Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra

Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra, a four-winged farm dating from the 1840s, is situated in a heath landscape between gentle hills above the steep coast in Österlen, a region in the south-east of the province Skåne which is popular not only with numerous artists because of its lovely landscape and special light.

The Development of Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra

In 1957 the then Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld bought the former Backåkra farm including 30 hectares of land with the aim of retiring after his active time in the service of the United Nations. After Dag Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash in 1961, the Swedish Tourist Board inherited the farm and opened a museum on the life and work of the Secretary-General.

In 2011 the farm was provisionally closed for renovation, in 2015 it was taken over by the newly established Dag-Hammarskjölds-Backåkra Foundation, renovated and reopened in 2018. In addition to the museum, which is open to the public, Backåkra also has a meeting centre, which is reserved for organisations and researchers who deal with various topics in the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld.

Exhibitions at Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra

The museum tells of both the professional and private life of the popular diplomat, who is often described as one of the two best Secretaries-General of the United Nations. At the same time, Dag Hammarskjöld is one of only four people to have been awarded a Nobel Prize posthumously.

The view of Dag Hammarskjöld outside the diplomatic parquet shows the nature lover, who was strongly involved in the Swedish Tourism Association, the leading member of the Swedish Academy and the enthusiastic art collector.

The permanent exhibition includes parts of Hammarskjölds' large private art collection and, in particular, a large number of various gifts that he received during his time as UN Secretary- General. These include numerous state gifts that Dag Hammarskjöld received in gratitude for his commitment to numerous mediation missions.

In addition, Hammarsjölds' private study is on display as well as furniture and art objects from his former private apartment in New York. The museum's program is supplemented by changing exhibitions and various events. There is also a small museum shop and a café reserved exclusively for museum visitors.

All around Dag Hammarskjölds Backåkra

As early as the 1960s, the 30 hectares of land belonging to the farm were declared a Backåkra Nature Reserve, which borders on the neighbouring large nature reserves Hagestad and Hammars Backar.

Between the courtyard and the steep coast there is a large stone circle, which was built in 1969 as a meditation place. The place enjoys great popularity in the region as a place for church devotions, weddings and baptisms as well as a place for reflection and inner contemplation.

Since the end of the 1960s, Backåkra has hosted a traditional midsummer celebration every year, which has grown strongly in the meantime. In the beginning there were only about 100 people, but now there are about one thousand people celebrating there the summer solstice every year on Midsommarafton.