Kulturista - Cultural Experiences in West Sweden

K U LT U R U P P L E V E L S E R I V Ä S T S V E R I G E 14 Hjo is a small-town idyll whose well-preserved timbered centre has become an important part of Sweden’s timbered-town heritage. Some of the biggest names in Swedish design grew up in this creative place. Hjo is also a fantastic summer town, with a long bathing tradition, a leafy park and a number of tempting ice cream cafés. Hjo – Leisure rests here! WA L K A L O N G T H E H J O R I V E R VA L L E Y There are a number of oases to discover in Hjo, including the ver- dant valley of the Hjo river. In the Middle Ages the path along the river was an important route for monks travelling between Alva- stra, on the other side of Lake Vättern, and the monastery in Varn- hem. Later the flow of the river became an important source of energy for forges, stamp mills and other mills along the river. The Hjo river splits the town into two halves, with the oldest neighbourhoods on the south side of the river. Along Hamngatan you can visit the old customs house, a reminder of the era when traders had to pay a duty to cross the river with goods. Take the opportunity to wander up to the main square and the church. Along the way you can browse quaint little shops such as Njuta, which sells fancy chocolates and organic teas. I C E C R E A M T R E AT S B Y T H E M A R I N A From the Hjo river’s mouth into Lake Vättern it’s not far to the Pedagogien neighbourhood, with the local tourist office, several interesting exhibitions, and a creative workshop for young and old. The town’s creative vein was particularly strong in Estrid Ericson, the local girl who founded Svenskt Tenn – today one of Sweden’s premier design brands – back in the 1920s. Together Hic Iacet Otium! Leisure rests here! These words, written in the sand, were left by a monk who had just stepped ashore in what is now Hjo after a particularly stormy crossing of Lake Vättern. Or so the story goes. The initials of the Latin phrase are HIO, which then became HJO. An odd coincidence, you might think, but still no one can quite dispel the well-known legend. A T I M B E R E D T O W N O F L O N G T R A D I T I O N S A much more well-established fact is that Hjo was granted its town charter as long ago as the early 15th century. Today the past constitutes a considerable part of the town’s particular charm. Together with Eksjö in Småland and Nora in Bergslagen, Hjo makes up the Tre Trästäder (three timbered towns) network, and in 1990 the town was awarded the Europa Nostra medal of honour for its estimable preservation of the entire timbered centre. In Hjo you can stroll along cobbled streets and make your way down picturesque alleys edged by well-kept wooden houses from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The houses in turn are often flanked by leafy gardens, and on your stroll your eye will be drawn to transomed and mullioned windows, and verandas de- corated with the kind of wooden ornamentation Swedes call ‘carpenter’s joy’ – snickarglädje. T E X T J O H A N T Ö R N R O T H