Kulturens Östarp

As the name suggests, Kulturens Östarp is part of the large and well-known museum complex Kulturen in Lund. Östarp itself once consisted of just two farms and has been known since 1530. After a fire in 1810, three new buildings were erected within two years, among them the so-called Gamlegård, which still exists on this site today and forms the heart of Kulturens Östarp.

Kulturens Östarp is born

Georg J:son Karlin (1859 - 1939), the founder of Kulturen, bought Gamlegård in 1922. The decision was quickly made not to move the farm to the museum in Lund, but to create another small open-air museum on the spot. By 1924, Möllegården had been built, a residential building for the people who would continue to cultivate Kulturens Östarp. In addition, an early 19th century windmill from near Lund was moved to Östarp, as well as a so-called Malttorkan, a small hut for malt making.

Another building, the Brytestugan, was built into a hill after an example of a neighbouring farm and is used for drying flax for linen production. The whole ensemble also includes a water mill from the 1840s and Östarps Gästgivaregård, a classic inn that was built when the museum opened in 1924. However, it burnt down in 1952 and was rebuilt in 1960. In the same year, the Östarpshallen was built, which serves as an exhibition space for the museum. In the 1990s, the neighbouring farm Alriksgården from 1907 was integrated into the museum.

Discovering the cultural reserve

Since the opening of the open-air museum, visitors have been able to get a glimpse of 19th century farming techniques. Kulturens Östarp is still cultivated with equipment and techniques from that time and is thus also a living agricultural museum. In addition, old country breeds of various farm animals live on the farm. You can visit the grounds all year round, but a look inside the buildings is only possible during the summer season from May to the end of August.

Kulturens Östarp was declared an official cultural reserve in 2021, the 47th in Sweden. A 1.8-kilometre-long marked nature and culture trail leads you through the entire reserve and offers numerous information boards along the way.