Arvidsjaurs Hembygdsgård

About the museum

Arvidsjaur's homestead museum (hembygdsgård) lies on the old church site about two kilometres from today's centre. At the beginning of the 17th century several church and market sites were established in the inland of Norrbotten and Västerbotten, and Arvidsjaur's first chapel was built around 1560. The first church on the site was consecrated in 1607. The Sámi were then to come to church twice a year, in winter and spring, and at the same time a market was held, attended by both birkarlar (Birkarl traders) and the king's bailiff. The old church site is today a large ancient-monument area where remains of the Sámi's temporary dwellings survive. The Lappstaden (the Sámi settlement) from the 17th century stood on the homestead grounds.

The vicarage from the 1830s had fallen into disrepair from rot, and a new vicarage was built in 1891. It is that building which still stands. When the present church was built in 1902 in the village of Arvidsjaur, the priest Berlin was given more land around Gamla Prästgården for his farming. The church and other activities had by then already moved to the new church site, with the merchants' Borgarstaden (merchant town), the villages' Bondstaden (farmers' town) and the Sámi's Lappstaden. The Lappstaden buildings were moved to their present location in the 1820s.

The building has been a museum since the 1970s. On the ground floor are the priest's and the priest's wife's rooms, the hall, the dining room and the kitchen, and on the upper floor there are exhibitions, including a women's room. The homestead society also runs a craft shop with products from more than a hundred local craftspeople, and a café. Two hiking trails start from the farm, and the association accepts pre-booked groups for guided walks in and around the vicarage.

Highlights

• The vicarage from 1891 with preserved priest's rooms, hall and kitchen
• Exhibitions on the upper floor, including a women's room
• Craft shop with products from over 100 local craftspeople
• Café with home-baked fika pastries, and in summer also waffles
• Prästtjärnsstigen (2.5 km) and Kulturstigen (300 m)

Permanent exhibition

• Gamla Prästgården – The vicarage from 1891 with preserved rooms on the ground floor and exhibitions on local history one flight up, including a women's room.

Operated by

Arvidsjaurs hembygdsförening

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission; voluntary donations are gratefully accepted (Swish and bankgiro). Pre-booked guided tours for groups can be ordered by e-mail.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The exhibitions and the café are one flight up; there is a stair lift for those who cannot climb stairs. The priest's room, the hall, the dining room and the kitchen are on the ground floor.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The association organises about ten public events a year, including for families, for example on Walpurgis Night (valborg) and at Midsummer.

Getting there & parking

The homestead museum is at Magnus Berlinvägen 24, by the old church site about two kilometres from Arvidsjaur centre. The trails Prästtjärnsstigen and Kulturstigen start from the farm.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

A cosy café upstairs with home-baked fika pastries, including sugar-free, gluten-free and lactose-free bread. Shop with crafts from more than 100 local craftspeople and books by local authors. A rucksack with fika can be borrowed for hiking.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

The association lends its premises during the daytime, for example for workplace meetings.

Plan your visit