At Skansen - the allotment area

Today, several allotment gardens are recognized as historically interesting areas. They are a part of the Swedish heritage. Skansen in Stockholm got a separate allotment area in 1997, open to visitors with two authentic cottages from 1920 - and 1940's. They were taken from the same block in the allotment area SouthTanto in Stockholm. The cottages were selected to represent the development and history of an allotment area.
 
The cottages are similar to the type drawings with standardized look that the "Stockholm Allotment Garden Association" developed in the early 1900's. They were drawn by famous architects, among them Ragnar Östberg (1866-1945). Both cottages are built of surplus wood and with roofs made of tar paper. The cottages interior represent two different decades through furniture and other details. They are located on a hill with the cultivable land in front. A red fence runs along the gardens. A rasberry hedge separates the two plots.
 
The red cottage and garden from the 1920s show the period after the first World War. The utility plants such as cabbages, turnips and beets were necessary in the household during these crisis years.

Exterior dimension is 2.20 x 3.50 m. Inside the cottage, there is a small kitchen with cabinets and a small room and a wood stove for heating. Below the floor,  there is a small basement that would keep the food cold. Outside the cottage there is a kitchen counter for cooking and washing. Garden tools are stored in a wooden box outside the cottage. In the garden vegetables dominate. But even flowers and fruits such as pions, butter ball,s daisies, coluablesbines, bleeding hearts and wild strawberries.

​​Come and visit the two allotment huts from Stockholm. One is representing the 1920s and the other the 1940s. They were moved to Skansen in 1997. 

You can learn a little about the history of the Swedish allotments. During the summer the staff who are all in period dress can explain details about allotments. Do not forget to take in the carefully managed garden.

The yellow cottage from the 1940s shows the period after the second World War with more room for ornamental plants. Exterior dimension is 2.30 x 2.45 m. The cottage has got a kitchenette with a washing-up bowl and a water bucket, a wood stove and a cupboard for utensils. There is also a sofa, a table, some chairs and a simple rug on the floor.
 
There are apple trees, Transparente Blanche and Astrakhan, a pear tree and lilac bushes in the cottage garden. Among the flowers, you will find perennials as phlox, peony, bridal veil and  old-fashioned roses. One-year plants are mallow, nasturtium, sweet pea, cosmos. Among the utility plants, there are lettuce, dill, parsley and chives, sage, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and onions.

The Aid Association in the Skansen Allotment Area was founded in 2001 to an increasing interest in old cultivation in accordance with traditional methods.