World Heritage Photos

Hälsingland is a rural region on the Baltic Sea coast in the east of Sweden. Hälsingland is renowned for its decorated wooden farmhouses. The farmhouses represent the Scandinavian timber building tradition. The farmhouses of Hälsingland were built in the 19th century and reflect the prosperity and wealth of the independent farmers. A decorated porch has become a distinguishing characteristic for the decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland. Many farmhouses had a large, ornate room for gatherings and special occasions. The interior is lavishly adorned with paintings and printed wallpapers, the decorations are a blend of folk art, Baroque and Rococo styles. Nowhere else in the world do we find such a concentration of farmhouses with large wooden buildings and colourful decorated interiors. Red paint using pigments from the Great Copper Mine in Falun was also used in Hälsingland. Today, there are about thousand historic wooden farmhouses preserved in Hälsingland. Only seven decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland became a UNESCO World Heritage. The decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland on the UNESCO World Heritage List are: Kristofers farm in Järvsö, Gästgivars farm in Vallsta, Pallars farm in Långhed, Jon-Lars farm in Långhed, Bortom Åa farm in Fågelsjö (also known as Fågelsjö Gammelgård), Bommars farm in Letsbo, Erik-Anders farm in Askesta close to Söderala. Seven Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2012.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: The ornate room was excessively decorated to impress visitors. The interiors of the farmhouses of Hälsingland are decorated with printed wallpapers and wall paintings. The colourful wall paintings and wallpapers existed side-by-side in the 1850s, they could be found in the same farmhouse, but in different rooms. The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland were declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 2012.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: A fine decorated porch of a wooden farmhouse. The independent farmers of Hälsingland liked to impress their guests. Seven decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. These seven, among approximately one thousand remaining farmhouses, represent the historical building tradition that can be found throughout the whole of Hälsingland.

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   The decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland are situated in Central Sweden. The farmhouses of Hälsingland were built in the 19th century, they were constructed on drained and stony hills. A wooden farmhouse usually consist of three detached wooden buildings, placed in a U-shape, surrounded by small wooden buildings for the storage of goods. Nowhere else in the world do we find such a concentration of large wooden farmhouses with decorated interiors.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: The farmhouses are surrounded by wooden sheds for the storage of goods. The farmhouses of Hälsingland represent the regional timber building tradition. They reflect the prosperity and the wealth of independent farmers. Hälsingland is situated in central Sweden, about 250 km north of Stockholm. The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2012.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: The interior of the farmhouses of Hälsingland were decorated with colourful paintings, a fusion of folk art, Baroque and Rococo. The Hälsingland farmers used decorative paintwork in their home interiors as well as on their wood furniture. Sometimes wall paintings were made to resemble silk wall hangings. Some patterns were made by stencilling. On the outside, the farmhouses are plain wooden buildings, painted in Falun red.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: Most of the wooden farmhouses had a large, ornate room for special occasions and gatherings, this room was usually larger and more elaborately decorated than other room in the farmhouse. The farmhouses of Hälsingland were built in the 19th century. The decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland reflect the prosperity and wealth of independent farmers, who had amassed a considerable fortune with forestry and growing flax.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: The main buildings of the farmhouses of Hälsingland are surrounded by several large or small wooden buildings for storage of goods. The external walls of the farmhouses were painted with Falu Rödfärg, the traditional Swedish dark red paint using pigments from the Falun Copper Mine. The wooden farms of Hälsingland were built on a stone foundation to prevent wood rot.

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   Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: In the 19th century, the majority of the independent farmers of Hälsingland used their wealth to build imposing wooden farmhouses. A decorated porch has become a distinguishing characteristic for the decorated farmhouses. Of a total of approximately one thousand remaining farmhouses of Hälsingland, about fifty can be visited. Only seven of the decorated farmhouses were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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   In 2012, seven Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Kristofers farm in Järvsö, Gästgivars farm in Vallsta, Pallars farm in Långhed, Jon-Lars farm in Långhed, Bortom Åa farm in Fågelsjö, also called Fågelsjö Gammelgård, Bommars farm in Letsbo and Erik-Anders farm in Askesta village close to Söderala, the Bortom Åa farm in Fågelsjö is situated just across the border in the province of Dalarna.

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    Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland: The Ol-Anders Farmhouse is a Visitor Centre for the UNESCO World Heritage Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland. This visitor centre is situated near the village of Alfta in Hälsingland. Most of the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland are privately owned and only open to visitors during the summer months or on special occasions. The Ol-Anders Farmhouse is not included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.