Uncover A Unique Side of Swedish Culture at Ankarsrums Bruk

No matter where you are travelling, there is no better way to experience a place than to start by learning a bit about the history and culture that makes the place and the people who they are. While most people will turn to a guidebook or museum, in Sweden, one of the best places to learn about local history and culture is at a Hembygdsförening. These are local associations which actively work to preserve the traditions and heritage of the different regions in Sweden. No matter where you are travelling, there is likely an association nearby where you can visit, take a look at the museum, and possibly stop for a fika or waffle!

We recently took a trip to the East Coast of Sweden and spent two weeks just outside of Västervik. During our trip, we were lucky enough to be invited to spend the day at Ankarsrums Hembygdsföreningen. Ankarsrum is home to Ankarsrums Bruk, one of the oldest companies to still exist within Sweden. Although we had no prior knowledge of this beforehand, we came out with such an insight into not only the local area, but also the industrial background of Sweden as a whole.

In this guide, I will tell you exactly why you should add a visit to a Hembygdsförening to your trip to Sweden and give you all the tips I can about visiting Ankarsrums Hembygdsföreningen and Bruks Museum.

This post was written in paid collaboration with Sveriges’ Hembygdsförbund, however all thoughts and opinions in this post are genuine and in no way swayed by this. Additionally, please note that this post contains affiliate links meaning that if you make a purchase through the link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I make sure to only ever promote products and brands I have used and like, and that all links are to trusted websites.

Ankarsrums Bruk

Ankarsrum is located on the East Coast of Sweden, just halfway between Vimmerby and Västervik. The town is the home to such a rich industrial history, with Ankarsrums Bruk being one of Sweden’s oldest companies, started in the year 1655. Since, the company has produced all sorts of products and has had more than a few interesting titles to its name over the years.

In the 19^th century, Ankarsrum became Scandinavia’s first, and largest, producer of Enamel signs. Still today, many of the old signs you see around Sweden have “Ankarsrum” printed in the corner. If this is something that interests you, they have a book in the Aktiveum Museum with over 1,000 enamel signs and their origins. We have one of these old signs at home and looking in the book, we found it had roots back to Ankarsrum!

On top of this, Ankarsrum has produced many different types of ovens and heaters over the years and played a big role in the development of the first fridge as we know them today. I won’t share too much more though as you can find all this out in the museum!

Enamel Signs produced by Ankarsrums Bruk

Ankarsrums Hembygdsförening

Ankarksrums Hembygdsföreningen is the local association responsible for preserving the local cultural heritage of not only the Bruk, but for the whole of Ankarsrum. We met with one of the members of the organisation who gave us a tour of the area. We started in the Bruks Park before heading into the museum, where you could really see so many traces of history. If you visit alone, make sure to walk up to the de Maré family grave (the family that once owned Ankarsrums Bruk) and take a look at the statue of Harald Wiberg, Ankarsrum born Swedish writer and artist. You will probably recognise his work in the Swedish classics – Astrid Lindgren’s Tomten books.

Aktiveum

Aktiveum is the newer museum in Ankarsrum, dedicated the industrial history of the town and Bruk. Before heading in, take a look inside the Blåmaskinhuset, a beautiful wood and brick building filled with old wooden frames that match the windows in Ankarsrum Church (another beautiful spot to add to your itinerary).

I was amazed with the amount of history they have collected and recorded. The archive room in itself had tens of albums filled with photos and newspaper clippings from different points in time. Our guide told us all about the history and origins of almost every piece in the museum, with little anecdotes collected throughout time.

The museum is 3 stories, with the bottom floor mostly a collection of products and signs from the towns industrial part. The second level is filled with a mixture of archives, artefacts and a small gallery with works from Harald Wiberg and several other paintings of Ankarsrums Bruk. On the top floor, you will find more artefacts from the industrial era, with everything down to test samples for paint colours and company Christmas presents.

Harald Wiberg – A collection of his books and illustrations

Visiting Ankarsrums Hembygdsmuseum and Aktiveum

Unfortunately, both the Hembygdsmuseum and Aktiveum are not open every day so before visiting it is best to check their opening times in advance! You can find them on this website. The museum costs a very small amount for entry, money that goes to the organisation to aid in the preservation and sharing of the local cultural heritage. I recommend spending at least a few hours in Ankarsrum so that you can visit both museums and take a walk around the park.

Hembygdsföreningar in Sweden

As I said before, if you are looking to discover more of Sweden’s culture, traditions and history, there is no better place to look than a Hembygdsförening. Below you will find all the information and answers to questions you might have!

What is a Hembygdsförening?

A Hembygdsförening is a local association that strive to preserve the local and cultural heritage of their area. Each Hembygdsföreningen is a part of the larger Swedish Local Heritage Federation (Hembygdsförbund), a national federation consisting of 26 regional and 2,000 local associations. If you want to find out more about Sveriges Hembygdsförbund you can read about it on their website.

What do Hembygdsförenings do?

Hembygdsförenings, and Sveriges Hembygdsförbund, actively work to preserve, protect, share and develop local cultural heritage. This comes in the form of preserving historical artifacts, stories, buildings and culture which are then shared with the community in their museums and heritage centres.

Where can I visit a Hembygdsförening?

Ankarsrums Hembygdsförening is just one of over 2,000 associations all over Sweden. So many of these are open to the public and would be more than happy to have you visit. Here, you will find the page where you can search through all the different associations, and this is the place to look if you want to join an activity or event.

If you are travelling around Västervik and want to visit more hembygdsföreningar in the area, you can find them all on this page! To find out more about Hembygdsföreningar in general, you can find all the information you need here!