Dalgångsstugan
Historical workers' cabin in Konga
The old Dalgångstuga in Konga, a small village about 13 kilometers east of Tingsryd, is one of the few remaining so-called "Backstugas" in Sweden .
Backstuga used to refer to a simple hut, inhabited by people who did not own the land on which their home stood. The prefix "Back" comes from "på bar backe", which meant "penniless". These huts were located generally on agriculturally completely unusable soils and were often the only way for the poor to have a roof over his head.
The Dalgångsstuga in Konga is a very well-preserved variant of a Backstuga, which was partially built into a hill. With this type of construction almost half of the building material was saved, because the excavated slope formed the back wall of the cabin, as well as parts of the gable walls.
This house was built in 1859 by a worker who had moved here with his wife and three children after finding work at the nearby ironworks. He solved the housing problem with a bunch of field stones, a few tree trunks and a pair of strong arms. There was a door, two windows, a clay floor and the family home was ready to move in.
The Dalgångsstuga was inhabited until 1934 and was given to the heritage association Södra Sandsjö in 1955. The association, which also runs the homestead Södra Sandsjö Hembygdsgård in Dångebo, restored the cabin to its original state. The Dalgångsstuga can be viewed from the inside during annual events as well as by prior arrangement.
