Hälsingegården Erik-Anders

About the museum

Erik-Anders in the village of Asta is named after the farmer and lay judge Erik Andersson (1788–1874), who had the main building constructed in the 1820s. Dendrochronology shows that the timber was felled in 1824–1825, and the farm appears on a village map from 1827. His son Jonas joined Erik Jansson's revivalist movement and emigrated to Illinois to help found Bishop Hill.

After a misfortune in the family the farm could no longer be run; it was auctioned off and became rental housing with three kitchens. The last tenant left the main building in 1957, and the farm then stood empty for a long time. The neighbouring Forssell family bought it in 1989, restored it in the 1990s and opened it to visitors in 1995.

The festive hall on the upper floor runs the full width of the house. The walls are marbled in light blue, and the painter family Knutes from Dalarna carried out the decoration around 1850. Erik-Anders is one of the seven Hälsingegårdar inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2012 and today is one of four visitor centres for the World Heritage site.

Highlights

• Festive hall with marbled decoration and a tiled stove from the mid-19th century
• Interiors from several periods, roughly 1850–1950
• Visitor centre with an exhibition on the World Heritage Hälsingegårdar (Hälsingegård farmsteads)
• The exhibition Tvåhundra år på en Hälsingegård (Two Hundred Years on a Hälsingegård) in the barn (lo)
• Garden café and Barnens Hälsingegård (Children's Hälsingegård)

Permanent exhibitions

• Tvåhundra år på en Hälsingegård – Seasonal exhibition in the farm's barn (lo), with objects, historical photographs and explanatory texts about the farm's history.
• Världsarvet Hälsingegårdar – Exhibition in the visitor centre on the World Heritage Hälsingegårdar, which were inscribed on UNESCO's list in 2012.

Admission & discounts

Self-guided visit SEK 75 per adult per day, with information in English.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Ramp to the barn. Thresholds and the spacing between tables in the café can be difficult with a rollator or wheelchair, but staff help. An accessible toilet is on the ground floor between the shop and the café.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Playground / play area

In the garden area there are Barnens Hälsingegård and a kitchen garden.

Getting there & parking

The farm lies in the village of Asta in Söderala parish.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Garden café with about 30 seats and seating in the garden (coffee from Hälsingekaffe, pastries, sandwiches and lunch). Shop with building-conservation products.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Conference and meeting facilities, and accommodation in a converted farm building.

Plan your visit