, with a corner sandwich shop and a few parked cars, while a red-brick building and a glass-walled pavilion close the right side. The trees set the season: a full green canopy in summer, yellow and thinning by mid-October, bare in winter. A second camera, on the player’s Stora Torget tab, looks down on the main square just east of the church.

About Varberg and Brunnsparken

Varberg is a coastal town of 35,782 people (2019) in Halland County, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Gothenburg and 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Halmstad in a straight line. Its story starts at the fortress, built between 1287 and 1300 by Count Jacob Nielsen while this coast was Danish; Halland passed to Sweden for good with the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The town moved more than once before settling on its present site after a fire in 1666, and much of the center was rebuilt in stone and brick after another fire in 1863.

Brunnsparken takes its name from Varberg’s years as a spa town. In 1811 the Svartekallan spring at Apelviken, south of town, was first advertised as a mineral spring, and a well house went up over it in 1817. From 1837 the water was carried into Varberg instead and served in a well salon in Brunnsparken, opposite the church, where a fenced park hosted parties and concerts for the spa guests. The square on camera is much newer. The municipality held a design dialogue with residents from autumn 2016, landscape architects 02landskap drew up the plan, and the rebuilt square opened in 2018. It links Stora Torget to the east with an English-style park to the west.

Varberg Church, the building at the end of the view, replaced one lost in the town fire of 18 May 1767. It was built between 1769 and 1772 to designs by Friedrich August Rex in the restrained Gustavian style, with the tower and its open lantern at the west end, the side that faces the camera. Stora Torget, on the second tab, has been the town’s meeting point since the 1600s, when farmers sold produce straight from their carts, and the church, town hall, Stadshotell and bank all gathered around it.

Weather and Climate in Varberg

The Kattegat keeps Varberg’s climate maritime. Averages for 2002 to 2020 put January highs at 2.2 C (36 F) and lows at -2.1 C (28 F). April warms to highs of 12 C (54 F), and July averages 22 C (72 F) by day and 13.8 C (57 F) at night. October still reaches about 12 C (53 F) in the afternoon, with nights near 5.6 C (42 F). The extremes on record are 33.6 C (92 F) on 31 July 2018 and -25.5 C (-14 F) in January 1942.

Latitude shapes the picture as much as temperature. At 57 degrees north, Varberg gets close to 18 hours of daylight around midsummer, when the sun sets after 10 pm, and under 7 hours in late December, when it sets around 3:30 pm. Summer brings the busiest scenes, with people sitting on the stone steps and benches under the full canopy. In autumn the trees turn yellow and thin out, and by winter the bare branches open up the view of the church and the facades behind them.

Things to Do Near Varberg

Varberg Fortress stands about 600 meters (0.4 miles) west of Brunnsparken, behind the camera, on the shore. It served as a military post until 1830 and as a prison from the late 17th century until 1931, and today it houses the county museum. The best-known exhibit is the Bocksten Man, whose outfit is the only complete set of clothing from the 1300s known to have been worn by one person.

On the seafront, Kallbadhuset, the cold bath house, stands on wooden stilts in the water. The Moorish-style building dates from 1903, after storms in 1884 and 1902 wrecked earlier ones, and it is open all year for a sea dip followed by the sauna. Apelviken, the bay south of town, is where the Svartekallan spring started the spa era. Back in the center, Varberg Church is worth a look inside: its carved oak font dates from 1619, older than the building itself, and the interior was redesigned between 1998 and 2000.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More Swedish town and coast cams that pair well with this one:

• Apelviken Beach Webcam
• Kristianstad Webcam
• Liseberg Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Varberg located?

Varberg is on the Kattegat coast of Halland County in southwest Sweden, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Gothenburg and 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Halmstad. Brunnsparken is in the middle of the town center, beside Varberg Church and Stora Torget.

What can you see on the Varberg Webcam?

The main camera looks east across Brunnsparken to the west front and tower of Varberg Church, with trees, planting beds, stone steps and the surrounding shopfronts in view. The Stora Torget tab shows the main square from high above, with its small fountain, rows of clipped conical trees and parked cars along one side.

Is there a live webcam of Varbergs torg?

Yes. The Stora Torget tab on this page plays MED’s Varbergs torg camera, which looks down on the main square from a high viewpoint.

Does the Varberg Webcam show Apelviken beach?

No. Both cameras are in the town center and neither shows the sea. MED streams Apelviken and Kasa Strand from separate cameras on the coast.

Can you see Varberg Fortress from the webcam?

No. The fortress stands about 600 meters (0.4 miles) west of Brunnsparken, behind the main camera, and neither view includes it. On foot it is under ten minutes from the square.

What is the weather like in Varberg?

Average highs run from 2.2 C (36 F) in January to 22 C (72 F) in July, and winter nights average just below freezing at -2.1 C (28 F). Spring and autumn are cool, with highs around 12 C (53 to 54 F) in April and October.

Does the Varberg Webcam work at night?

Yes. The Brunnsparken camera streams around the clock and has run as one continuous broadcast since July 2020. After dark the square is lit by its street lamps, and in late December the sun sets around 3:30 pm, so evening views start early in winter.

Why is it called Brunnsparken?

Brunn is Swedish for a well or spring. From 1837, mineral water from the Svartekallan spring at Apelviken was served in a well salon in the park, opposite the church, during Varberg’s years as a spa town.

Source: MED – Mediateknik