Ransäters Hembygdsgård

About the museum

Ransäter's homestead museum lies by the Klarälven river in Munkfors municipality, about five mil north of Karlstad. The local heritage society was founded in 1921, and a few years later the estate owner Fredrik Juhlin at Åmberg farm donated Öster Hea, with a main building from the 1680s, a härbre (log storehouse) and a stone barn. These three buildings were originally the whole homestead museum.

Over the years the site has grown into one of the country's largest homestead museums. Old houses have been moved here from the district, and new buildings have been erected in the old style, so that today there are up to 60 buildings. Expansion gained momentum when Sven Hellqvist became chairman of the society in 1952. In the 1970s an inn (värdshus) and a cottage village were added, which later grew to 22 log cabins.

Visitors can walk around the farm's ten museums, for example the Main Building, Agriculture, the Coffee Museum, the Geijer Room, Forest and Fishing, the Shoemaker, the Soldier's Croft, Home and Iron. Old crafts are also kept alive on the farm in the bake house (bakstugan), the wool house (ullstugan) and the smithy. The folk comedy Värmlänningarna (The Värmlanders) has been performed every year around midsummer since 1954 on the open-air stage, which seats 1,100 spectators.

Highlights

• Ten museums with a shared admission
• Mangårdsbyggnaden (main building) from 1684
• Coffee Museum with coffee cups and pots donated by people of the district
• Geijer Room with photographs by Bengt af Geijerstam
• Open-air stage where Värmlänningarna is performed every midsummer
• Lookout tower and hiking trails

Permanent exhibitions

• Mangårdsbyggnaden – The farm was built in 1684 and furnished as a homestead museum; it includes box beds (skåpsängar) and a kitchen with two stoves.
• Kaffemuseet – Exhibition with many coffee cups and coffee pots donated by the people of the district.
• Geijerrummet – Permanent exhibition about Erik Gustaf Geijer and Geijersgården, with photographs by Bengt af Geijerstam, on the upper floor of the Wärdhuset.

Operated by

Ransäters hembygdsförening

Admission & discounts

The price applies to all ten museums. Members of the local heritage society have free admission to the museums.

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

The ground is level and the area inside the entrance gate is adapted for wheelchairs. The path from the entrance to the Wärdshuset is paved, and the Wärdshuset has an adapted entrance. The open-air theatre Gropa has adapted places. The farm has a newly built toilet that meets international standards; other adapted toilets have grab rails and alarms but less space.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The homestead museum lies about 50 km north of Karlstad and is signposted from road 62 (Klarälvsvägen). The nearest grocery shop is in Munkfors, about 8 km away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

The Wärdshuset, Handelsboden, Ladugårdscafé, Loftet and Hamburgeri & Korvkiosk are open during events.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Weddings and parties; accommodation is available in the farm's cottage village.

Plan your visit