I admit that I am not one of the hard fans of Game of Thrones. I tried to get acquainted with the matter out of purely marketing curiosity. So, driving leisurely around Sweden, imagine my surprise when I found out that Västerås was a real city, with a population of about 130,000, the center of a municipality and even a whole province. The second surprise came from the completely free tourist sites maintained by that same municipality in an excellent condition. I specify: The free visit to anything is a very rare thing indeed in this beautiful northern country.
The Vallby Open Air Museum was not only free, but also equipped with smiling young people – students hired by the municipality for the summer. Dressed in the relevant historical costumes, they communicated freely and cheerfully with the visitors, in both Swedish and English. The museum itself presents various historical aspects of the lives of the local people through old houses, farm buildings, workshops and so on, gathered in one place. Let’s start with the village store. It will not surprise you that the store occupied the facade room at the shopkeeper’s house.
As expected, there was everything inside – from jelly candy and matches to rubber shoes, sewing tools and milk pots. The candy was real and for sale. Nearby were located farmsteads from different periods, with the whole farmer’s house, the barns, hay and foodstuff storerooms, shelters for carts and sledges, a hen-house, etc. Many of the tools and instruments I recognized, probably by virtue of some general European heritage, others I did not. I was particularly impressed by the widespread foldable beds, which are a clever solution if you all live in one room.
The Västerås area, like many others in Sweden, is closely linked to mining. It was only natural for Vallby to have a miner’s house. It turned out that the miners used to form communities whose property was the melting furnace, as well as parts of the mine itself. Probably the strong community spirit influenced the special interior of the house, with an emphasis on the space for socialization and communication. As well as the pursuit of some aesthetics, expressed in the painted walls and ceilings. It may not look like much to you, but let’s not forget that we are talking about a 17th -century miner’s house.
Further on, I came across a village school. With a small attached apartment for the teacher, which was provided for free. Currently, a lesson was underway (I didn’t understand what about, it was in Swedish) as part of the summer school for children in the museum. They explained to me that public education was introduced in Sweden in 1842 with basic subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetics and Christianity. The school was for poor children, the rich were taught at home. There was always a garden in which the students and the teacher grew flowers and vegetables.
On the village square, the hosts from Västerås had placed the bourgeoisie. Large buildings of urban architecture type, which now house the cafe and restaurant for visitors. Here was also the printing house. A two-storey building made of wood, like all others, but painted in light green instead of the traditional dark red – the so-called “Falu red”; we’ll talk more about it another time. On the first floor were the presses, forms and other printing tools. On the second – the house of the printer’s family with the wooden dressers, lace covers, soft sofas and one sleeping cat.
More recent times in the Västerås region also had their own representatives. Some of us, Bulgarians, will remember the socialist organization of the vineyards, where families were given plots for processing; people even placed small houses inside. Now this is a new fashion in Europe, it’s called urban gardening. In Sweden, it was introduced at the end of the 19th century, with the noble goal to provide opportunities for the urban work class to produce their own food and breathe cleaner air from time to time. The allotment gardens were also equipped with small houses.
In the mid -20th century, the fashion of the holiday cottages emerged. The first ones in the Västerås region were built by a local company that purchased land on the shores of a nearby lake, with the idea of providing departmental vacations for workers. I have always suspected that the northern countries in Europe have discovered socialism from its other end. By looking at the bungalows from the outside, you will never assume that there are 4 sleeping places (two bunk beds), a table with 4 chairs and even a small wardrobe inside.
I’d like to finish today’s tour with the crown jewel of the Vallby Museum – the manor house. I already mentioned the importance of the mine industry throughout Sweden; so this house belonged to a mine owner at the very end of the 17th century. It is also made all of wood, but the interior is completely different. Starting with exquisite furniture, hand-painted wallpapers with international motifs and richly decorated ceilings, down to details such as hat-suitcases and herbarium presses. Plus a special gazebo for celebrating name days.
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