Photo: Sinikka Halme · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Karls i Bondarv

Four-building Hälsinge farm (hälsingegård) south of Järvsö with a master's cottage from the 18th century and wall paintings, owned by the local heritage movement and open for visits in summer.

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About the museum

Karls i Bondarv, also called Karlsgården, is a four-building former peasant farm in the village of Bondarv south of Järvsö in Hälsingland. The farm is named after Karl Karlsson from Hamre, who married the farm's heiress Märit Hansdotter despite opposition from her family. From the 16th century until the early 20th century the farm passed down within the same family, and the last tenant was Jonas Mårtensson, who died in 1922.

The farm was bought in 1928 by Gästrike-Hälsinge hembygdsförbund (Gästrike-Hälsinge Local Heritage Federation) and is today owned by the local heritage associations of the province. It has been open to visitors since 1930. The buildings are arranged in a square around the farmyard. The master's cottage (herrstugan) in the north was previously thought to be from the 17th century, but dendrochronological dating shows that the timber was felled in 1751–1752. After the move to the new everyday house, the master's cottage received a brokvist (a Järvsö-style porch) and new wall paintings in 1806. In one of the rooms a traditionally decorated cupboard bed was installed in 1833 in connection with a wedding.

The everyday building in the east was erected around 1800 with a best room and a sleeping loft for maids and farmhands. In the west lies the stable with a food storehouse, tool shed and hay barn from the late 18th century, and in the south a building with animal stalls, a bakehouse and rooms for crafts. Outside the farmyard there are a barn, a härbre (storehouse) and a sauna. Järvsö local heritage association arranges visits, a costume gathering and exhibitions in the summer.