Photo: Arild Vågen — CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
About this place ↓About Hillfort above the Viking Town of Birka
Birka, on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren west of Stockholm, was one of the first towns in Sweden and a busy Viking trading place from around 750 to 975. Merchants brought silver coins from the Arab world, silk and glass to its harbours, and furs and iron left from here. The missionary Ansgar came to preach in 829. Above the town rose a hillfort with a stone and earth wall, where people could shelter in times of danger. Birka and nearby Hovgården are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This aerial photo shows the rocky, grassy hill of the fort.
Puzzle tip: start with the pale rocks on the hilltop, then the green grass and trees around them and the fields below.
- Theme
- Landmark
Moving pieces: Drag a piece with your mouse or finger. With a mouse you can also click a piece once to pick it up — it follows the pointer until you click again to set it down.
Joining pieces: Drop a piece near its matching neighbour and it snaps into place with a click. Joined pieces move together as one group. There’s no fixed spot to build in — assemble anywhere on the table.
Play As: Pick how many pieces to cut the picture into, from 12 up to 300. Switch on Hard shape at the bottom of the menu for trickier pieces with three knobs on every side. Changing either setting starts the puzzle over.
Table: At the very bottom of Play As, choose what you build on: leather, light oak, green felt or charcoal. Your choice is remembered for every puzzle and doesn’t restart the one you’re on. Light oak table photo by simon on Unsplash.
Pause: Click the timer, or the pause button next to it. The table is covered while paused so nobody can sneak a look; click it (or the timer) to carry on.
Show picture: The picture button shows the finished image as a guide. Click it again to hide it.
Arrange pieces: Lines up all loose pieces in tidy rows at the sides of the table, handy for spotting edges or a missing piece. Click again to scatter them. Pieces you’ve already joined stay exactly where you left them.
Restart: Mixes up the pieces and starts again with the same settings.
Fullscreen: The last button on the bar gives the puzzle the whole screen. Press it again or Esc to leave.
Progress: In the middle of the bar, the counter shows how many pieces are joined, and the percentage shows how much of the picture is done.
Finishing: When the last piece clicks in, the timer stops at your finishing time, and you can play again or try another puzzle at the same size and shape.
Puzzle: Jigsaw Earth — free online jigsaw puzzles of places around the world.







