Unnaryds Bonadsmuseum

About the museum

The Bonadsmuseum in Unnaryd is run by Unnaryd–Jälluntofta Local Heritage Society. In the 1970s the society received a donation of paintings from the farm Sjö outside Unnaryd. To preserve and show the bonads (painted wall hangings), it was decided to build a museum in the local heritage park, and the building was inaugurated in 1986 by Professor Nils-Arvid Bringéus from Lund.

Bonad painting in south-western Sweden flourished roughly between 1750 and 1850. The painters were farmers and craftsmen without formal training, who painted colourful, naive motifs in egg tempera on home-woven cloths. The pictures depict biblical scenes, festivals, everyday life, fashion and household goods, and were hung up in homes before Christmas and other festivals.

Today the museum describes itself as a national hub for bonad painting and a meeting place for narrative art. The collection comprises over 90 original bonads from the period 1750–2024. Each year a thematic summer exhibition is also shown in the local heritage park's undantagsstuga (the small cottage), and the whole collection is available in a digital archive.

Highlights

• Over 90 original bonads painted between 1750 and 2024
• The world's largest collection of South Swedish bonad paintings
• Guided tour every open Sunday at 11:00, free of charge
• Thematic summer exhibition in the undantagsstugan
• Digital archive with the bonads' provenance and stories
• Summer café and shop in the local heritage park

Permanent exhibition

• Bonadssamlingen – Permanent exhibition with bonads from the museum's collection of South Swedish bonad painting, from 1750 to the present day.

Founded

1986

Operated by

Unnaryd–Jälluntofta hembygdsförening

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission. Guided tours on Sundays at 11:00 cost nothing and require no advance registration.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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 museum, the shop, the toilet and the barn are wheelchair-accessible and reached without stairs. The museum's older buildings are not wheelchair-accessible. Contact the museum in advance with questions about accessibility.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

School programmes and mini crafts are offered according to the museum's activity list.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The local heritage park's summer café with coffee, ice cream and home-baked goods, and a shop with printed bonad motifs, games and painter's putty (målarkitt); open on the days the museum is open.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit