Huseby Bruk

“Beautiful Huseby Bruk shows you a bygone era. Go for a stroll in the park and gardens, and visit the well preserved castle. At the old ironworks, the stories of the 1800s are told over and over again.”


Step back in Time at Huseby Bruk: A Journey through History, Nature, and Royalty

Huseby Bruk, south of Växjö, is a well-preserved, living works environment with roots in the 19th century. The works were bequeathed to the state by their last owner in 1979 and since then they have been preserved and renovated, and infused new life into the whole area. There is a creaking waterwheel that once was the source for power, and the huge body of water from lake Salen passes into lake Åsnen.

When you’ve walk past the mill you see the furnace, and then you can catch a glimpse of the white ‘castle’ in the greenery. It feels as if you’ve stepped into a different time period with a slower pace of life. Unless it’s the time of the Christmas fair of course – then the bridge and roads are crowded and you can enjoy the scents of sausages and mulled wine.

The main building at Huseby is reverently called the castle. Many remember Ms. Stephens, the last owner of Huseby. In her last will and testament, she wrote that everything should be preserved for coming generations to take part of. The interior decor remains, and much of it comes from her parents’ time and up until the middle of the 1800s. The Stephens family were close to the royal house and sometimes had royal visitors at Huseby Bruk.

The fact that all the objects remain, big and small, furniture as well as clothes and other items, makes the house feel like a home rather than a museum, and the guided tours are very special. There are regular guided tours and dramatised tours. Sometimes you can book an exclusive tea party at the house, and meet staff just as there would have been during Ms. Stephens’s time at Huseby. You might even spot ironmaster Stephens sitting on the terrace, reading the paper.

The park and garden have been recreated in their 19th century form. Much was documented – even shopping lists for seeds. The park is characterised by ‘embroidered’ flower beds that Miss Stephens’s mother Elisabeth Stephens designed. But the kitchen garden might be the best thing about Huseby – it is a real utility garden that used to supplied the work’s gentry with vegetables, fruit and berries. It was designed with nine areas and follows a model from older times. Ms. Stephens loved different breeds of hens and today, too, there are hens and peacocks to look at.

In the old dairy just next to the kitchen garden and at the edge of river Helige å, you find Elisabeths Trädgård Restaurant u0026 Café. The restaurant has been beautifully restored and offers a nice and quiet place for a meal. Their menu changes depending on the seasons and the raw produce available at the time. Everythingthat is served is home cooked and of high quality. In so far as it is possible, the meat, fish and other ingredients come from local producers.

The Christmas fair at Huseby Bruk is the largest of its kind in the Nordics, with over 30 000 visitors and 170 exhibitors each year. Here you find the country’s best handcrafters and small-scale food producers gathered in one place. At dusk, over 500 outdoor candles and thousands of small lights are lit, all for the sake of enhancing the Christmas atmosphere. Find handmade straw Christmas goats and other straw creations, handmade candles, and lots and lots of other kinds of handicrafts.

You can also try Swedish delicacies that are usually served around Christmas, such as brandy-cheese, lingonberry bread, all kinds of sausages, marzipan, pickled herring, and – of course – glögg (a type of mulled wine).

Churches

Småland’s churches represent a large part of the surviving buildings from the Middle Ages and bear witness to developments in church architecture.

Parks and gardens

Parks and well-designed gardens are a pleasure for the soul. Here are our tips on beautiful parks and gardens in Småland.

Picturesque & historical Småland

Our landscape is rich in well-preserved sites where time has stood still. Enjoy a journey back in time and immerse yourself in a lost age.

Kalmar Castle

Your steps echo between the old walls as you walk through the vault, into Kalmar Castle’s courtyard.