Ryttarens torvströfabrik

About the museum

Torfströaktiebolaget Ryttaren (Ryttaren Peat Litter Company) was founded in 1906 by the agronomist Nils Hartelius to extract litter peat from Ryttarens mosse (bog). Peat litter was mainly used as bedding in cowsheds, and it became an important soil improver and a packing material for, among other things, fruit. The factory was one of the larger ones in Sweden, with three presses and up to 200 people employed at peak season, and in the 1930s peat was also sold to the USA.

After the Second World War demand fell when new methods of manure handling were introduced. Hasselfors Bruk bought the factory in 1964 and began to make peat products for gardening. The last sack was pressed on 18 December 1997, and the factory was officially closed in 1998. The following year the Föreningen Ryttarens torvströfabrik (Ryttaren Peat Litter Factory Association) was formed, and today it owns the whole facility.

The factory has kept its character from the turn of the century, with belt drives and two of the original presses still in place. On the site there are also a sawmill, an engine house, a wood-wool factory, workers’ housing, a dining hall and a small rural shop. The narrow-gauge peat railway is three kilometres long, of which two are operated, and the association owns twelve locomotives, of which seven are operational. The facility was named Årets Industriminne (Industrial Heritage of the Year) in 2004 and declared a protected historic building in 2012.

Highlights

• Peat litter factory from 1906 with original machines and belt drives
• Ride on the peat train on a narrow-gauge line out onto the bog
• Twelve locomotives, seven of them operational, and about fifteen carriages
• Protected historic building since 2012 and Industrial Heritage of the Year 2004
• Workers’ housing, sawmill and rural shop showing a small works at the turn of the century

Permanent exhibition

• Torvströfabriken och torvbanan – Visitors can see the factory with its presses and belt drives, the workers’ housing and the locomotives, and ride the peat train out to the old peat extraction sites on the bog.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Föreningen Ryttarens torvströfabrik

Admission & discounts

Members have free admission. Payment is by cash or Swish. The annual membership fee for 2026 is SEK 150 for an individual member and SEK 300 for a whole family.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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

Three wheelchairs fit on the train out onto the bog; please let us know in advance. The factory building cannot be reached by wheelchair because of stairs and cramped spaces, but there are fixed handrails on the stairs. The rest of the factory area is accessible. The toilets are two dry toilets (torrdass).

Kids & families

Children under 15 have free admission.

Getting there & parking

The factory lies 27 km south of Falköping, 43 km north-west of Jönköping and 43 km north-east of Ulricehamn, along the gravel road between Kättilstorp and Sandhem. White signs in the villages show the way.

Amenities & dining

The toilets consist of two dry toilets (torrdass).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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