Forsa forngård – a short guide

A visit to ’Forsa forngård’ will give you an insight into the flourishing peasant culture once so typical of the Hälsingland province. Unlike the case of southern and middle Sweden, hardly any nobless or manors were to be found here. Instead, the peasents were freeholders and represented the strong and wealthy part of society, which was reflected in buildings, furniture and clothes. The prosperity was partly due to the profitable cultivation of flax, where all the different stages in the processing were performed at the farms.

’Forsa forngård’ was acquired in 1929 and had by then belonged to the same family since the 17th century. Most of the buildings had been built in their present place during the 18th century. The farm was originally of the typical ’four-built-type’, (the four main buildings forming a square, surrounding an open yard). At the acquisition one of the buildings (number 18 on the map) had been moved to a nearby farm, and was replaced by a similar house in 1930. That one and the other buildings belonging to the farm were donated, like most of the furniture in the old buildings.

In 1989 the adjoining farm was left to the local folklore society. The farms represent two epochs in the agricultural history of the province. They are structured in the same way but the ’newer’ one reflects farming methods of a more recent nature.

1. Bryggstuga: where the family lived most of the year.
2. Barstuga: a room for celebrations
3. Sängstuga: earlier the room for the ’old people’ when they left the farm to a son
4. Loge med stall: used for farming equipment and horses
5. Kälkebobyggningen:
6. Dansbana: open air dance floor
7. Teaterlada: a barn adapted for theatre
8. Tiondehäbre: storage-house
9. Spruthus: equipment for fighting a fire before there was a local fire brigade
10. Härbre
11. Smedja: smithy
12. Bagarstuga: for baking bread
13. Toaletter: toilets
14. Vagnslider: ’garage’ for different kinds of wagons or carts
15. Kiosk: at times sweet-stall
16. Bostadshus: livinghouse for the museum caretaker
17. Barstuga (see 2)
18. Sängstuga (see 3)
19. Härbre: (see 8)
20. Uthus: outbuilding
21. Jordkällare: earth cellar
22. Härbre: (see 19)
23. Förrådsbyggnad: storehouse
24. Smedja: smithy
25. Vagnslider: (see 14)
26. Notbod: for fishing nets and other kinds of fishing equipment
27. Brygga: bridge

Forsa hembygdsförening - local folklore society of Forsa

A society was formed in 1958 ’to work for the preservation of relics of [ancient] culture, traditions, recordings and descriptions and to awaken an interest for one's native district, its nature and history and the preservation of ancient remains’.

Since 1971, the society owns and manages the farmyard museum of Fränö.

During the year, especially summer time, the society arranges different events, as the traditional Midsummer celebration, folk musicians' rally, ecumenical service, open-air café for a Sunday visit, etc. You can also rent the farmyard for your private festivities.