Kalmar is a minor city in southeastern Sweden. Kalmar County in the eastern part of Småland - part of it known as the Glass District or Kingdom of Crystal - has been the center of Swedish glass making for centuries. Glassworks such as Orrefors and Kosta Boda are world famous. Thousands of tourists go there to buy handmade crystal or take a turn at glassblowing. Småland is also the home province of children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), creator of the famous characters Pippi Longstocking and Emil of Lönneberga. From the castle town of Kalmar, travellers can take the six-kilometer-long bridge to the Baltic island of Öland, which offers sun, bathing and excursions into the past, to view rune stones from Viking times and archeological excavations at the reconstructed Iron Age village of Eketorp. Öland is also the site of the royal family's summer residence.