Torekällberget

About the museum

The Östra Södermanlands kulturhistoriska förening (cultural-history association) was founded in 1918 to rescue and preserve objects as reminders of older ways of life, and the idea of an open-air museum soon emerged. The association’s members collected objects from the countryside around Södertälje, and in 1929 the city of Södertälje made Amerikaberget available for the purpose. The first buildings moved there were the mill from Nora on Mörkö and Råbystugan from Grödinge.

In 1947 the first house was moved from central Södertälje to Torekällberget, where a town quarter was planned. When large parts of the old town centre were demolished in the early 1960s, some of the houses were saved in the same way. At about the same time Torekällberget became a municipal museum, when the association donated all its objects and buildings to the municipality.

Today there are some forty buildings, and several of them are furnished to show life in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. In the countryside there are the Råbygården farm and the båtsmanstorp, with paddocks for Swedish heritage livestock breeds, and in the town quarters there are, among others, Pagelska gården, a worker’s dwelling, a school, a photo studio and various craft settings. The museum is part of the culture and leisure administration of Södertälje municipality.

Highlights

• Råbygården, a farm furnished as it was in 1864
• The båtsmanstorp furnished as it was in 1865
• Pagelska gården, a burgher’s home in the town quarter
• Heritage livestock in the paddocks: cows, horses, pigs and sheep
• The play exhibition Folk och Fä and play at Lilltorpet
• Lindblom’s café and Handelsboden

Permanent exhibitions

• Råbygården – bondgård 1864 – A farm from Råby in Grödinge, furnished as it may have looked when Per Jansson and Christina Catharina Holwastersdotter lived there in 1864.
• Folk och Fä på Råby gård – A play exhibition that tells the story of life at Råbygården in the mid-19th century in an easy and entertaining way.
• Pagelska gården, tryckeriet och arbetarbostaden – Furnished historical settings in the town quarters, with burghers’ homes, a printing works and a worker’s dwelling where the family lived in one room and a kitchen.

Operated by

Södertälje kommun

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission except at certain events, for example Midsummer and Christmas at Torekällberget. Visitors may make a voluntary contribution via Swish.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• 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 footpaths are wide and gravelled. Lindblom’s café, Bellevue, the craft shop, Handelsboden, the Kägelbanan (skittle alley), the Råby exhibition, Råbygården and Holmbergska matsalen are accessible for people with reduced mobility on the ground floors, and a lift is available in Handelshuset. Adapted toilets are available both in the town quarter and in the countryside; disabled parking spaces are closest to the main entrance. Dogs are welcome outdoors on a lead.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

Lilltorpet is a miniature croft with a hay-jumping pile and a petting enclosure, and Lillboden has play and craft rooms with a miniature shop, open at weekends and during school holidays. The play exhibition Folk och Fä tells the story of life at Råbygården. Pony rides at weekends. Pushchairs can easily be pushed outdoors but are not allowed inside the houses for fire-safety reasons.

Getting there & parking

Follow the map or GPS, as signposting is limited. From the E4, take the Södertälje norra exit (Morabergsavfarten); from the E20, the Vasa trafikplats exit.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Lindblom’s café in the town quarter has free wifi. Handelsboden, with a museum shop, a craft shop and a pottery, is also there. Payment by card or Swish, not cash. Packed lunches may be eaten on the grounds; alcohol and barbecuing are forbidden. Torekällbergets värdshus (inn) has been closed since a fire and is not run by the museum.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Settings on the grounds can be booked.

Plan your visit