Himmelsberga is a small settlement within the former Långlöt Parish on the island of Öland, the second largest island in Sweden. This is a traditional small village for this part of the country and about half of the village has been turned into a regional open-air museum. The settlement is known as a “radby“, a linear settlement where the buildings are lined up along something. In this case, they are lined up along a road.
Himmelsberga was the home of several of my ancestors. This is where Olof Andersson (1771-1815), Cajsa Olsdotter (1800-1887), Brita Stina Eriksdotter (1828-1913), and Olof Johan Erlandsson (1854-1933) lived for large parts of their lives.
A Short History of Himmelsberga
Himmelsberga consisted of four farmsteads in the second half of the 17th century. Three of these farmsteads belonged to the crown. The last one was the house of the clergy.
The first part of the village to become a museum was the northern farm that in 1959 became Öland’s Museum. The intention was to save one of the linear settlements that had been so common but had started to disappear with the ongoing modernization. Several more buildings have since been added to the museum and the village of Himmelsberga has become the local heritage museum for Öland.
Things to Do and See
The old buildings and surrounding farmland do create a special atmosphere. It is almost possible to compare it with one of Astrid Lindgren’s many stories. The red buildings could really have been the homes of The Six Bullerby Children. In addition, there is just something special with a windmill next to a large field.
Ölands Museum
The Öland museum and Himmelsberga are in many ways today one and the same. The open-air museum includes the historical environment of the small village and has preserved parts of the linear settlement. In addition to 18th and 19th-century buildings, there is also a café and an art gallery belonging to the museum.
How to Get to Himmelsberga
- Flights: The closest airport is Kalmar Öland Airport (KLR) 37 kilometers away.
- Car: Himmelsberga is along countryside roads in the center of the island.
- Bus: Buses from Kalmar Länstrafik connect Himmelsberga with the surrounding region.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 442 kilometers (4 h 56 min)
- Gothenburg – 369 kilometers (4 h 30 min)
- Malmö – 312 kilometers (3 h 28 min)
- Linköping – 256 kilometers (3 h 24 min)
- Kiruna – 1673 kilometers (18 h 58 min)
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