Katthult

The Katthult farm, which is actually called Gibberyds Gård, is a real Småland farm from the 19th century and by no means an artificial movie set, which was built only for the shooting of the Emil films. The farm was selected as the shooting location in the 1970s, as it was exactly the same as the Katthult farm from Astrid Lindgren's stories.

Cherry trees, lilac bushes, main house with flagpole in the front yard, barn, storeroom, servant's house, outhouse and largegate – everything was and is available as described in the stories. The only building that was erected for the filming, was the carpenter's workshop, in which Emil withdrew from certain occasions for carving.

The indoor scenes of the servants' quarters, the barn and Emils' workshop took place on the spot, while the scenes, which play in the main house, were shot in a specially designed studio in the nearby Mariannelund. Today, Katthult farm still looks the same as the one from the Emil films, because the family, which inhabited the property since 1898, has changed the appearance of the farm only insignificantly since the shooting.

With the exception of the still inhabited main house, you can move freely on the entire farm grounds. You can take a look in the little workshop with its old tools and the countless carved figures, or visit the house of Alfred the Servant, or take a look at the outhouse or into the large underground cellar.

As it is true for a real farm, animals also live on Katthult. There are horses, pigs, sheep, rabbits and chickens on the farm, and in the summer cows are grazing on the adjacent meadows.

There are tables and comfortable benches on the lawns between the buildings where you can eat your picnic lunch or simply relax in the idyllic surroundings. Freshly brewed coffee, pastries, soda or ice cream can be found in the farm shop Katthultsboden - there are also books, films, crafts, postcards and all kinds of souvenirs such as the typical Emil hat.

You can visit Katthult Farm all year round, even outside the season that runs from midsummer to the end of August. However, the buildings and activities are closed then, but you can see everything from the outside and soak up the atmosphere.