Virserums möbelindustrimuseum

About the museum

Virserum was a centre of the furniture industry from the late 19th century and for a large part of the 20th century, with some forty manufacturers in the 1940s. Handcraft production of oak furniture in small series was the district's strength but also became its downfall, and the last factory closed in the winter of 2008.

The association Träarbetarnas Museum i Virserum (Virserum Woodworkers' Museum) was formed on 21 April 1983 to document the memories of the dying furniture industry. In 1989 the museum opened in premises that had previously housed a sawmill belonging to Oskar Edvard Ekelunds Snickeri AB by the Virserumsån (Virserum River). The museum is still run voluntarily by the association, which has about 300 members.

The heart of the museum is the belt-driven joinery workshop, which receives its power from a waterwheel in the Virserumsån. The machines come from closed factories in the area, and the oldest is from 1895. On the upper floor a selection of furniture made in Virserum is shown, from the first hand-made birch furniture to sofas and shelving systems from the 1950s and 1960s, and a newsreel film from the Virserum exhibition of 1947 is screened. The museum also has a smithy and a sawmill section.

Highlights

• Belt-driven machines powered by a waterwheel
• Original furniture factory from the 1920s
• Exhibition of furniture made in Virserum
• Newsreel film from the Virserum exhibition of 1947
• Smithy and sawmill

Permanent exhibitions

• Remdriven snickeriverkstad – Furniture factory from the 1920s, where the machines are driven by belts and shafting from a waterwheel.
• Möbler tillverkade i Virserum – Selection of furniture on the upper floor, from the first birch furniture to the sofas and shelving systems of the 1950s and 1960s.
• Smedjan och sågen – Small mechanical workshop with a forge (ässja) and a sawmill section in the museum's premises.

Founded

1989

Operated by

Virserums Möbelindustrimuseum (ideell förening)

Admission & discounts

Payment in cash or by Swish.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Drive to Virserum and follow the signs towards Virserums Konsthall, and you will find the museum.

Amenities & dining

The museum makes and sells a children's armchair; craft timber (slöjdvirke) of birch, spruce and pine is for sale.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit