Vallby Open Air Museum in Västerås showcases the cultural history of Westman. The museum is open all year round, although you can expect more activities during the summer months. Here we also found a ... word museum. Wow, what fun!
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Vallby open-air museum
At Vallby Open Air Museum you can see old houses and farms from Västmanland, but also learn about life in the past, farm animals and 'endangered words'. In the summer you can expect a 'living museum', when the houses are open and people in period clothing bring the environments to life.
During the low season (and in corona time) there are not so many activities, but it was still very nice to walk around the area.
Vallby friluftsmuseum is located about 2 kilometres north of Västerås city centre.
Visiting the Vallby Open Air Museum
It is easy to get to Vallby Museum by car or motorhome, and there is a car park right outside the entrance. There are also buses from the centre of Västerås. Admission to the museum is free, although there may be charges for specific activities and events.
The first thing we saw when we entered the open air museum was quite "modern" cultural history - the folk park and the allotment house. A bit of fun! Folk parks and allotments apparently existed already in the late 19th century in Sweden.
Houses and farms from a bygone era
We then walked around all the houses and farms in the large area. Here you can see, for example the farmhouse, with all its various buildings, including the "exception" where the older people who previously owned and operated the farm lived.
Bergsmansgården was a farm where a mountain man, a man who worked in mining, lived with his family. A monogram with the initials of the householder shows that the farm was painted in 1674.
If you walk on to village school you get to see a cute little school from 1877. Here reading, writing, arithmetic, Christianity, biblical history and church singing were the order of the day for a small number of pupils.
Behind the square is the workers' backyard. The farm is called the "Skarprättaregården" because it was once the residence of a skarprättare, a hangman.
The manor house once belonged to a business with a copper hammer, smithy, saw, mill and agriculture, and is said to be the foundation of what later became Hallstahammar's mill. The manor house was completed in 1702.
You can also see a small solar village, which once belonged to the Västerås Company of the Royal Västmanland Regiment. The soldier 120 Käck lived here with his family. In addition to the croft, the soldier received soldier's clothing, a sum of money and goods such as grain, bread, meat and wool. Making a living was not easy, so they had to supplement their income by growing vegetables and fruit.
Ancient gardens and agriculture
The Vallby Open Air Museum also tells the story of gardens and agriculture in the past. For example, you can learn about the important bumblebee farms. In Sweden, until 1860 there were laws that forced farmers to grow a certain amount of hops in order for Sweden to be self-sufficient and produce beer.
Farmers also had a cabbage farm. In those days, not only cabbage was grown, but also other vegetables such as carrots, onions, peas, beans and spices.
Landrace animals from the past
You can also see many different breeds of farm animals in the museum, such as the Hedemora hen, Gotland rabbit and the Jämt goat. Many of these breeds are now protected or endangered.
COW's word museum
What I (Helena) found most fun of all was ... COW's word museum! When Peter saw the sign he said "This must be paradise for you", and yes, it was a bit like that.
The initiator of the museum is Curt O. Wallerud, who is known as a cartoonist in VLT (Västmanland County newspaper). He wanted to immortalise words that are in danger of being forgotten, i.e. words that are threatened with extinction.
There are around 200 words in the museum, along with explanations. Some of the words come from the former word museum at Elfvik Farm in Lidingö. Now all the words are collected here in Sweden's only word museum for endangered words.
Some words we didn't think were strange at all, such as honourable, diligent, blunt, cautious or daft.
Others were completely incomprehensible to us, such as hamla, löskerkarl, nipper, schaber and änskönt.
The sisters of the Gaggeska farm
At Vallby Open Air Museum you will also find the Sisters of Gaggeska Farm. There is both a restaurant and a café. The farm is named after Rudolf Gagge (1834-1912), who owned the farm at the end of the 19th century and was a well-known bank director in Västerås.
More to see and do in Västerås
There is of course more to see and do in Västerås! The old town is extremely charming. It is also nice to walk along Mälarpromenade or visit Djäkneberget. In addition, you can visit Anundshög with all the ancient remains, Tidö Castle with a bicycle and motorbike museum or the royal castle Strömsholm.
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Have you visited the Vallby Open Air Museum?
