The Pyramid in Lommaryd

Baron Malte Liewen Stierngranat was born at Nobynäs manor in Lommaryd parish in 1871, and he later became deeply engaged in the local area. After several years in America, he returned to Sweden in 1911, where he purchased part of the estate and named it Stjärneborg. Later, several different buildings were constructed there, including a castle and a private railway station where trains would also stop. He had a strong interest in art and a passion for public education, which led him, among other things, to initiate the Lommaryd Local Heritage Society and an open-air museum. Today, his legacy is preserved by the Stierngranat Museums Association.

After a visit to Egypt in 1908, the baron conceived the idea of creating a smaller copy of the Great Pyramid of Cheops; this personal mausoleum was built in 1923. The burial chamber is shaped like a Gothic chapel and is richly decorated with vaulted paintings depicting scenes from Stierngranat’s life. A sarcophagus was commissioned during the 1920s and, for security reasons, was taken along during extended stays abroad. In 1960, Stierngranat was laid to rest in his sarcophagus.