Kulturista - Cultural Experiences in West Sweden

C U LT U R E E X P E R I E N C E S I N W E S T S W E D E N 8 GLASETS HUS, LIMMARED Just over 30 kilometres southwest of Borås lies the village of Limmared. The glassworks located here have manufactured utility glass from 1740 up to the present day. In fact, one hundred million Absolut Vodka bottles are manufactured here every year. Glasets Hus houses an extensive historical glass collec- tion as well as an inviting restaurant, gift shop and glassworks. Limmared also has 14 boutiques selling antique, second-hand and retro goods. EKELUNDS MUSEUM, HORRED West Sweden’s Horred village is home to the world’s largest box mangle and, in all likelihood, also to the world’s oldest family-owned textile company, Ekelunds Linneväveri, founded in 1540. The company is currently run by no less than the 17th generation of Ekelunds. The estate’s linen mill, guided factory tours, museum, restaurant and large-scale factory outlet are all housed under the same roof. The famous Ekelund mangle weighs 8 tonnes and is kept in the local museum known as Horreds Hembygdsmuseum, alongside the village church. RYDALS MUSEUM Rydal is a well-preserved industrial village built around one of Sweden’s first-ever spinning mills, Rydals Manufaktur AB. Västergötland Province’s celebrated textile pioneer and entrepreneur, Sven Erikson, established the factory in around 1850 to supply cotton yarn to the mechanised textile mill in Rydboholm, which he had founded a few years earlier. Today, the factory building houses Rydals Museum, with its exhibitions, textile machinery and handicraft boutique. TEXTILE MUSEUM OF SWEDEN, BORÅS The Textile Museum of Sweden in Borås combines the history of textiles with haute couture and is the only museum in Sweden to focus on textiles and fashion. The museum is home to the award- winning permanent exhibition Textile Power and also includes an interactive space called DIY, where visitors can learn more about sustainable fashion by experimenting with their own textile creations. The museum is located inside the Textile Fashion Center, which also offers a restaurant and café. SVENSKT TENN, HJO The town of Hjo continues to cherish the memory of its favourite daughter, Estrid Ericson, the drawing teacher and entrepreneur who founded the famous Svenskt Tenn company. Its Peda- gogien Cultural Centre houses a permanent exhibition showcasing Estrid Ericson’s life and achievements through artefacts, photographs and material from Svenskt Tenn’s archives. An outdoor memorial has been erected by the Hotell Royal, which was once run by Ericson’s father – a miniature sanctuary for art and relaxation right in the heart of town. Design Destinations West Sweden has everything a design-enthusiast could ask for – from urban landscapes characterised by historical wooden buildings to industrial heritage museums that preserve the local design industry’s history. HISTORICAL WOODEN ARCHITECTURE, HJO Hjo’s collection of petite historical wooden buildings stands huddled around the edges of the town’s Stora Torget square. The oldest buildings date back to the 18th century. In 1990, Hjo was awarded the Europa Nostra Medal of Honour for its remarkable preservation of the entire wooden town of Hjo, which has involved maintaining its distinctive character and charm. The grand villas built in Hjo’s Stadsparken park (circa 1870-1890) are a testament to the era when the town boasted a famous spa resort, Hjo Vattenkuranstalt. TEXTILE MERCHANTS’ ESTATES, SJUHÄRAD There are around 60 former textile merchants’ estates remaining in Sjuhärad, a district made famous by its textile production, some of which date back to the late 18th century. Although most of these grand houses are now private residences, they are open to the public once each year on the day known as Förläggargårdens Dag. The estates are examples of an historical cultural-architectural style comparable to that of the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.