Have you visited Vallby friluftsmuseum, or perhaps another attraction in Västerås? Tell us about your experiences!
Facts about Vallby Open Air Museum
- Address: Skerikesvägen 2, Västerås
- Read more: You can find more information at Open air museum website
Services and practical information
- Opening hours: Vallby Friluftsmuseum is open every day from 10.00-17.00. Between 24 December and 6 January the museum is open at 10.00-15.00. (2021)
- Food service: The sisters at Gaggeska Farm serve lunch, sandwiches and a children's menu. It is also possible to bring a packed lunch into the museum area, but barbecues are not allowed.
- Shops: At Vallby Friluftsmuseum there are two artisans with shops: glass art (Glasbiten) and silversmithing (Vallby silversmide).
- For families with children: There are toilets and baby changing facilities near the square.
- Rules: You cannot feed the animals, you cannot pick plants in the gardens and dogs must be kept on a lead. You are welcome to look at the houses up close, but do not climb on them as they are old and can be damaged.
Tours and activities
- Guided tours and lectures: Various themed tours and talks can be booked for groups.
- Activities for children: There are many different activities for children, such as the Children's Kitchen Garden, the Flinkstugan play and learning environment and various activities during school holidays.
- Schools and pre-schools: Various educational programmes are available for schools and kindergartens.
- Programmes and events: Check the museum's calendar for various events, such as animal walks, horse and carriage rides, church services, spring festival, midsummer celebrations, fiddler's convention and more.
- Rental of premises: You can hire premises for christenings, weddings, funerals, lectures, concerts and more.
Accessibility
- Accessibility at entrances: The museum has three entrances. The main entrance is on a slope. The entrance by the cycle path has the least slope.
- Accessibility in the museum: The roads in the museum are hard-packed gravel. The tin casting yard with Glasbiten and Vallby's Silversmide, the Gaggeska yard (inn), the Bomanska yard, the manor house, the Skultunaboden (word museum) and the mission house are equipped with ramps.
- Toilets: The public toilets are accessible.
- Parking: There is a car park outside the museum for cars with a disability permit.
Find the Vallby Open Air Museum
- Car: Vallby Friluftsmuseum is located on the E18, about 2 kilometres north of Västerås city centre. Exit the E18 at the Vallby motorway and follow the signs. Free parking.
- Bus: From Västerås you can take city bus number 4 towards Brottberga. Stop at Vallbyleden or Brandstation (5-10 minute walk).
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Ama de casa says:
What a lovely museum - I love words 🙂
Have a nice weekend!
17 April 2021 - 9:32
Helena says:
Isn't it fun with words? Wishing you also a nice weekend!
17 April 2021 - 17:16
Lisa says:
Have only travelled through Västerås. Now that you have written so nicely about the old town, I become very curious and hungry.
17 April 2021 - 10:47
Helena says:
Västerås is a great city! There will be more here on the blog in the coming week!
17 April 2021 - 17:17
Lisa says:
Have visited the museum in the summer - saw beautiful gardens and crops, both flowers and vegetables. The small farm shop was very cosy....
17 April 2021 - 12:57
Helena says:
Must be very nice here in the summer! I can imagine that the museum comes even more into its own then!
17 April 2021 - 17:20
bmlarstravellingblog says:
What a fun museum! I would have liked that. Some of the words you didn't hear are familiar to me. Is it because of age or region? For example, my grandmother gave me a "trinket box" when I was a child (a small porcelain box to store jewellery). We learnt how to hammer trees when we hiked at Store Mosse a couple of weeks ago.
17 April 2021 - 16:38
Helena says:
Very interesting! It might be due to several things, but I think region plays a big role when it comes to words!
17 April 2021 - 17:21
BP says:
Vallby Open Air Museum was right up my street, especially Cow's word museum. It would have been a paradise for me too:-)
17 April 2021 - 19:31
Lena - good for the soul says:
Oh what fun to see. I was there in a hurry, off season, a few years ago. I thought it looked cosy then. We have said for a long time that we should go there sometime and visit when there is some activity. Now I want to go there even more!
Another tip for activities in Västerås is the Västmanland County Museum. We were there two years ago. It was worth a visit.
Hug Lena
23 April 2021 - 6:26